DAILY SCOPE: Lebanon Struggling In Crises, Syrian Army Makes Major Advances

Local Editor

NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES

AS-SAFIR:

Tehran Facilitates Solution in Syria...Yemen First Experiment

Americans to Lebanon: No Oil Investment without Stability

AN-NAHAR:

Washington Threatens to Target Syrian Army if It Attacks US Trained Fighters

AL-AKHBAR:

Doha Meeting: Russia, US Focus on Terrorism... Persian Gulf Eyes on Iran

Nuclear Deal: Washington Dismantled ‘Imaginary Bomb'

AL-BINAA:

Al-Nusra Decides to Liquidate Ahrar al-Sham, Zabadani Soon Liberated like Hasaka

AL-JOMHOURIYA:

Washington: We Will Defend the Opposition We Trained

AD-DIYAR:

Lebanese Suffer Toughest Circumstances: Electricity, Water, Security, Waste Crisis and Fires

AL-ANWAR:

Official Warning: Garbage Causes Health Crisis, Threatens Aviation

At the time events are accelerating in the region, especially in Yemen, Syria and Iraq, not to mention the regional tour made by the US Secretary of State John Kerry and the meeting in Doha to solve the crises of the Middle East, Lebanon struggles in its several calamities that see no solutions so far.

Lebanese newspapers on Tuesday focused on the different crises striking Lebanon, including the waste crisis, the government and presidential impasse, the electricity and water crises and the heat-wave-induced fires across the country. Also, papers focused on the Doha meetings and the Persian Gulf countries' reactions to a new Middle East in which Iran is a major player in solving the different dossiers that have seen deadlock for a long time.

Syrian Army makes Major Advances, al-Nusra and Allies Retreat in Idlib -- AS-SAFIR

A military source told Lebanese daily As-Safir that the Syrian army has achieved quick advances in different Syrian areas owing to several factors such as "the flexibility of cooperating with combat units with frequent changes applied on the battlefield, resorting to the use of heavy fire, and distracting the enemy by opening battles in different locations simultaneously."

The source noted that "al-Nusra and its allies are trying to stop the advances of the Syrian army by opening random confrontations in different places, but the army is ready to confront them."

On a related note, a field source affirmed that the Syrian army has made major advances during the past three days, contrary to distorted information disseminated by al-Nusra media that the army has lost ground in many places across Syria. The field source assured that the Syrian army has retrieved most areas that were taken by "Jaysh al-Fateh" in Idlib and that these areas were completely restored at the time al-Nusra front and its allies moved from a state of attack to another of defense and retreat.

Multiple Crises Pose Threat on Lebanon - AL-AKHBAR

Health Minister Wael Abou Faour highlighted on Monday the threats posed by the ongoing waste disposal problem in Lebanon, saying that the temporary dumps for Beirut's garbage are nearing their capacity, al-Akhbar newspaper said on Tuesday.

During a press conference, the minister urged the government to "take the fastest solution to resolve the problem because time is not on our side, adding "It appears that we are facing a long-term problem of waste disposal."

He noted that the temporary dump established near Rafik Hariri International Airport poses a threat to nearby residential areas due to the hazardous fumes and stench.

It also poses a threat to aviation because of the increase in birds that are dangerous to planes, he explained.

The smell of rotting garbage became worse with rising temperatures amid an unprecedented heat wave striking Lebanon and neighboring countries. Officials have started to study the possibility of exporting the waste, with German, French, and Swedish companies expressing interest.

On a related note, Environment Minister Mohammad al-Mashnouq told al-Akhbar newspaper that "Lebanon is in real danger as it with the many heat-wave-induced fires, and what makes it worse is the garbage that has been dumped haphazardly in different places."

He called on the municipalities of Lebanon's different regions to "become active" in solving the crisis, yet he did not mention if a solution to the garbage and waste crisis will see light soon.

US: Political Agreement with Iran, Deal to Pass Congress -- AS-SAFIR

A US source told As-Safir newspaper that a political agreement with Iran can be one of the best cards that the Obama administration has obtained and through which it would pass the nuclear deal through congress.

According to the source, the technical agreement does not guarantee US interests in the Middle East region, and it was necessary to have Iran return as a major and legitimate player in the region with full rights and responsibilities. The source asserted that the political part of the deal is more important than the technical part, and this political agreement has pushed some of the democrats in the congress to vote for the deal.

Earlier in an interview with American online news aggregator Huffington Post, the top US negotiator in the Iran talks, US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz said US lawmakers will approve the agreement, dubbed the Join Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA]. "I'm certainly confident that it's a very good deal and I'm fairly confident that it will, in the end, be approved," Moniz said.

With a Republican majority, the pro-"Israel" US Congress has been taking steps to hamper the agreement with Iran against the backdrop of a row with the Democratic White House. "Frankly, there have not been particularly good alternatives offered" to the nuclear agreement, Moniz noted.

The top American negotiator, who mostly held talks with his Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Salehi, during meetings, further expressed hope that the agreement would "earn the trust of the international community in the purely peaceful nature of their nuclear program." Moniz said it was "disappointing" that some in the US political system have opposed the nuclear conclusion "before they even saw the agreement."

Source: Al-Ahed News, Edited by website team