DAILY SCOPE: Russia Coordinating with Syrian, Iranian Intelligence to Target Terrorists

Local Editor

NEWSPAPERS' HEADLINES:

AS-SAFIR:

500 Days... Without a ‘Republic'

Pope to Christians: Your Division Hampers Election of President

AN-NAHAR:

Dialogue Collects Qualities, All Settlements Pending

Promotions Down... Promises of Garbage Session

AL-AKHBAR:

Promotions Settlement Down

Syria: Land Campaign Starts

AL-JOMHOURIA:

Major Political Polarization

AL-BINAA:

Dispute in Iraq Complicates Russian-US Understanding

The Daily Star:

Fate of Dialogue, Government in the Balance

Lebanese newspapers on Thursday reported that the Lebanese governmental impasse seems to worsen, with the solutions suggested to solve some major files collapsing. Meanwhile, the dailies focused on the Russian role in Syria, especially after the ballistic missiles that crossed the airspace of Iran and Iraq to finally hit targets belonging to the extremist groups such as "ISIL".

Lebanon's Cabinet in Deadlock --- AN-NAHAR

An-Nahar newspaper said on Thursday that the issue of settling military promotions seems to have arrived to a deadlock. According to a source close to MP Michel Aoun, the settlement has collapsed. The source noted that General Aoun did not even ask for a settlement, but rather since the beginning demanded a legal solution to the issue.

As for the Presidential elections, the paper noted that all officials included in the dialogue on Wednesday presented written suggestions of what the President should be like; according to Lebanese House Speaker's suggestion.

Lebanon's political elite last Tuesday failed to make any tangible progress on the presidential crisis during the third round of dialogue talks at Parliament. Also, a national dialogue session scheduled for today, Thursday has been called off and the next session will be held on October 26 after Wednesday's session ended at the parliament.

The presidential deadlock tops the agenda of the all-party talks, which are expected to tackle the resumption of the work of parliament and the cabinet, a new electoral draft-law, legislation allowing Lebanese expats to obtain the nationality, administrative decentralization and ways to support the army and the Internal Security Forces.

Strategic Russian Plan Clear Even to Rivals --- AL-AKHBAR

A Russian military source told al-Akhbar newspaper that the Russian leadership told its Iranian and Syrian allies that it has decided to move on and carry out a bigger and more comprehensive operation dubbed ‘From Sea to River', in an attempt to help the Syrian government regain control over the region extending from Latakia coasts all the way to the Euphrates river bank at the borders with Iraq.

A Russian military officer told the paper that Russia's strategy is crystal clear and that even Moscow's rivals are starting to understand that Russia is trying allow the Syrian government regain its control and power over its territories and that the battle is complicated and huge.

The official noted that there will be no time or geographical limit to the battles, adding that Russia has built its military system according to this particular strategy, and that Syria has received from Russia various weapons and forces from the different specialties. These weapons, according to the source, include jet fighters, anti-tank weapons, armored vehicles, most modern service tanks, ballistic missile system, fighter helicopters, and other advanced weapons not to mention that the specialized Russian teams will be carrying out the most complicated missions of monitoring and technical tracking.

On the intelligence level, a high-ranking Russian official told al-Akhbar newspaper that the informatics cooperation op. room includes generals from the Russian, Syrian and Iranian military intelligence as well as a team of intelligence belonging to Hizbullah.

The source further said that they have prepared a bank of targets in all the areas of North Syria without exceptions, which is in constant update. It went on to say that the Russian military in Syria receives targets suggested by the Syrian army, and then follows up and investigates these targets and reports them to the Russian Defense Ministry which in its turn approves the targets before the raids are carried out.

The center of attention, when it comes to allocating the targets is the leadership centers of the terrorist groups, their operation rooms, training bases, and arms depots.

Moscow launched its military operation against "ISIL" terrorists at the request of the Syrian government on September 30. Since the start of the operation, the Russian military have destroyed at least 112 objects belonging to Takfiris.

Among them are 19 commanding points, 12 ammunition depots, 71 armored vehicles and six factories that produced explosive devices, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said Wednesday.

Russia Will Use Long-Range Ballistic Missiles According to Tactical Needs --- AS-SAFIR

Sources told As-Safir newspaper that the 26 missiles that crossed 1500 kilometers above Iran and Iraq before destroying 11 targets belonging to the terrorist group "ISIL" in East Syria is only the first set of an entire chain of missile sets the Russians are willing to use according to tactical needs in targeting the complicated targets of the terrorist armed groups especially in the areas of Idlib, Raqqa, and Aleppo.

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the preliminary results of the Russian Air Force operation in Syria against positions of the Takfiri group, "ISIL" [so-called "Islamic State in Iraq and Levant"].

"We know how complicated these anti-terrorist operations are. It is too early to review the results, but what has been done deserves high positive assessment."

The Russian leader said Moscow will give support to the Syrian Army's fight on the ground against "ISIL".

Source: al-Ahed News