Assad: No One Should Dare Touch Resistance and Its Arms

02/09/2010 Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar quoted on Thursday Syrian President Bachar Assad as warning that Hezbollah’s rifle was directed at Israel.

According to the Lebanese daily, Assad recently told his guests that no one should dare touch the resistance and its arms.

The newspaper also quoted Assad as calling for restraint in Lebanon and unification of weapons to confront the Israeli enemy.

Damascus visitors told al-Akhbar that the Syrian president has expressed concern over the situation in Lebanon, saying that tight coordination between Syria and Saudi Arabia could keep calm in the country.

According to Assad, all Lebanese sides should benefit from this atmosphere to consolidate the interior.

Jumblatt Rejects Slogan of Arms-Free Beirut as Meaningless



02/09/2010 The head of the Democratic Gathering MP Walid Jumblatt rejected on Tuesday the slogan of arms-free Beirut as meaningless and unenforceable.

Speaking to Lebanese daily As-Safir, Jumblatt warned that the Borj Abi Haidar clashes were more dangerous than any external war, adding that they came in reaction to the tripartite summit held at Baabda between President Michel Sleiman, Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz and Syrian President Bashar Assad. "As if there is someone who wants to tell the leaders: You are not the ones who come up with solutions," he noted.

Jumblatt, who warned that Lebanon was threatened by chaos, said the Americans want to fight Iran on Lebanese territories. "There are other countries who want to fight Syria in Lebanon," he pointed out.

While admitting that Damascus and Riyadh could play a positive role in creating stability in Lebanon, the Progressive Socialist Party leader said that Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah and Speaker Nabih Berri "can also do a lot."

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian