Replies

A Lebanese news source on Saturday predicted that Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would pay a visit to Syria and Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal would visit Iran.

The Lebanese `As-Safir’ newspaper said developments in Lebanon would be discussed during the two visits. . .

News sent: 15:53 Saturday July 07, 2007

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/879176.html

Last update - 10:17 07/07/2007
Lebanese sources: Syria to evacuate citizens, close border
By Haaretz Service (excerpt)

Lebanese sources told a Nazareth newspaper that Syria is planning to evacuate its citizens from Lebanon and close the border by mid-month, Israel Radio reported Saturday. . .

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1183459215876&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter

Report: Syria removing military checkpoints in Golan
JPost.com Staff, THE JERUSALEM POST
Jul. 7, 2007 (snip)

The London based Al-Hayat reported Saturday that Israel was “concerned” that Syria’s decision to remove military checkpoints on the road to Kuneitra on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights could be a preparation for war. According to the report, the checkpoints in question had been in place for 40 years, ever since the Six Day War. . .

Last week, the Golani Infantry Brigade held its training-concluding drill in the Golan Heights. The drill summarized 70 days of training which focused on practicing for battle against a Syrian-Lebanese constellation. The drill was widely covered in the Syrian media, even prompting a Syrian radio analyst to say that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was lying in his statements that Israel seeks peaceful relations with Syria. The analyst said it was clear the Golani drill constituted preparation for an Israeli attack.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3408581,00.html

‘Coordinate confrontation against Israel’
16:50 , 06.04.07

Syrian president quoted by Iranian news agency as calling for ‘better coordination’ between Damascus and Tehran against Israel
Yaakov Lappin (excerpt)

Syrian President Bashar Assad has called for “better cooperation” between Damascus and Tehran in “the confrontation with the Zionist regime and the USA,” according to a report published on Sunday by Iran’s official state news agency, IRNA.

The report, which was reproduced on the personal blog of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, quoted a telephone conversation between the two leaders, after Ahmadinejad congratulated Assad on winning the Syrian elections. . .

Meanwhile, a new feature on Ahmadinejad’s blog has appeared in the form of scrolling text calling for the arrival of Imam Mahdi, revered by some Shiites as being the Islamic messiah. A number of Shiite scholars believe that the Mahdi’s arrival is near, and that it will herald the start of an apocalyptic era, a view which President Ahmadinejad reportedly subscribes to.

“O, Almighty God, bestow upon humanity the perfect human being promised to all by You, and make us among his followers,” the message said.

http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/Newsdesk.nsf/0/7082F91E1191E3E1C22572EF003E57CD?OpenDocument

Ahmadinejad: Israel’s ‘Destruction’ Countdown Starts on Hands of Lebanese, Palestinians

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday that a countdown has begun that will end with the “destruction” of Israel by the people of Lebanon and Palestine, the ISNA news agency reported.

“The countdown has started for the Zionist regime’s destruction at the hands of the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples,” the student agency quoted the president as saying.

“In the near future we will witness the destruction of the Zionist regime, God willing.”

Beirut, 03 Jun 07, 14:23

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2007/July/theuae_July185.xml&section=theuae

Islands part and parcel of UAE: GCC (edited)

7 July 2007

RIYADH — The GCC foreign ministers reiterated on Thursday the right of the UAE to restore sovereignty over its three islands —Greater and Lesser Tunbs and Abu Musa — occupied by Iran. “The three islands are part and parcel of the UAE,” affirmed the ministers in a statement issued at the end of their 103rd meeting. . .

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=98255&d=7&m=7&y=2007&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom

Saturday, 7, July, 2007 (21, Jumada al-Thani, 1428)
Solve Iran Crisis Peacefully, Saud Says
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News — (excerpt)

JEDDAH, 7 July 2007 — Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal yesterday reiterated Saudi Arabia’s call for a peaceful solution to the international standoff over Iran’s nuclear energy program and downplayed the idea of Tehran targeting GCC countries in the wake of a possible US strike against it.

“We have expressed our hope that the Iranian crisis is solved peacefully,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted Prince Saud as saying after a meeting of GCC foreign ministers here on Thursday night. Asked about the chances of Iran striking at Gulf countries in the event of hostilities, the prince said: “I haven’t heard of such a suggestion ... but it is inappropriate.” . . .

http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-203/0707077018174058.htm

Today: Saturday July 07, 2007
Persian Gulf Islands are and will remain Iranian, FM spokesman
Tehran, July 7, IRNA
Iran-FM Spokesman-PGCC (snipped)

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini rejecting PGCC communique on the Iranian Persian Gulf Islands said on Saturday that the Islands are and will remain inseparable and integral parts of Iranian territory. . . He said that repetition of the baseless stance by the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) on the issue is surprising give that fact that Iran and the UAE enjoy enhanced contacts and relations. . .

News sent: 17:40 Saturday July 07, 2007

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article1909896.ece?print=yes

June 10, 2007

Iran threatens Gulf blitz if US hits nuclear plants
Michael Smith (excerpt)

IRAN has threatened to launch a missile blitz against the Gulf states and plunge the entire Middle East into war if America attacks its nuclear facilities. Admiral Ali Shamkhani, a senior defence adviser to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that Gulf states providing the US with military cooperation would be the key targets of a barrage of ballistic missiles. Shamkhani told the US journal Defense News that missiles would be launched not only at US military bases but also at strategic targets such as oil refineries and power stations.

Qatar, Bahrain and Oman all host important US bases and British forces are based in all three countries. Any Iranian attack would be bound to draw in the other Gulf Cooperation Council states: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

The attacks on Arab states would be in addition to airstrikes on Israel, which have been threatened repeatedly. An Iranian foreign ministry official said: “The objective would be to overwhelm US missile defence systems with dozens and maybe hundreds of missiles fired simultaneously at specific targets.” Shamkhani, a former Iranian defence minister, accused the Gulf states of “helping the US establish legitimacy for its anticipated aggression against Iran”. Shamkhani is the head of Iran’s Centre for Strategic Studies, a think tank made up of former foreign, defence and interior ministers that advises the supreme leader. . .

This article cites a new MEMRI report today, but cannot find it on their site. So they may be repeating the information linked in post 670 from the 7/6/07 MEMRI report.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3422565,00.html

Lebanon ‘to erupt in 1 week’

Syria calls on citizens to evacuate Lebanon, reports say; Expert: Civil war possible
Yaakov Lappin
Published: 07.08.07, 13:24 / Israel News

(excerpt)

. . .Syria has called on its citizens to leave Lebanon ahead of an expected “eruption” in that country, Arab and Iranian press reports have said. The media reports were translated and made available by MEMRI in a special dispatch on Sunday. “In the past few days, Arab and Iranian media reports have pointed to the possibility that Lebanon’s current political crisis may become a violent conflict after July 15, 2007,” the MEMRI dispatch said. July 15 comes one day before a special UN Security Council meeting which is expected to discuss the possibility of stationing international experts on the Syria-Lebanon border, in order monitor the ongoing illegal cross border arms traffic to Hizbullah, thought to be originating from Iran and Syria. The UN Security Council is also expected to meet next week to discuss a key report on the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a development which may bode badly for Syria. . .

“On July 5, 2007, the Iranian news agency IRNA reported that Syrian authorities had instructed all Syrian citizens residing in Lebanon to return to their country by July 15, 2007. The next day, the Israeli Arab daily Al-Sinara similarly reported, on the authority of a Lebanese source close to Damascus, that Syria was planning to remove its citizens from Lebanon. Also on July 5, the Lebanese daily Al-Liwa reported rumors that Syrian workers were leaving Lebanon at the request of the Syrian authorities. In addition, the Syrian government daily Al-Thawra reported that Syrian universities would accept Syrian students who were leaving Lebanon due to the instability there,” MEMRI said in its report. . .

Within Lebanon itself, the Hizbullah-led opposition threatened to establish a “second government” through “historical steps” in mid July, according to senior Hizbullah officials quoted in the Lebanese media, MEMRI added. . .