23 may 2012 osint levant tracker

7/31/2019 23 may 2012 osint levant tracker

1/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

TheCENTCOM This OSINT publication contains foreign mediaderived entirely from open sources in andaround the CENTCOM AOR.

23 May 201

EGYPT

As Egyptians Cast their Ballots, Five Main Contenders Vie for Presidency: Al ArabiyaEgyptians went to the polls on Wednesday for the first presidential vote since the 2011 uprising that overthrewformer president Mubarak. Voting will take place over two days. There are 13 candidates on the ballot, one hasdropped out and endorsed a former rival, five of which are regarded as the main contenders. (Source: Dubai,UAE; Owned by MBC Group, Intl (Large Iraqi following); Neutral; Daily)

Egyptian Policeman Killed at Polling Station, Security Says: Now LebanonAn Egyptian policeman was shot dead on Wednesday when he was caught up in a gunfight between supporters oftwo presidential candidates outside a polling station in Cairo, security officials told AFP. (Source: Beirut,Lebanon; Privately Funded / Independent; Liberal)

Live Updates: Candidates Cast their Ballots: Al Masry Al YoumEgyptians are voting today for the first president after the 25 January uprising. More than 50 million citizens acrossEgypts 27 governorates are eligible to vote, choosing from 11 candidates. The contest is considered wide open.Egypt Independent will be bringing you live updates throughout the day. (Source: Cairo, Egypt; Independent;Daily; Undetermined).

SCAF General says Military is Securing Election as Governorates Prepare: Al Masry Al YoumSupreme Council of the Armed Forces member General Mohamed al-Assar said that the armed forces will securethe presidential elections process with more than 150,000 officers and soldiers. He added that 11,000 vehicles,including planes, have been allocated for transporting troops, evacuations and medical emergencies. (Source:Cairo, Egypt; Independent; Daily; Undetermined).

ISRAEL / GAZA

Atomic Weapons against Islam, says Ahmadinejad as Israel Warns World Powers Not to Waver in IranTalks: Al ArabiyaIslam forbids atomic weapons and other arms of mass destruction, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejadinsisted on Wednesday ahead of his countrys nuclear talks with world powers in Baghdad, as Israel urged worldpowers not to waver in key talks with Iran. (Source: Dubai, UAE; Owned by MBC Group, Intl (Large Iraqifollowing); Neutral; Daily)

Paper: Turkey Indicts Israeli Commanders over Mavi Marmara Raid: Maan News AgencyA Turkish prosecutor has prepared an indictment seeking life sentences for four former Israeli military commandersover their alleged involvement in the 2010 killing of nine Turks on a Gaza-bound aid ship, Turkish newspaperSabah reported on Wednesday. (Source: Bethlehem, Israel; Funded by Dutch and Danish Foreign Ministries;anti-Zionism / anti-West)

Israel Urged to Release Satellite TV Director: Maan News AgencyIsraeli authorities should release the director of a new Palestinian satellite broadcaster who has been detainedsince Thursday, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. . (Source: Bethlehem, Israel; Funded byDutch and Danish Foreign Ministries; anti-Zionism / anti-West)

JORDAN

Jordan, US Discuss Security Cooperation: Jordan TimesJordan and the US on Tuesday examined means to enhance cooperation in security and efforts to combat humantrafficking. (Source: Amman, Jordan; Independent; Neutral)

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: [email protected]

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


2/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

Delay in Preparations for Polls cannot be Tolerated, King: Jordan TimesHis Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday stressed that all Jordanians are looking forward to see the parliamentaryelections held this year in complete fairness, transparency and neutrality. (Source: Amman, Jordan;Independent; Neutral)

LEBANON

Lebanese Pilgrims 'Kidnapped' in Syria: Al JazeeraAt least 11 Lebanese men and their Syrian driver have been kidnapped in the Aleppo province of Syria whileheading back home by bus from a pilgrimage in Iran. Syrian media said an "armed terrorist gang" was responsible.(Source: Doha, Qatar; Independent; Website of the TV Network; Claim Neutrality)

Saudi King Voices Fear of Targeting Lebanon's Sunnis: Ahram OnlineSaudi King Abdullah voiced fear over targeting the Sunni community in Lebanon and urged action to avert asectarian strife resulting from a spillover of the conflict in neighboring Syria. (Source: Cairo, Egypt; Daily; Neutral)

Akkar Mufti Calls Abdel Waheds Killing Assassination: Now LebanonAkkar Mufti Sheikh Osama Rifai said on Wednesday that the incident of the killing of Sunni cleric Ahmad AbdelWahed was deliberate murder. (Source: Beirut, Lebanon; Privately Funded / Independent; Liberal)

Hezbollah Wins Pledge that Lebanese Hostages will be Released: The Daily StarHezbollah MP Ali Ammar said Wednesday that his party has been assured of the release of at least 11 Lebanesemen kidnapped a day earlier in Syria. (Source: Beirut, Lebanon; Independent; Daily, Except Sunday; Neutral)

SYRIA

Live Blog on Developments in Syria: Now Lebanon

Daily Syria Blog(Source: Beirut, Lebanon; Privately Funded / Independent; Liberal)

Ankara makes Arrests in FSA Commander Kidnap Plot: Asharq Al-AwsatColonel Malik al-Kurdi, the Free Syrian Army's [FSA] deputy commander, confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat the reportsabout the Turkish authorities arresting a group that planned to kidnap FSA Commander Riad al-Asaad. (Source:London, England; pan-Arab daily news; Pro Arab)

Syrian Troops Pound Rastan as U.N. Team Brokers Swap between Regimes, Rebels: Al ArabiyaRegime forces Wednesday pounded rebel bastion Rastan, in central Syria, at an average rate of one shell aminute, said a monitoring group, adding that six people were killed across the country amid reports that a U.N. hasbrokered an exchange between forces loyal to President Bashar Assad and opposition fighters. (Source: Dubai,UAE; Owned by MBC Group, Intl (Large Iraqi following); Neutral; Daily)

Armed Terrorist Groups Escalate Attacks and Bombings: SANAForeign-backed armed terrorist groups have increased their aggressions and attacks against civilians and securityprotection personnel in scores of Syrian Governorates. (Source: Syria, Syria Government owned pro Syrianregime)

Three Iranian Truck Drivers Abducted in Syria, says Embassy: Now LebanonThree Iranian truck drivers have been abducted by "armed opposition groups" in Syria, according to Iran's chargedaffaires in Damascus quoted by media Wednesday. (Source: Beirut, Lebanon; Privately Funded /Independent; Liberal)


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


3/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

EDITORIALS

Intl Community has Failed the Syrian People- Former Syrian MB Chief: Asharq Al-AwsatUncertainty continues to surround the claims that a number of senior Syrian officials, including Syrian PresidentBashar al-Assads brother-in-law and intelligence Chief Assef Shawkat, were assassinated on Sunday, despiteofficial denials of this. (Source: London, England; pan-Arab daily news; Pro Arab)

A Possible Agenda for Transition in Egypt: Al JazeeraThis is the second in a two-part series about revolution and reform in Egypt. To read the first part in its entirety,click here. Below is a segue into part two of the series: (Source: Doha, Qatar; Independent; Website of the TVNetwork; Claim Neutrality)

Syrian Regime: Tripoli is Kandahar: Al ArabiyaThe intermittent skirmishes in northern Lebanon, specifically Tripoli, can be termed a natural extension of thecurrent tension in neighboring Syria. In Tripoli, as Shiite and Alawi sects live together, some people see what ishappening in Syria as a conflict between these two religious sects. (Source: Dubai, UAE; Owned by MBC Group,Intl (Large Iraqi following); Neutral; Daily)

Al-Assads Qaeda: Asharq Al-AwsatTwo bloody incidents have taken place in the region, and we must now connect these two events to one another inorder to clarify the bigger and more important picture regarding the course of regional events, whether in Yemen,Syria or Lebanon, and possibly the Gulf in the future. (Source: London, England; pan-Arab daily news; ProArab)

Supporting Documentation:

EGYPT (Top)

23 May 2012Al ArabiyaAs Egyptians Cast their Ballots, Five Main Contenders Vie for Presidency


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


4/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

(U)Five candidates (L to R) hope to lead Egypt as president: Mohammed Mursi, Abdul Muniem Abul Fotouh, AmrMoussa, Ahmed Shafiq and Hamdeen Sabbahi. (File photo)Egyptians went to the polls on Wednesday for the first presidential vote since the 2011 uprising that overthrewformer president Hosni Mubarak. Voting will take place over two days. There are 13 candidates on the ballot, onehas dropped out and endorsed a former rival, five of which are regarded as the main contenders.

Mohammed Mursi

Mohammed Mursi, the Muslim Brotherhoods candidate in Egypts presidential election, is the Islamists fallbackrepresentative after their deputy leader Khairat al-Shater was disqualified.

But the powerful Islamist movement is throwing its entire formidable network of supporters behind the bearded andbespectacled engineer who was appointed last year as the head of its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party(FJP).

Brotherhood supporters lined up for kilometers along main Cairo roads and north of the capital last week holding uppictures of the portly 60-year-old former professor.

On Sunday, Mursi addressed thousands of supporters in a mass Cairo rally in a fiery stump speech, pledging hispresidency would be based on Islam but would not be a theocracy.

The candidate has grown more comfortable in his new role as a potential president, gaining confidence in hisinterviews and public speeches.

Mursi was born in the Nile Delta province of Sharqiya and graduated with an engineering degree from CairoUniversity in 1975. He received in 1982 a PhD from the University of Southern California, where he was anassistant professor.

He was a member of an anti-Israel group, the Committee to Resist Zionism, but dedicated much of his time to theMuslim Brotherhood, which first fielded him in a parliamentary election in 2000.

He kept his seat in the next election in 2005, which left the Brotherhood with a fifth of parliament, but was soonarrested and jailed for seven months after participating in protests supporting reformist judges.

By the 2010 election, Mursi had become a spokesman for the Islamists and a member of their politburo.

He was jailed again on the morning of Jan. 28, 2011, a day after the Muslim Brotherhood announced it would jointhe protests that would topple Mubarak almost two weeks later.

Mursi, and other Brotherhood leaders arrested at the time, served only a few days before they were sprung from jail

during massive prison breaks across the country.

He now presents himself as the only candidate with an Islamic program.

Abdul Muniem Abul Fotouh

Ex-Muslim Brotherhood member Abdul Moniem Abul Fotouh has attracted support from both hardline Islamists andliberals who believe he could defuse Egypts post-revolt religious divide.


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


5/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

The 61-year-old physician says he is the candidate of the revolution that toppled Mubarak. He says former regimemembers should stay out of the presidential race.

He has been endorsed by the radical Islamist group Jamaa Islamiyya, involved in the assassination of presidentAnwar Sadat, as well the fundamentalist Islamist party al-Nour.

But he is also well regarded by a large number of secular-minded youth who participated in last years uprising.

Abul Fotouhs broad appeal stems partly from the fact that he has surrounded himself with a diverse team ofadvisors that include Marxists, feminists and Coptic Christians.

But others argue that Abul Fotouh has cast his net too wide, making different promises to different sectors ofsociety, while some are suspicious of his talk of personal freedoms, believing he is more conservative than hepublicly admits.

Abul Fotouh has campaigned heavily on the right of all Egyptians to health care and education, as well as personalfreedom, earning him support from some leftist quarters.

When people hear Sharia (Islamic law) mentioned, they immediately think that means the women will be forced toveil, tourism will be banned ... but they don't think of the amazing aspects of Sharia such as the emphasis onpersonal freedom, justice and development, he told a popular talk show.

He is currently head of the Arab Medical Union, an emergency and relief group which has offered assistance toGaza, Syria and Libya during times of conflict.

In an interview on Egyptian television, he branded Israel a racist state and said a 1979 peace treaty was anational security threat that should be revised.

Abul Fotouhs political activism began when he was studying for a degree in medicine at Cairo University.

In 1977, when he was head of the university student union, he publicly confronted Sadat, accusing him of being ahypocrite surrounded by sycophants.

The exchange infuriated Sadat and raised Abul Fotouhs profile.

Abul Fotouh joined the Muslim Brotherhood as a young activist and became a member of its politburo in 1987,when the group was still banned.

He received a second university degree, a bachelor of laws, while in prison.

Married to a physician Alia Khalil, he is the father of six children.

Amr Moussa

Amr Moussa, a veteran foreign minister, former Arab League chief and the presidential elections main secularcandidate, vows to lead a multi-confessional Egypt in the face of the rising power of Islamists.

His posters show him alternately smiling in casual attire, or serious and in suit and tie, posing in front of thecountrys ancient temples or petrochemical facilities.


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


6/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

For months, the indefatigable diplomat has been actively campaigning in the Nile Delta and Upper Egypt, far fromthe diplomatic corridors where he spent most of his career.

The fall of Mubarak, with whom he kept uneasy relations, has allowed him to display his presidential ambitions.

On Feb. 4, 2011, just days before Mubarak stepped down; Moussa gave hints of his desire to succeed his formerboss.

I am ready to serve as a citizen, who has the right to stand, he said from the headquarters of the Arab League inCairo that overlooks al-Tahrir Square where crowds chanted to bring down the regime.

His campaign posters, of minarets and church steeples side by side, sit well with the Christian electorate thatrepresents around 10 percent of the population.

Following the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi fundamentalist movements, who already controlparliament, Moussa warns of the risk of turning the country into a research lab for followers of political Islam.

Nonetheless, Moussa never fails to emphasize his Muslim identity, praying five times a day, even on his campaignbus.

His post as Mubaraks foreign minister from 1991 to 2001 is a handicap that he counters by implying his relationswith the former strongman had been strained.

His popularity was not comfortable for Mubarak, he acknowledged in a recent interview with AFP.

Moussa prefers to talk of the following decade, when he headed the 22-member Arab League, to which some sayhe was banished in order to keep him away from domestic politics.

His diatribes against Israel only added to his popularity among Egyptians.

He makes no secret of his lack of enthusiasm for the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian Camp David accord, which according tohim is in the drawer, although he insists he does not want to jeopardize peace with Israel.

As head of the Arab League, he was one of the few regional leaders to sense the earthquake of the Arab Spring.

In January 2011, days after the fall of Tunisian President Zine ElAbidine Ben Ali and shortly before the start ofEgypts revolt, he caused a stir by warning the anger and frustration is among the regions people.

Ahmed Shafiq

Ahmed Shafiq was the last prime minister to serve under ousted president Mubarak and like his former boss is aproduct of Egypts powerful military machine.

Shafiq, who was air force chief of staff until 2002, was almost disqualified from the presidential race after theadoption of a law prohibiting senior members of the Mubarak era from running, but the decision was reversed at thelast minute.

His campaign shifted to a higher gear in recent weeks, with huge portraits of him in a suit taking up the top spots ofmany buildings in Cairo and across the country.


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


7/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

With a reputation as a good technocrat, Shafiq, 70, was appointed prime minister during Mubaraks last days inpower in a bid to appease the popular revolt that eventually overthrew the strongman on Feb. 11, 2011.

But the former general has been criticized for his association with the old regime and for having retained manyMubarak ministers in his cabinet, a decision which would force him to resign a month later under pressure fromyouth movements who spearheaded the uprising.

Like Mubarak, Shafiq was a pilot who graduated from the Military Aviation Academy and touts his many militarysuccesses -- his campaign recently boasted that he shot down two Israeli planes in wars with the Jewish state.

He is also eager to highlight his civilian achievements, saying he modernized the national carrier Egypt air andCairos international airport.

In a country where all presidents since the fall of the monarchy in 1952 have hailed from military backgrounds,Shafiq says he is proud and honored to be a son of the armed forces.

He believes that one of his strongest assets is in fact this military background, which he says will be crucial inensuring a smooth relationship with the ruling military during the transition period.

But it could also be a disadvantage to a segment of the population who wants to see a clear separation betweenthe presidency and the army.

Shafiq boasts of his experience and insists he is open to criticism, but in several television interviews he hasshowed a strict and impatient side.

To those who accuse him of being a feloul -- a pejorative term used by Egyptians to describe members of the oldregime -- he says that he was only one of the (people) chosen for vital positions.

Who said I was not opposing the Mubarak regime? he said, claiming to have objected to many decisions taken bythe former regime and insisting he was more useful to his country by working for reform from the inside.

Shafiq has made security and the fight against crime his top priority.

If elected, he said, he is prepared to appoint an Islamist vice president, whether from the powerful MuslimBrotherhood or the more hard-line Salafi parties.

Hamdeen Sabbahi

Hamdeen Sabbahi, a leftist inspired by late Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, whos Free Officersoverthrew King Farouk in 1952 and set up the system that has put military men in the presidency for the past 60

years. He is a former Member of Parliament and long-time activist.

Any conversation about Sabbahi usually begins with reference to his audacious face-to-face dress-down of then-President Anwar al-Sadat in 1977, when the latter decided to conduct a series of town hall meetings at universitiesto prove his openness to dialogue. Then a student of mass communications and president of the student union atCairo University, Sabbahi criticized Sadat over his departure from Nasserism (following the socialist ideologies ofAbdul Nasser) and shift towards neo-liberalism, as well as the seemingly decreasing support for the Palestiniancause.


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


8/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

Since 1977, Sabbahi has been an omnipresent opposition figure in Egyptian politics. In 1979, he was imprisonedalong with other prominent leftist activists for being one of the instigators of the bread riots that saw widespreaddemonstrations against inflated prices of staple goods. It would be the first of a series of detentions, the last ofwhich was in 2003, when Sabbahi was arrested for protesting Egypts support of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.Through his membership of the Arab Democratic Nasserist Party, Sabbahi stayed active in politics. He emerged asa leader within the Nasserist current after leaving the party in 1996 claiming it has become obsolete andforming the Karama party on similar ideological grounds. Until the 25 January revolution, Karama was notrecognized as an official political party for espousing what the Mubarak regime considered a radical ideology.Meanwhile, Sabbahi ran for and was seated in parliament as an independent from 2000 to 2010.

In 2005, he joined a group of activists and intellectuals to form the Kefaya movement which led a wave of protestsagainst the rule of Mubarak and the grooming of his son, Gamal, to take over the presidency. As a foundingmember of a group, which is considered one of the direct precursors to the Jan. 25 revolution?

Nasserists generally hold a tough line towards Israel. In 2008, Sabbahi was one of the first Egyptianparliamentarians to go to the Gaza Strip on an official visit highlighting the need for more support and to call for theend the Israeli siege of the area.

Born in 1954 to a rural family from the village of Balteem in Kafr al-Sheikh in northern Egypt, Sabbahi has alwaysfashioned himself as a man of the people. His electoral slogan is one of us.

I would uphold Nassers principles on social justice while pushing for a completely democratic system that clearlydefines and limits the role of the president, Sabbahi said in a January 2012 interview with the Danish EgyptianDialogue Institute.

23 May 2012

Now LebanonEgyptian Policeman Killed at Polling Station, Security SaysAn Egyptian policeman was shot dead on Wednesday when he was caught up in a gunfight between supporters oftwo presidential candidates outside a polling station in Cairo, security officials told AFP.

Another person was injured in the same fight, which erupted as Egyptians were voting to choose a successor toPresident Hosni Mubarak, ousted last year in a popular uprising.

The police officer was killed by a shot to the chest, while the second person, a civilian, was hit in the leg, securityofficials said, adding the incident occurred in the northeastern Cairo district of Rod al-Farag.

It was not immediately clear which candidates those involved in the altercation were backing, but the gunfightunderscored security concerns as millions went to the polls to choose Mubarak's successor.

Soldiers guarded the entrance of schools and other institutions serving as polling stations across the country,backed up by Egyptian policeman in their white summer uniforms.

More than 50 million eligible voters have been called to choose one of 12 candidates wrestling to succeedMubarak.

Voting over two days is taking place at 13,000 polling stations, with initial results expected on Sunday. Voting endsat 8 p.m. (1800 GMT) on both days.


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


9/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

23 May 2012Al Masry Al YoumLive Updates: Candidates Cast their Ballots

Unclassified

Egyptians are voting today for the first president after the 25 January uprising. More than 50 million citizens acrossEgypts 27 governorates are eligible to vote, choosing from 11 candidates. The contest is considered wide open.Egypt Independent will be bringing you live updates throughout the day.

12:30 pm: In Fatma Anan School in the Fifth Settlement, New Cairo, campaigners for Morsy blocked Moussa fromentering the polling station because of the large number of local and foreign reporters accompanying him.

Scuffles broke out between groups of campaigners and photographers; military police divided them.

Mahdi Akef, former general guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, voted in one of the polling stations in the FifthSettlement neighborhood. Al-Masry Al-Youm reported that Akef, 84, didn't manage to stand in the queue with othervoters and sat on a chair waiting for his turn.

Akef said last April that he prays to God that the Brotherhood will not win the presidential elections, adding that thepresidency will be a huge burden for the Brotherhood if their candidate wins the elections.

In the rural area of Minya, turnout remained low. Judges cracked down on any campaigning in or around the pollingstation, and an employee with a badge reading "queue organizer," allowed three people in at a time most waiting inline said they were voting for either Morsy or Abouel Fotouh.

In Mahalla, voters filled the polling stations. Egypt Independent witnessed few violations, though a few AbouelFotouh campaigners were making rounds in the area.

Ayman Kamal, 20, an engineering student voting in Sayeda Zeinab, was proud to be casting his first presidentialballot.

"For the first time everyone has a voice and opinion about who they want to vote for," he said. "I voted for Hamdeenbecause he expresses the views of all Egyptians, not just a particular group including the poor, workers, andfarmers."


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


10/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

11:30 am: Polling stations in Mansoura, the capital of Daqahlia Governorate, are crowded, with some voters feelingfrustrated by long waits.

Still, many voters in Mansoura are still unsure which candidate they will vote for and are asking other voters nearbyfor advice.In the Cairo neighborhood of Heliopolis, a female voter in Kawekeb School complained about not being sure who tovote for. She said she is interested in voting for Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsy but also heard thatAbdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh, a former member of the group, is a good option.

I guess I will go in and decide on the spot, she said.

Confusion and uncertainty are also on display, not just about which candidate is the best choice. In the SayedaZeinab neighborhood in Cairo, Mohy Eddin Abdel Aziz Gad, 71, says the Presidential Elections Commissionswebsite gave him the wrong voter ID number and polling station information, which delayed his ability to cast hisvote.

11:00 am: Candidates have started casting their ballots.

Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh has cast his vote at Ibn al-Nafees Preparatory School in Nasr City, Reuters reports.

Former Arab League chief Amr Moussa arrived at the polling station at Fatma Anan School in the Fifth Settlement,New Cairo, at 8:30 am, according to Al-Masry Al-Youm. He waited in line for an hour and a half to cast the ballot.Moussa said he would accept whatever outcome the election brings, describing the polls as an important lesson indemocracy.

Egyptians should have good judgment in selecting the person who would shape Egypts future over the nextperiod, Moussa said. We are up to the challenge.

In the same line, four young voters hoisted posters of protesters killed in the Maspero violence when the militaryforcibly dispersed a mostly Coptic march next to the state TV building last October, and the clashes near theInterior Ministry last November between Central Security Forces and demonstrators, and other incidents of violencethat marred Egypt in the last months.

Those people sacrificed their lives to elect a candidate who represents the revolution rather than one who isaffiliated with the old regime, one voter said, warning the rest against electing Moussa.

Similarly, leftist lawyer Khaled Ali was photographed by El Badil news website standing in line to cast his vote.

Al-Masry Al-Youm also reported that Peoples Assembly Speaker and Muslim Brotherhood leader Saad al-Katatnyarrived at a polling station in 6th of October City to cast his ballot. He entered the polling station quickly but later

was asked by one of the voters to go back to the end of the line. Katatny agreed to return back, with voters clappingfor him. He told reporters while waiting that the winner of this election whether he is the Brotherhoods candidateor any other candidate would be a choice that reflects the will of the people. He added that the peoples choiceshould be respected.

Meanwhile, voters continued to flock to polling stations around Cairo.

In Sayeda Zeinab, hundreds of people showed up to vote. Mohamed Selim Mohamed, 22, a business graduatefrom Cairo University who wants to work as a stock broker but is now working in a restaurant, is voting for AhmedShafiq, who served as prime minister under Hosni Mubaraks regime.


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


11/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

I heard many opinions and debates before making my decision two days ago about who to vote for. My conscienceis now clear and settled with the choice Ive made, he said. The most important thing for the coming period issecurity. Security will come through the law. The police will come under the law and deal with citizens in a legalway. After this tourism has to come back to Egypt and then education needs to improve so that Egypt will becomelike Turkey, Malaysia and Singapore.

Mohamed added that Shafiqs history distinguished him and, though some say he was implicated in the Battle ofCamel, if that is true, he would come under the law.

I doubt the law will be above him, given that Mubarak is in prison, Mohamed says.

In Dar al-Salaam, at a school compound, a female observer let two campaigners help people find their pollingstations.

As long as youre not from the Brotherhood or feloul [remnants of the old regime], she said.

In Shubra at the Tawfikeya Secondary School, a line of male voters waited patiently in the shade to cast their ballot.There is a large security presence, comprising military troops and military police as well as regular police.

Tarek Emad, a voter in the line, said, Its an important day the first time Im voting because for once we dontknow who will win. What I hope is that there is no problems by supporters of failed candidates and accept theresult. I will vote for Amr Moussa because I feel he is the most suited for the upcoming period, and after that anyother candidate. The important thing is to come out of this current phase to safety, he said.

Outside of Cairo, voters turnout ranged between low and moderate so far.

In villages surrounding the Upper Egyptian city of Sohag, where more than 2 million citizens are eligible to vote, lowturnout was reported in the morning since the polls opened at 8 am. The urban centers, meanwhile, witnessedlonger lines of voters. In a polling station in one of the villages surrounding Sohag, the lack of supplies ofphosphoric ink and locks for the ballot boxes caused the judge in charge to keep the station closed.

In the coastal Red Sea Governorate, home to more than 200,000 voters, moderate turnout was reported. Jointpolice and army forces are securing the vote.

10:30 am: Waits appear to be getting longer at some polling stations.At Al-Taliaa Preparatory Boys School in Sayeda Zeinab, hundreds of voters are lined up to enter the school. A fewvoters complained they were assigned the wrong number, but overall the process seemed to be going smoothly.

In Dar al-Salaam, some voters complained about the long waits.

The only problem is that theyve rounded up all the old people and given them the same station to vote in, saidMaghoub Ali, 64.

Voters seemed divided between former Arab League chief Amr Moussa and former Muslim Brotherhood memberAbdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh, and were not hesitant to discuss the candidate they were casting their ballots for.

We dont want to be experimenting with the presidency, said Ghada Mohamed, a 43-year-old schoolteachervoting in Basateen, a neighborhood in southern Cairo. Moussa has his flaws but he is the lesser of evils.


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


12/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

10:00 am: Turnout so far appears to be low.

Polling stations in Suez are largely empty. There is a very short line outside of the Sayeda Aisha School in thecentral Arbaeen district. At a polling station at the Ahmed Oraby Elementary School in Cairos Dar al-Salaamneighborhood, Moez Mohamed Nour, an election observer, said, So far things have gone smoothly, but Imdisappointed with the low turnout. But I am expecting more people in the afternoon and tomorrow, since itsThursday, which a lot of people have off.

Polling stations in Giza and Heliopolis are free of long lines, according to Egypt Independent correspondents.

There have been some minor irregularities. Ahmed Abul Amayem, the judge supervising the polling station atSayeda Aisha School in Suez, said that half of the employees who were supposed help run the polls have not yetarrived. He opened the polling station with the employees available to him. At the Ali Mubarak School in the Caironeighborhood of Marg, voting began more than 15 minutes late after the Mohamed Morsy campaign sent 11observers to the polling station instead of the prescribed number, two.

Local watchdog Activists without Borders has said in a statement that some of its activists reported members of theMuslim Brotherhood have been trying to influence voters. The statement added that the Brotherhoods supportersare standing outside the polling station, trying to convince voters to vote for Mohamed Morsy.

9:30 am: Egypt Independents correspondent in Suez reports that most polling stations in that city are still empty.

State-run news agency MENA reports that one female voter has filed a complaint against an employee at a pollingstation in Nasr City. She said the employee told her she should vote for Muslim Brotherhood candidate MohamedMorsy. The judges in the polling station decided immediately to dismiss the employee, MENA says.

8:00 am: Polling stations, which are usually held in schools and are divided according to gender, officially open.

Lines have already begun to form.

23 May 2012Al Masry Al YoumSCAF General says Military is Securing Election as Governorates PrepareSupreme Council of the Armed Forces member General Mohamed al-Assar said that the armed forces will securethe presidential elections process with more than 150,000 officers and soldiers. He added that 11,000 vehicles,including planes, have been allocated for transporting troops, evacuations and medical emergencies. He also saidthat the armed forces will transport 480 judges to distant polling stations.

We were committed during the transitional period to the demands of the 25 January revolution and to holding apresidential election so that power can be transferred to a president elected by free and fair elections, Assar said

in a briefing on Tuesday.

Assar called on the Egyptian people to vote in the elections, reiterating his confidence in the great Egyptianpeople, whose revolution astounded the world and who will not hesitate to do their duty.

Assar said that there are more than 50 million Egyptians registered for the election, and he hopes they will all casttheir vote because this is a chance to achieve the demands of the revolution.


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


13/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

Assar added that the military will supervise the elections with complete transparency, and that the results mustrepresent the will of the Egyptian people. He reiterated that the armed forces are impartial toward all candidatesand added that the whole world will admire the elections fairness.

Assar said that armed forces has detailed security plans for the voting process and will provide protection for the13,000 polling stations nationwide.The armed forces have tightened measures to secure polling stations in coordination with different security bodiesthroughout various governorates. The armed forces have also organized patrols for organizing the electoralprocess, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported.

In Ismailia, security forces are securing highways, streets and squares as well as 180 polling stations. Military unitswere deployed along the Suez Canal, where security measures have been tightened.

The governor of Kafr al-Sheikh said that only the judges are in charge of the presidential election, while the armedforces and police are only securing the process.

Minyas head of security said that preparations have been finished in coordination with the armed forces. 3,500police officers have been deployed in the governorate.

In Sharqiya, the head of the primary court and supervisor of the elections, Mohamed Amer, said that 80 percent ofthe judges monitoring the elections are from inside the governorate.

In Port Said, military patrols were deployed to secure vital locations like the customs department, the Suez CanalAuthority, the ferries facility and the customs gates at Port Said port.

A military source warned that the military will respond forcefully to any attempts to foment unrest during theelectoral process.

ISRAEL / GAZA (Top)

23 May 2012Al ArabiyaAtomic Weapons against Islam, says Ahmadinejad as Israel Warns World Powers not to Waver in IranTalks


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


14/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

(U)The United States has seized on Khameneis stance as a possible basis to resolve the dangerous standoff withIran. (File photo)

Islam forbids atomic weapons and other arms of mass destruction, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejadinsisted on Wednesday ahead of his countrys nuclear talks with world powers in Baghdad, as Israel urged worldpowers not to waver in key talks with Iran.Based on Islamic teachings and the clear fatwa (edict) of the supreme leader, the production and use of weaponsof mass destruction is haram (forbidden) and have no place in the Islamic Republic of Irans defense doctrine, hesaid.

Ahmadinejads message was read out at a conference in the western city of Borujerd to commemorate Iranianvictims of chemical weapons during a 1980-1988 war against Iraq, the official news agency IRNA reported.

World powers were to hold crunch talks in the Iraqi capital on Wednesday with Iran to try to persuade Tehran tosuspend sensitive nuclear work.

Ahmadinejads mention of a fatwa against nuclear weapons by Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,referred to an edict which officials say he laid down in either 2004 or 2005.

Though no published fatwa exists, Iranian scholars point out those declarations by prominent ayatollahs can latertake on the weight of a fatwa.

Khamenei has spoken out against nuclear weapons on several occasions, most recently on Feb. 22 when he saidthat possessing an atomic bomb constitutes a major sin.

The Iranian nation has never been seeking an atomic weapon and never will be, while developing nuclear energywas in Iran's interest, he said.

The United States has seized on Khameneis stance as a possible basis to resolve the dangerous standoff withIran.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last month that Iranian officials point to a fatwa that the supreme leaderhas issued against the pursuit of nuclear weapons.

World powers expect Tehran to back up that position by demonstrating clearly in the actions they propose thatthey have truly abandoned any nuclear weapons ambition, she said.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak urged world powers not to waver in key talks with Iran onWednesday, warning that any failure to halt enrichment would see Tehran obtain a nuclear weapon.

In Baghdad, we must watch out that partial concessions do not allow Iran to avoid a tightening of sanctions, hesaid, just hours before the start of a second round of talks between Tehran and six world powers in the Iraqi capital.

Without strengthening the current painful sanctions, Iran will continue towards a nuclear capability, the defenseminister told Israels public radio.

We must not blink, give up or capitulate until the very last minute, he said.

If they let them continue, Iran will keep on enriching uranium from 20 percent to 60 percent and 90 percent andthey really will get a nuclear weapon. I dont know exactly when but it will happen, he warned.


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


15/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

Now is the time for the entire world to stop them, said Barak.

A day ahead of the second round, U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Yukiya Amano said his agency was poised to ink adeal with Tehran, in a move which was greeted with deep suspicion by Israel, which sees Iran's willingness to talkas a ploy to win an easing of sanctions and to gain more time for enrichment.Israel has also poured scorn on the P5+1 talks, with Barak deriding its demands of Tehran as minimalist andsaying they would never be enough to make Iran halt its nuclear program.

23 May 2012Maan News AgencyPaper: Turkey Indicts Israeli Commanders over Mavi Marmara RaidA Turkish prosecutor has prepared an indictment seeking life sentences for four former Israeli military commandersover their alleged involvement in the 2010 killing of nine Turks on a Gaza-bound aid ship, Turkish newspaperSabah reported on Wednesday.

Relations between the regional powers deteriorated sharply after Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara aidvessel in May 2010 to enforce a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and killed nine Turks in clashes with activists onboard the ship.

Turkey expelled Israel's ambassador and froze all military cooperation after a UN report into the incident releasedlast September largely exonerated Israeli forces.

Sabah said it had seen details of the indictment prepared by Istanbul state prosecutor Mehmet Akif Ekinci and thatit called for 10 life sentences to be given to each of the four commanders. It said the Istanbul chief prosecutor mustapprove the indictment before it is sent to the relevant court.

The prosecutor could not immediately be reached for comment.

The indictment was reported to accuse Israel's former Chief of General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and three other retiredsenior military commanders of involvement in the raid and refers to them as "fugitive suspects", Sabah reported.

The 144-page indictment, it said, had been prepared after testimony from some 600 people, including 490passengers from the six-ship flotilla and relatives of those who had died.

Correspondence from the Turkish prime minister's office, the foreign and justice ministries and the intelligenceservice had also helped the prosecutor draw up the indictment, it said.

In Jerusalem, an Israeli military spokeswoman had no immediate comment.

Turkey had previously said it would try to prosecute all Israelis responsible for crimes committed during the raid andthe prosecutor had written to Israel seeking the names of those involved but had received no answer.

The UN report into the raid last September was meant to encourage a rapprochement between the two countriesbut ultimately deepened the rift when it concluded Israel had used unreasonable force but that the blockade onGaza was legal.

Turkey was stung by Israel's refusal to make a formal apology and pay compensation to families of the dead.


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


16/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

Israel said its marines had been attacked by activists wielding metal bars, clubs and knives when they boarded theMavi Marmara and had opened fire in self-defence.

Relations have been strained since the raid. Last week Turkey said it had scrambled military jets to intercept anIsraeli plane that had violated northern Cypriot airspace and demanded an explanation. Israel declined to comment.

Ankara is also involved in a long-running dispute with Israel and Cyprus over who has the right to drill for energyreserves in the eastern Mediterranean.

23 May 2012Maan News AgencyIsrael Urged to Release Satellite TV DirectorIsraeli authorities should release the director of a new Palestinian satellite broadcaster who has been detainedsince Thursday, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday.

"Israeli authorities should consider the message they are sending by imprisoning the head of a station that coversnews about prisoners," said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, CPJ's coordinator for Mideast issues.

"Authorities should not be holding Bahaa Khairi Moussa, and certainly not without explanation. He should bereleased immediately, and the station's equipment should be returned."

Moussa, the general director of the Palestine Prisoner Channel, was arrested Thursday in Jenin. Soldiersconfiscated his station's equipment during the raid, his colleagues said.

Reporters Without Borders, meanwhile, strongly condemned the arrest.

Such abuses aimed at stifling the Palestinian media must cease, the group said Monday.

This is the third time since the start of 2012 that the Israeli authorities have victimized a Palestinian mediaorganization. We call for the immediate release of Baha Mousa and the return of all confiscated equipment," theParis-based group said in a statement.

It called the raid "illegal under international law" because it took place in Palestinian territory.

In April, soldiers shut down the officers of a new broadcaster in occupied East Jerusalem and in February, soldiersraided two Palestinian TV stations, Watan and Al-Quds TV in Ramallah.

JORDAN(Top)

23 May 2012Jordan TimesJordan, US Discuss Security CooperationJordan and the US on Tuesday examined means to enhance cooperation in security and efforts to combat humantrafficking.

His Majesty King Abdullah and several senior officials met with US Department of Homeland Security SecretaryJanet Napolitano, who began a two-day visit to the Kingdom on Tuesday.


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


17/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

(U)His Majesty King Abdullah holds talks with US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitanoon Tuesday (Photo by Yousef Allan)

During a meeting with the US secretary, Prime Minister Fayez Tarawneh welcomed cooperation between Jordanand the US in civil aviation security, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

According to a US embassy statement, Napolitano will sign a memorandum of cooperation between the USTransportation Security Administration and the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission during her visit.

The memorandum will facilitate the exchange of information and technical assistance between the two countries tostrengthen aviation security, the statement said.

During the meeting, which was also attended by US Ambassador to Jordan Stuart E. Jones, Tarawneh highlighted

the economic conditions in Jordan and the governments efforts to address imbalances in the state budget.

Tarawneh also briefed the US official on the regional situation and the impact on Jordan, highlighting the waves ofrefugees that the country has had to deal with throughout the past years.

Tarawneh said the Kingdom is dealing with the situation in Syria in a manner that safeguards Jordans interests,voicing hope that the Syrian people will be able to resolve the crisis.

Napolitano expressed the US pride in its friendship with Jordan, lauding the Kingdoms security and recentconstitutional amendments that boost the countrys drive towards political reform, Petra reported.

King Abdullah discussed the latest regional developments with Napolitano and ways to strengthen Jordanian-USrelations, a Royal Court statement said.

The US official also met separately with Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-StaffGen. Mashal Al Zaben.

Judeh and Napolitano discussed cooperation in combating human trafficking and smuggling. The US officialcommended Jordans commitment to safeguarding its borders with all neighboring countries.

Zaben and the US secretary examined means to enhance defence cooperation.


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


18/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

23 May 2012Jordan TimesDelay in Preparations for Polls cannot be Tolerated, KingHis Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday stressed that all Jordanians are looking forward to see the parliamentaryelections held this year in complete fairness, transparency and neutrality.

Receiving president and members of the Independent Elections Commission (IEC), the Monarch voiced his supportfor the agency to help conduct the parliamentary elections before the end of this year, according to a Royal Courtstatement.

The King also underlined that the IEC is a major pillar in efforts to prepare the stage for a new era in the Kingdomshistory, noting that he will not tolerate any delay or hindrance to the commissions work, the statement said.

In addition, the Monarch underscored that the upcoming parliamentary elections should be conducted according tothe highest levels of impartiality and transparency that ultimately bring about a competent Chamber of Deputies thatrepresents all segments of society and that can perform its legislative and monitoring duties with completeprofessionalism, the statement said.

The King also stressed that the IECs success is key to political reform, urging the commission to carry out itsduties in line with its mandate until parliamentary elections are held in a manner that meets peoples expectationsof a better future, the statement said.

President of the Board of Commissioners of the IEC Abdul Ilah Khatib pledged that the agency, which wasestablished under the new version of the Constitution endorsed in September, will be up to the ambitions of HisMajesty and all Jordanians and will perform its duties with complete responsibility, objectivity and neutrality, thestatement said.

In statements to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, and Jordan TV following the meeting, Khatib said that the IECmembers immediately embarked on the job upon the inception of the body earlier this month, adding that they arein the process of setting up the commissions constitutional structure and recruiting qualified staff.

LEBANON (Top)

23 May 2012Al JazeeraLebanese Pilgrims 'Kidnapped' in SyriaAt least 11 Lebanese men and their Syrian driver have been kidnapped in the Aleppo province of Syria whileheading back home by bus from a pilgrimage in Iran. Syrian media said an "armed terrorist gang" was responsible.

Adnan Mansur, Lebanon's foreign minister, said on Wednesday that those kidnapped would be freed "within hours".

"According to information provided by an Arab country, those kidnapped will be free within hours," Mansur told Al-Jadeed, a private satellite television station.

He identified the men behind the abductions as "a splinter group of the armed Syrian opposition," but did not givedetails.

The women in the group were not seized during Tuesday's incident.


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


19/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

(U)Protesters in Beirut closed down several roads with burning tires and garbage bins [Reuters]

A group of 34 women returned to Beirut early on Wednesday.

"After we crossed the Turkish Syrian border, a white car with gunmen inside stopped us," Anaam Yateem, awomanWho was with the abducted men, told reporters at the airport?

"They pointed their guns and got into the buses. First they took us to the fields saying that they are taking us awayfrom the shelling, while they took us there to kidnap the men ...They said they are the Free Syrian Army."

Lebanon backlash

The kidnappings prompted families of those abducted to gather in Beirut's mainly Shia southern suburbs to demandtheir release.The protesters closed down several roads, including the old airport road, with burning tires and garbage bins.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah appealed for restraint in an address broadcast by Lebanese TV stations,saying: "...any act of violence or individual action will not help this case at all".

The kidnappings were sure to further inflame sectarian tension in Lebanon, where clashes between the supportersand opponents of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad have left at least 12 people dead in the past 10 days.

The abductions came hours after a court released on bail a Sunni Muslim whose arrest earlier this month sparkedunrest in a Sunni region of north Lebanon that backs the revolt against Assad, a member of the minority Alawite

sect.

'Shooting' in Deir al-Zor

In a separate incident on Tuesday, two people were killed in eastern Syria after police opened fire on a crowd whocame out to welcome UN ceasefire observers, a rebel official said.

There was no independent confirmation of the incident that was said to have occurred in the province of Deir al-Zor.


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


20/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

"As soon as the UN convoy entered al-Busaira, a jubilant crowd of hundreds came out to welcome them. It was notminutes before they came under fire," Abu Laila, a Free Syrian Army (FSA) official, said by phone from the town.

"The observers immediately left al-Busaira. We called them to come back but they refused."

Fighting ensued between Assad's forces and FSA fighters based in the town, Abu Laila said.

Another opposition source in Deir al-Zor said that government forces surrounding al-Busaira began firing anti-aircraft guns at the town.

The reports of violence come three days after a suicide attack hit the main town of in Deir al-Zor, killing at leastseven people and wounding 100 others.

Al-Busaira is one of many towns and villages under rebel control in Deir al-Zor, a large oil-producing provincebordering Iraq, that have been attacked repeatedly in the last four months by government troops trying to regaincontrol.

Assad had relied on a network of alliances with Sunni Muslim tribes forged by his late father, Hafez al-Assad, tokeep Deir al-Zor under control.

But these understandings began breaking down after the province erupted in mass demonstrations in Julydemanding Assad's removal, and tanks were sent to quell the protest movement.

23 May 2012Ahram OnlineSaudi King Voices Fear of Targeting Lebanon's Sunnis

(U)Lebanese Sunni Muslim mourners carry the body of Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Wahid, a Sunni Muslim cleric, duringhis funeral at his hometown at al-Bireh, northern Lebanon, May 21, 2012. (Photo: Reuters)

Saudi King Abdullah voiced fear over targeting the Sunni community in Lebanon and urged action to avert asectarian strife resulting from a spillover of the conflict in neighboring Syria.

The kingdom "follows with deep concerns the developments in Tripoli (in north Lebanon), especially the targeting ofone of the main sects of Lebanon," he said in reference to co-religionist Sunnis, in a phone call with LebanesePresident Michel Sleiman, SPA state news agency reported late Tuesday.


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


21/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

He called on Sleiman to act "due to the gravity of the crisis and its potential to escalate into a sectarian conflict inLebanon, dragging it back into the specter of civil war."

Abdullah urged Sleiman to act within the framework of his efforts to "dissociate Lebanon from external conflicts,especially the crisis in neighboring Syria," SPA said.

It said the leader of the Sunni heavyweight also urged Lebanese parties to "give priority to the interest of Lebanonover all other factional interests, and that of external parties that do not want good for Lebanon or the Arab region ingeneral."

Tension has heightened in Lebanon over the past 10 days amid clashes between factions supporting the Syrianregime of President Bashar al-Assad and others backing the Syrian rebellion.

A Sunni cleric known for supporting Syrian rebels and refugees was shot dead Sunday along with a companion bythe Lebanese army in northern Lebanon in a vague incident that is being investigated by authorities.

The killing triggered a wave of Sunni protests in several parts of the multi-confessional nation.

In a related development, Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Jumblatt flew to Saudi Arabia Sunday onan official invitation to meet the country's King, along with an array of high-ranking Saudi officials and Lebanon's ex-premier Saad Hariri. Sources close to him told The Lebanese Daily Star.

The PSP leaders ties with Saudi Arabia cooled down after he nominated Najib Mikati, Hariris rival, for premiershiplast January. Several attempts by the Druze leader to restore ties with Saudi Arabias King Abdullah have beenunsuccessful so far.

The newspaper pointed out that it was still too early to predict the outcomes of Jumblatts visit on the domestic level

or the effects it would have on the fate of the Mikati government, as sources from the parliamentary majority did notentirely rule out the possibility of Jumblatt changing stances or shifting alliances following his visit to Riyadh.

23 May 2012Now LebanonAkkar Mufti Calls Abdel Waheds Killing AssassinationAkkar Mufti Sheikh Osama Rifai said on Wednesday that the incident of the killing of Sunni cleric Ahmad AbdelWahed was deliberate murder.

The incident which took place and which was called an incident is rather a deliberate murder and a broad-daylightassassination, Rifai said in a statement delivered during a gathering in the Akkar town of Bireh the hometown ofAbdel Wahed.

While voicing support for the Lebanese army, the mufti also said that it would be regrettable if investigations werenot launched and punishments imposed on those who [infiltrated] the army and damaged its reputation.

Meanwhile, Akkars Greek Orthodox Bishop Basilios Mansour also said during the Bireh gathering that the region ofAkkar supports the army and longs for peace, adding: We ask the politicians in Beirut to shield us from theirdisputes.

On Sunday, army troops shot dead the Sunni cleric when his convoy allegedly failed to stop at a checkpoint inNorth Lebanon, the scene of deadly clashes linked to the uprising in Syria.


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


22/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

His death sparked tension in many Lebanese areas where protesters blocked roads using burning tires. In Beirut,two people were killed overnight Sunday in street battles in Tariq al-Jedideh.

23 May 2012The Daily StarHezbollah Wins Pledge that Lebanese Hostages will be Released

(U) Protesters burn tires in the southern suburb of Beirut, Tuesday, May 22, 2012, to condemn the kidnapping of 13Lebanese men by Syrian rebels near the city of Aleppo in north Syria. (The Daily Star/Hasan Shaaban)

Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar said Wednesday that his party has been assured of the release of at least 11 Lebanesemen kidnapped a day earlier in Syria.

Weve been promised they will be released, Ammar told The Daily Star in reference to the Lebanese hostageswho were abducted by armed Syrians in Aleppo Tuesday while aboard two buses. They were returning from a visitto Shiite holy sites in Iran.

Communication on the international, regional and local levels is taking place around the clock in an effort to wintheir release, he said.

Ammar said efforts were made to enlist the aid of Turkey and several Gulf states as well as world organizations topressure the gunmen to free the hostages.

There was a discrepancy in the figures cited regarding the number of hostages. While some Lebanese officials putthe number at 13, Ammar said the hostages are between 11 and 13.

In response to a question, Ammar said the kidnappers did not make any demands. But the hostages relativesdisagree.

The hostages are being held by an extreme Syrian fundamentalist group in hopes of swapping them for those oftheir comrades held [by Assad's forces], one relative told The Daily Star. He spoke on condition of anonymity andsaid that the hostages are unlikely to be released anytime soon as more negotiations are needed.

"The ordeal will probably take another day or two or three," he added.


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

Other hostages' relatives were quoted as blaming the rebel Free Syrian Army for the abduction. "The Free SyrianArmy said they took them. They let the women go and kept the men. They told them that they would keep themuntil the Syrian army releases FSA detainees, a relative of one of the men was quoted by Reuters as saying.

An FSA spokesperson strongly denied that the group was behind the abduction.

When we crossed the border, around 40 gunmen stopped the bus and forced it into a nearby orchard and saidwomen should stay on the bus and men should get out, Hayat Awali, who identified herself as a pilgrim, toldLebanons Al-Jadeed TV from Aleppo.

Quoting a member of the Syrian opposition, Reuters reported that Syrian forces launched raids with tanks andother armored vehicles in an area of northern Aleppo province near the site where the abduction had taken place.

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour, speaking Wednesday to the Kataeb-run Voice of Lebanon radio station, said thekidnapping ordeal would end today as the whereabouts of the captives has been uncovered.

Mansour also confirmed that the Lebanese government has been in contact with a number of Arab officials as wellas with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Of the pilgrims, 51 women and four men were not abducted. They arrived at Beirut airport after midnight.

Inham Yatim, a pilgrim, said that armed men in a white car forced them to move to an orchard under the pretext ofprotecting them from shelling. The male pilgrims were then handcuffed and made to face a wall.

Mansour said in comments shortly after news of the abduction broke Tuesday that the kidnappers belonged to anopposition Syrian group.

Syria's political opposition in exile, the Syrian National Council, called on rebels in Syria Wednesday to help securethe release of the Lebanese hostages.

"The Syrian National Council condemns any kidnappings, assault or terrorizing of our Lebanese brothers anddemands their immediate release," an SNC statement said.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said a "group of armed terrorists" kidnapped 11 Lebanese citizens and theSyrian bus driver.

On hearing news of the abduction, angry relatives took to the streets of Beiruts southern suburbs where most ofthe kidnapped live blocking roads with burning tires. The roads reopened soon after Hezbollah Secretary-GeneralSayyed Hasan Nasrallah called for calm.

On behalf of Hezbollah and Amal [Movement], I call on all relatives and supporters in the various regions tocooperate to end the closure of roads. Blocking roads does no good, said Nasrallah on Al-Manar TV, expressingconcern over attempts to create conflict between the people and the Lebanese Army.

SYRIA (Top)

23 May 2012Now LebanonLive Blog on Developments in Syria


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


24/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

13:19 Activists said on Wednesday that Syrian security forces killed 11 people, Al-Arabiya reported.

11:59 Three Iranian truck drivers have been abducted by "armed opposition groups" in Syria, according to Iran'scharge daffaires in Damascus quoted by media Wednesday.

9:39 The Free Syrian Army, which is seeking the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, on Wednesdaydenied abducting a group of Shia Lebanese pilgrims inside Syria.

9:29 Regime forces Wednesday pounded rebel bastion Rastan, in central Syria, at an average rate of "one shell aminute," said a monitoring group, adding that six people were killed across the country.

8:30 MORNING LEADER: The Syrian conflict took a broader turn in the region on Tuesday after Syrian rebelsreportedly kidnapped 13 Lebanese Shia Muslims as they were headed home by bus from a pilgrimage in Iran.

23 May 2012Asharq Al-AwsatAnkara Makes Arrests in FSA Commander Kidnap PlotColonel Malik al-Kurdi, the Free Syrian Army's [FSA] deputy commander, confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat the reportsabout the Turkish authorities arresting a group that planned to kidnap FSA Commander Riad al-Asaad. He said:"The information is correct but we do not have the details", adding that the "Turkish authorities have foiled almost20 plans to kidnap FSA commanders."The Deutsche Presse-Agent (DPA) reported the Turkish police's arrest yesterday of two Turks and a Syrian in thesouth of the country, on the charge of "being agents of the Syrian regime and planning to kidnap Col. Riad al-Asaad." Turkish media reported the three intended to kidnap al-Assad from the refugee camp in Abaydin and bringhim back to Syria, quoting the Turkish prosecutor as saying that an antiterrorist unit had arrested the suspects and

that an investigation was now underway.

While Col. Al-Asaad is yet to comment, al-Kurdi asserted "we heard the news through the media and confirmed itsvalidity after contacting the Turkish government." He pointed out that the "Turkish government has arrested similargroups, and often foils similar plans without informing us."

Al-Kurdi stressed that "these attempts are not unusual for the Syrian regime but they do not intimidate us or disruptour morale at all. We also do not rule out such action in future." He added: "We believe in our cause, we only haveone life, and we will be ready when our time comes."

The Turkish media reported several few weeks ago that a Syrian man and woman had been arrested in HatayProvince, on the charge of being agents of Syrian intelligence and preparing operations to carry out kidnappings inAbaydin.

23 May 2012Al ArabiyaSyrian Troops Pound Rastan as U.N. Team Brokers Swap between Regimes, RebelsRegime forces Wednesday pounded rebel bastion Rastan, in central Syria, at an average rate of one shell aminute, said a monitoring group, adding that six people were killed across the country amid reports that a U.N. hasbrokered an exchange between forces loyal to President Bashar Assad and opposition fighters. As many as 25people were reported to have been killed by the gunfire of Syrian forces on Tuesday across the country, activists


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


25/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

told Al Arabiya. Besieged by regime forces, Rastan is home to a large number of rebel fighters, according toopposition sources.

(U) More than 12,000 people have been killed in Syria since a revolt broke out in March last year, prompting theregime to launch a fierce crackdown on dissent. (Reuters)

Most of Rastans residents have fled after months of fighting, but regime forces have been unable to regain controlof the town. On May 14, 23 regular troops were killed in fighting during a failed assault.

In the southern province of Deraa, one civilian was shot dead near an army checkpoint at Inkhel, said the SyrianObservatory for Human Rights, according to AFP.

In nearby Sheikh Meskin, several youths were arrested, according to the Britain-based watchdog.

Another civilian was killed by regime forces in the northern city of Aleppo, while in Qusayr in the central Homsprovince, a third civilian was shot dead by a sniper, the monitoring group added.

In the suburbs of Damascus, a blast killed three people on the international airport road, the Observatory said,without specifying whether they were civilians or soldiers.

A loud explosion was heard in the capital Damascus, the Observatory said, without providing any further details onthe blast.

Other blasts were heard in several Syrian provinces during the night, including in Harasta and Duma, two suburbsof the capital that have seen fierce fighting between regime and rebel forces in the past few days.

Fighting has grown increasingly violent around Damascus, Aleppo and northwest Idlib, despite the presence ofU.N. truce monitors on the ground.

More than 12,000 people have been killed in Syria since a revolt broke out in March last year, prompting the regimeto launch a fierce crackdown on dissent.

Meanwhile, a U.N. team in Syria said it has brokered an exchange between forces loyal to Assad and oppositionfighters seeking to topple his regime.


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


26/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

The U.N. said in a statement late Tuesday that government forces released two detainees from the town of KhanSheikhoun in northwest Syria in exchange for permission to retrieve a destroyed tank, according to The AssociatedPress.

Video posted online showed members of the U.N. team interacting with both sides and a large trailer removing acharred tank from the town.

More than 250 U.N. observers are in Syria trying to salvage a peace plan to end the countrys 14-month-old crisis.But a cease-fire meant to start last month has never fully taken hold, undermining the rest of the plan.

23 May 2012SANAArmed Terrorist Groups Escalate Attacks and Bombings

Unclassified

Foreign-backed armed terrorist groups have increased their aggressions and attacks against civilians and securityprotection personnel in scores of Syrian Governorates.

In Idlib, an explosive charge planted by an armed terrorist group exploded and wounded six security personnel anda child.

In Damascus Governorate, three terrorists attacked a patrol for security protection personnel; two terrorists werekilled, one of them dressed in a woman clothes, and the third was arrested.

In Deir Ezzor three terrorists were killed and scores arrested in a clash with an armed terrorist group.

The competent authorities confiscated huge quantities of weapons including machine guns and snipers and a sumof 3 million Syrian Pounds which were with the terrorists.

Law-enforcement Member and Civilian Martyred by Terrorists' Gunfire in Homs

A law-enforcement member and a civilian were martyred and others were injured on Tuesday by the gunfire of anarmed terrorist group in al-AKhaldiyeh neighborhood in Homs province.


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


27/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

A source in the province told SANA that an armed terrorist group opened fire on the law-enforcement forces in theneighborhood causing the death of the law-enforcement member Marwan Ismael and the civilian Bashar al-Jamaland injuring others.

A Number of Terrorists Killed in Blast in Explosive Device Making Factory in Homs

Meanwhile, a blast took place in a factory for making explosive devices in al-Warsha neighborhood in Homs killinga number of terrorists who were making explosive devices inside the factory.

Two Explosive Devices Dismantled in Idleb

In Idleb province, military engineering units dismantled two explosive devices planted by an armed terrorist groupon Ariha-Lattakia highway.

An informed source told SANA reporter that the explosive devices weigh 25-30 kilograms, and they were plantedclose to each other and set to be remotely detonated.

Authorities confront terrorists in al-Numra, Idleb, Kill a number of them

An armed terrorist group today attacked law enforcement forces at al-Numra site on Idleb-Salkin road. Thecomponent authorities confronted them, killing and injuring a number of terrorists and confiscating their weapons ofexplosives, machine guns, RPGs and ammunitions.

SANA reporter learned that one of the law enforcement members was injured during the clashes

23 May 2012

Now LebanonThree Iranian Truck Drivers Abducted in Syria, Says EmbassyThree Iranian truck drivers have been abducted by "armed opposition groups" in Syria, according to Iran's chargedaffaires in Damascus quoted by media Wednesday.

Abbas Golrou said the drivers, identified as Morteza Adeli, Hossein Alinejad and Esmaeel Mohammad Zeinali, weretaking unspecified cargo from Iran to Syria when they were abducted on Monday.

Other Iranians have been abducted in Syria since late last year.

Several Iranian pilgrims who were kidnapped in December when travelling to holy Shia sites in Syria have beenreleased, though others remain captive.

Seven Iranian engineers were also abducted near central Homs city, where they worked at an electricity plant forIran's Power Plant Projects Management Company, according to Iranian officials. Two of them were released inmid-May.

Syria, Iran's principal ally in the Middle East, is roiled by a year-long uprising that has seen more than 12,000people killed, according to activists. Rebels accuse Iran of helping Syrian authorities in their deadly crackdown.

REGIONAL EDITORIALS (Top)


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


28/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

23 May 2012Asharq Al-AwsatIntl Community has Failed the Syrian People- Former Syrian MB ChiefBy Mohammed Al-Shafey

Uncertainty continues to surround the claims that a number of senior Syrian officials, including Syrian PresidentBashar al-Assads brother-in-law and intelligence Chief Assef Shawkat, were assassinated on Sunday, despiteofficial denials of this.

A number of Syrian activists have confirmed that an assassination attempt against the so-called crisis cell of theSyrian regime went ahead on Sunday, targeting senior Syrian officials including Syrias Defense Minister, InteriorMinister and Intelligence Chief, revealing that they were poisoned. However former Syrian Muslim BrotherhoodGeneral Guide Ali Sadreddine Bayanouni did not rule out that the al-Assad regime itself could be behind the al-Sahaba battalion video, informing Asharq Al-Awsat that previously, the regime has carried out similar media leaksto discredit the Syrian revolution.

He stressed that this incident reminds us of the media fabrications and unbelievable stories that the regimecontinues to depend on in its dealings with the popular revolution, as well as the [false] news and informationregarding what is happening on the ground that is conveyed by the activists.

Bayanouni added the revolutionaries in Syria have imposed a new reality on the ground, and there is talk about thefuture of Syria and about who will rule the country in the forthcoming period following the collapse of theregimeafter it carried out crimes against the Syrian people

FSA activists claimed the al-Sahaba battalion had killed six high-ranking officials within the al-Assad regime inDamascus on Sunday night, including Intelligence Chief Assef Shawkat, Interior Minister Mohammad Shaar,Defense Minister Daoud Rajiha, Vice Presidents Deputy Hassan Turkmani, head of the National Security Branch of

the Baathist Party Major-General Hisham Bekhtiyar and Deputy Secretary-General of the Baathist PartyMuhammad Said Bekeytan, amongst others.

For its part, Syrian state media described the allegations as categorically baseless, whilst three of thosereportedly killed were quoted in a Syrian Arab News Agency [SANA] report attempting to refuse the claims. SyrianInterior Minister Mohammad Shaar denied the FSAs claims at a press conference, whilst Vice Presidents DeputyHassan Turkmani was interviewed by state-run Syrian TV in his office, stressing that the al-Sahaba battalion claimswere blatant lies. However nothing has been heard from Syrian President Bashar al-Assads brother-in-law andIntelligence Chief Assef Shawkat since the FSAs claims.

A spokesman for the al-Sahaba battalion, First Lieutenant Ahmed Mohamed Taqtaq, claiming to be one of the fieldcommanders of the al-Sahaba battalions in Damascus, issued a statement which read I announce the followingoperation has been executed by the special operations company of the al-Sahaba battalions. This company carried

out a covert military operation. They spent two months keeping the members of Syrias so-called crisis cell undersurveillance. One of the companys heroes then carried out a covert military operation within the area. He thenkilled them in a certain manner for now we will refrain from disclosing details.

For his part, General Guide of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, Mohammed Riyad Shaqfah, informed Asharq Al-Awsat that we do not have any specific information regarding the al-Sahaba battalion statement, particularly asInterior Minister Mohammad Shaar and Turkmani have both appeared on Syrian television denying the operationand confirming that they are still alive, however Assef Shawkat, who is responsible for Syrias security andintelligence apparatus, has not appearedperhaps there were casualties or injuries in the operation, althoughthere are no specific details until now.


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


29/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

Answering a question regarding whether the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood was coordinating with Syrian businessmanabroad to arm the Syrian opposition, Shaqfah said self-defense is a legitimate right confirmed by divine lawadding the regime cannot continue killing the Syrian people without the latter defending themselves

The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood General Guide also told Asharq Al-Awsat that the international community hasfailed the Syrian people, and following the failure of Annans mission we have no other choice but to call for thearming of the FSA, and this demand is not confined to the Muslim Brotherhood movement, but is something thatpractically all members of the Syrian National Council [SNC] is calling for.

Commenting on the al-Sahaba battalion statement, a senior member of the Syrian opposition in Britain, speaking toAsharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity, said this type of statement is akin to a trap to discredit the mediacoverage of the Syrian revolution adding the al-Sahaba battalion spokesman claimed they had recruited a cookfrom the Golan Heights to position the Syrian officials as if they are guests at a party, but it is well known that foodpasses by more than one person before it reaches the senior officials.

23 May 2012Al ArabiyaSyrian Regime: Tripoli Is KandaharThe intermittent skirmishes in northern Lebanon, specifically Tripoli, can be termed a natural extension of thecurrent tension in neighboring Syria. In Tripoli, as Shiite and Alawi sects live together, some people see what ishappening in Syria as a conflict between these two religious sects. Since the beginning of the crisis, the Syrianregime has been trying to exploit the situation in the border areas and drag Lebanon into a civil war. Despite thetension and the intermittent skirmishes, northern Lebanon including Jabal Mohsen and Bab Al-Tabbanah, whereextremists from the two sects battled remained relatively calm.

The Syrian regime, however, wants to convince the world by its fabricated story that it is actually fighting terrorist

groups. This is a last straw to which the regime clings on to gain support of the West. According to the claims of theregime, if the freedom fighters were terrorists, then Tripoli was Kandahar. The regime also pledges that the Gulfcitizens were financing terrorist operations against it.

These claims were made to serve what can be called "a badly produced movie" about elements from Hezbollah,working within the Lebanese general security, and arresting a man named Chadi Al-Mawlawi, who is a Sunni livingin a Sunni-dominated area. The elements were aware that the man used to visit the office of Sunni leaderMuhammad Al-Safdi regularly, so they called him to come to the office to receive a social assistance. When hearrived in the office, the Hezbollah men arrested him.

Before Al-Mawlawi was interrogated, the Syrians and the Lebanese media supporting them circulated news that hewas a member of Al-Qaeda and was financing operations against the regime. To make the story more credible, theregime's puppets arrested a Qatari citizen who came to Lebanon for medical treatment on the pretext that he had

arrived in Lebanon to finance Al-Qaeda to fight the regime, and that he was also providing Al-Mawlawi withfinances.

This story was described by some parties as absurd. They doubted that an old man from Qatar would come toLebanon especially to finance terrorist operations against the Syrian regime without fearing to be uncovered andexposed. The parties also said it was a lot easier for a Gulf citizen to be smuggled into Syria and work against theregime from inside than doing this from Lebanon, which is replete with Syrian security organs and intelligence men.

When the persons who arrested Al-Mawlawi were asked how they questioned him in the absence of a lawyer, theyclaimed that he refused to appoint a lawyer to represent him. This, in fact, is far from being true. The Lebanese


UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


30/37

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO


23 May 201

security forces were trying to make up a story that north Lebanon had been turned into a land for Al-Qaeda and thatthe Gulf citizens were in Lebanon especially to finance the terrorist operations against the Syrian regime. As aresult of these false stories of the Syrian regime, which were supported by Hezbollah, three GCC countries warnedits citizens from traveling to Lebanon. They also asked their citizens who are already in Lebanon to leave thecountry immediately because it is no longer safe for them. This is what the Syrian regime is actually working for: Toexport chaos to Lebanon and make it unsafe, particularly with school summer vacation rapi

Date post:	05-Apr-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	beowulf-durendal
View:	217 times
Download:	0 times

23 may 2012 osint levant tracker

Documents