Nasrallah reaches out to family of slain LAF helicopter plot

Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Thursday that his group will not surrender its weapons "as long as Israeli threats persist."

"These weapons will remain because they are used for defense," Nasrallah said in a televised speech during an iftar hosted by the Hizbullah Support Committee.

Nasrallah also reiterated that Hizbullah will destroy Israel if the Jewish state launches a new attack on Lebanon.

He said the Israeli administration and military were well aware that their navy and air force "failed to achieve any military victories [during the summer 2006 war] … They caused destruction but they did not succeed on the military level."

"Israel's elite military power will be destroyed in the South and in the Western Bekaa as well as in any place they might target in Lebanon," he added.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://epaper.dailystar.com.lb

Sleiman urges world to open up to Syria

President Michel Sleiman on Wednesday urged the international community to open up to Syria because of its key role in the region.

"The international community must open up to Syria, following the example set by France, because Syria plays a fundamental role at the regional level," Sleiman said in a statement released by the presidential palace.

He made his remarks at a meeting with an American delegation led by Deputy Assistant to the Undersecretary of State for Near East Affairs David Hale.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is set to visit Damascus on September 3 and 4 in the wake of the announcement by Syria and Lebanon that they will establish diplomatic relations for the first time.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://epaper.dailystar.com.lb