Lebanese army pounds IS posts on border with Syria

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BEIRUT, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese army has shelled the posts of the Islamic State group (IS) on the outskirts of the eastern border towns of al-Qaa and Ras Baalbek, the Army Orientation Directorate said in a statement on Thursday. "Army units have pounded with heavy artillery, missile launchers and helicopters, several posts of terrorist in the outskirts of Ras Baalbek and al-Qaa. Several injuries were reported among their ranks," the Army's communique said. The move comes as the army gears up for a long-awaited assault to dislodge hundreds of IS militants from a remote corner near Syrian border, seeking to end a years-long threat posed to neighboring towns and villages by the extremists. Car bombs made in the area and sent to other parts of the country, including Beirut's southern suburbs, have killed scores of citizens. The planned operation follows a six-day military offensive by Hezbollah that forced al-Qaida-linked fighters to flee the area on the outskirts of the border town of Arsal, along with thousands of civilians.

Syrian regime’s invite creates rift in Lebanon’s ‘unity govt’

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Arab news - NAJIA HOUSSARI  - BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Wednesday banned official visits to Syria by ministers — and was immediately defied by a Hezbollah member of his Cabinet. Industry Minister Hussein Hajj Hassan said he would accept an invitation to attend the Damascus International Fair this month in an official capacity. “I will attend the opening of the Damascus exhibition and I will meet with our fellow ministers there,” he said. Earlier, Hariri had reminded a Cabinet meeting that they were “a national unity government” and should distance themselves from regional conflicts. For that reason, he said, any “Lebanese ministerial visit to Syria in the name of the government” would be refused. The Syrian regime has invited several Lebanese ministers to the Damascus event, which begins on Aug. 17 and is aimed at “rebuilding Syria.” They include Education Minister Marwan Hamadeh, a known opponent of the Assad regime.
Information Minister Melhem Riachy said after the Cabinet meeting: “Prime Minister Hariri was clear about the disassociation policy and distancing ourselves from regional conflicts and axes. The visit of any minister to Syria will be on a personal level and not in the name of the government.”

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Beirut's Burkini Backlash: Muslim Bathing Suit Banned From Lebanese Beaches

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© AFP 2017/ FETHI BELAID

Tunisian women, one (R) wearing a "burkini", a full-body swimsuit designed for Muslim women, swim at Ghar El Melh beach near Bizerte, north-east of the capital Tunis

by sputniknews.com/ Many beaches and swimming pools in Lebanon have reacted to increasing numbers of women arriving in "burkinis," by banning the swimming suit. More and more beach-goers in Lebanon have become subject to a restriction on wearing the "burkini," a swimming costume for conservative Muslims that covers a women's body from top to toe. Burkini sales have soared in recent years as the garment has received attention from the media and the authorities in Europe and elsewhere.     After the burkini was banned from beaches in several regions of southern France in August 2016, sales of the garment increased several times over, suppliers reported Australian designer Aheda Zanetti, who claims the trademark on the name burkini and burqini, told the BBC that online sales were up 200 percent as a result of the furor.

Recently, the owners of private beaches and swimming pools in Lebanon have ordered swimmers not to wear burkinis. One swimming pool owner told Sputnik Arabic that he banned the costume, explaining that the socially accepted clothing for females to swim in public places is a bikini. Lebanese sociologist Talal Atrisi told Sputnik that the country is home to diverse cultures which have peacefully co-existed for a long time. A burkini ban on certain beaches doesn't mean that these women are completely prevented from swimming, but rather that they are supposed to visit special women-only beaches or pools. Some owners of public pools and beaches are trying to attract a certain clientele, who might not want to see women in burkinis, the expert explained. "There is a culture with a conservative Islamic dimension which is manifested in terms of dress and tradition. In contrast, there is another culture that is also relatively conservative but influenced by the western atmosphere," Atrisi said.

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North Korea probably couldn't nuke the US military in Guam even if it tried

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by Alex Lockie - Business insider - After strong words from President Donald Trump promising "fire and fury" in response to continued threats from Pyongyang, North Korea threatened to launch a nuclear-missile attack on the US military in Guam. But North Korea mentioned a specific missile, the Hwasong-12, that it has tested just once, and an expert contacted by Business Insider says hitting the US military in Guam would be easier said than done. "No one, not even the North Koreans, knows the CEP of the HS-12," Mike Elleman, the senior fellow for missile defense at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told Business Insider, referring to circular error probable, or the distance by which a missile can be expected to miss its target. "Having said that, we can guesstimate a minimum CEP from first principles," Elleman said. Essentially, even a small task like cutting off the engines a fraction of a second too late can make the missile go miles off course. "All told, the CEP will be greater than 5 km," Elleman said. (Five kilometers is equal to about 3 miles.) "But this is a very rough estimate.

Given the paucity of flight tests, I suspect if used today, the HS-12 would have a CEP considerably larger than 5 km, perhaps 10 km, or more." While Andersen Air Force Base, the home of the strategic bombers North Korea expressly wanted to target, spans about 35 miles across, North Korea would have greater problems than accuracy. The massive blast radius caused by a nuclear device, which North Korea, according to news reports this week, is believed to have perfected and miniaturized to deliver on missiles, could make up for a lack of accuracy. But serious questions remain around North Korea's ability to build vehicles to reenter the planet's atmosphere through tremendous pressure and friction.

The only test of the Hwasong-12 was done on a lofted trajectory and not a realistic, flatter curve. b-1 bomber guam Four B-1B Lancers assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, arriving at Andersen AFB in Guam on February 6. US Air Force "The more interesting and important question revolves around the missile's reliability," Elleman said. Though Elleman thinks the Hwasong-12 would work more often than not, North Korea would need to launch several missiles, and there's just no evidence it has enough deployed and available. Additionally, the US military at Guam has the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile-interceptor system, perhaps the most reliable anywhere. "We always maintain a high state of readiness and have the capabilities to counter any threat, to include those from North Korea," Lt. Col. Christopher Logan, a Pentagon spokesman, told Business Insider. When North Korea tested its intercontinental Hwasong-14 missile on July 4, the US was aware 70 minutes ahead of time, according to the Diplomat. After North Korea issues a warning like the one it did Tuesday, the US would be even more on guard and may intervene if it spotted North Korea preparing a launch.

Lebanese govt stresses commitment to rid country of terror groups

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By NAJIA HOUSSARI BEIRUT: Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri on Tuesday stressed the government’s commitment to clearing Lebanese territory from terrorist groups. They highlighted Lebanon’s commitment to the international coalition against terrorism, outlining “the urgent need not to waste any chance to combat and deter terrorism and violence.” Aoun chaired a meeting of the Higher Defense Council at the presidential palace on Monday. It was attended by Al-Hariri; the ministers of defense, foreign affairs, finance, interior, justice and economy; army Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun and other security apparatus leaders. At the end of the meeting, the council issued a statement saying: “The participants discussed the security and military situation in the barren areas close to the Lebanese border, Ras Baalbek and Al-Qaa. The council has taken all the necessary recommendations and decisions to ensure the success of the military operations undertaken to eradicate the terrorists.” The decisions were kept “confidential in compliance with the law.” Arsal Mayor Bassel Al-Hujeiri told Arab News that hundreds of Daesh militants are in the barren areas of Al-Qaa and Ras Baalbek. The negotiator who mediated between Hezbollah and Jabhat Fatah Al-Sham (JFS), Sheikh Mustafa Al-Hujeiri, told Arab News that “no one is currently negotiating with Daesh.” He said negotiations were possible with JFS but “difficult” with Daesh because it “resorts to killing instead of negotiating.”

Pro-army positions Vice Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Ghassan Hasbani told the National News Agency (NNA): “The Lebanese army is the only authority that should protect and preserve Lebanon’s borders and sovereignty.” He added: “The army is the one to decide the timing of the upcoming battle against Daesh, with the support of the political authorities … The necessary measures have been taken to secure the transportation of wounded persons, in cooperation with the Lebanese Red Cross.” A member of the Development and Liberation parliamentary bloc, Yassine Jaber, told the NNA that he is “confident” that the army will prevail against Daesh. Jamaah Islamiyah (Islamic Group) MP Imad Al-Hout expressed his appreciation to the military for its sacrifices, saying it is the sole decision-taker in the upcoming battle. MP Joseph Al-Maalouf expressed hope that the army “will end the battle with minimal physical and material losses.” He told the Voice of Lebanon radio station: “In the past two weeks, after the eruption of the battles on the eastern borders of Lebanon, the Lebanese have shown their full support for the army.” He criticized unilateral decisions taken by Hezbollah in the battle against JFS in the barren areas of Arsal, saying they undermined Lebanese sovereignty