Wounded Syrian rebel leader refutes reports of his death

 

BEIRUT -- The leader of the Tawheed division, one of the largest rebel factions fighting in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, has survived an assassination attempt while visiting the front lines, according to an oppositon video posted on YouTube.

The video appears to show Abdel Qader Saleh, the Tawheed chief, recuperating in bed with a bandaged left arm and torso.

The video posting was apparently meant in part to refute reports on pro-government social media sites that a military sniper had killed Saleh, one of the best-known rebel figures in Aleppo, with a loyal following among various brigades in the disparate opposition forces. The government labels the opposition fighters "terrorists" and "mercenaries," but the rebels call themselves revolutionaries.

"I'm in good health and God willing, I will be among them [rebel fighters] in few days," Saleh says in the video. Directly addressing Syrian President Bashar Assad, the wounded commander sends a message:  "We are coming to your presidential palace."

New uncertainty for Egypt's troubled constitutional panel

This post has been updated. See the note below for details.

CAIRO -- The fate of the assembly writing Egypt’s new constitution became more uncertain Tuesday when the case to disband the Islamist-dominated body was referred to the nation’s highest court.

The decision by an administrative panel to send the matter to the Supreme Constitutional Court indicates the sensitivity around a document that has become a volatile battle between secularists and Islamists over the nation’s character. The ruling means it is possible the assembly may finish the constitution before the case is decided.

The referral to the supreme court also leads of questions of impartiality. Members of the court recently admonished the assembly over the draft; one judge called certain articles disastrous. Others said the document weakens the court’s purview on constitutional matters and allows a provision that grants the president the power to appoint its judges.

The constitutional assembly has had a brief, if turbulent, history. The first 100-member body was dissolved by a court in April amid questions over its selection and concerns that it did not reflect the will of all Egyptians. The new assembly, whose legitimacy has been challenged by various political groups, is expected to complete the constitution by December and put it to a public referendum.

Qatari emir visits Gaza Strip in sign of support

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GAZA CITY -- Palestinians in the Gaza Strip rolled out the red carpet Tuesday for Qatari Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, the first foreign head of state to visit the besieged seaside territory since it was taken over by the Islamist militant group Hamas in 2007.

[Updated, 10:55 a.m. Oct. 23: The emir called on Hamas and its rival, the West Bank-based Fatah Party, to reconcile their differences and work together to establish a Palestinian state.

"Palestinians should understand that division does the greatest harm to them and to the cause of all the Arabs," he said during a speech at Islamic University in Gaza.]

The visit came during a period of renewed violence between Gaza militants and Israel.

On Monday, two Palestinian militants were killed by Israeli airstrikes as they attempted to fire rockets into southern Israel, Israeli officials said. An Israeli officer was wounded Tuesday morning by an explosive device planted along the Gaza border.

In preparation for the emir's visit, Hamas deployed hundreds of security guards to protect the him and his delegation, and lined the streets with Qatari flags.

Hamas leaders have been looking increasingly to Qatar for patronage since the unrest in Syria led the militant group to abandon its base in Damascus.

Syrian refugees in Lebanon top 100,000

BEIRUT -- The number of Syrian refugees has now exceeded 100,000 in Lebanon, the third country in the region to pass that mark, the United Nations refugee agency said Tuesday.

Thousands of Syrians continue to flee into neighboring countries as daily death tolls from the 19-month uprising often top 150 amid no prospects for an end to the conflict. An attempt by Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. and Arab League envoy to Syria, to broker a cease-fire for the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha is widely viewed as unlikely to succeed.

More than 100,000 Syrians have registered or are waiting for registration with the U.N. in Lebanon, but the actual number on the ground is likely much higher.

Activists in Lebanon say that some Syrians, most of whom are Sunni Muslims, have been wary of making their presence known in a country with ongoing Sunni-Shiite tensions. In August, a powerful Shiite Muslim family in the Bekaa Valley kidnapped dozens of Syrians in response to the abduction of a family member in nearby Syria.

Jordanian soldier killed in clash on border with Syria

BEIRUT -- A Jordanian soldier was killed Sunday night in clashes with an armed group on the Syrian border, according to Jordan's official Petra news agency.

Eight armed people were attempting to illegally cross into Jordan from Syria when fighting broke out between them and members of the Jordanian armed forces, the news agency reported, quoting an anonymous official from the military.

One member of the armed group was critically injured, and all eight were arrested.

"Another armed Takfiri group using Kalashnikov rifles and guns tried to cross the border," the official told the news agency, using a term that refers to an extremist Muslim ideology that accuses others of being infidels.

Lebanese army warns against violence amid tensions

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BEIRUT — The Lebanese army moved Monday to quell unrest following an outbreak of clashes in the aftermath of the politically charged funeral of a police official assassinated in a car bomb attack.

The army vowed to use “decisive measures" to insure stability and warned that security was a “red line” not to be breached. The military urged all parties to exercise restraint.

The armed forces generally command respect across Lebanon’s sectarian fault lines. But the nation is also home to sundry armed militias allied with political and religious factions.

Overnight clashes were reported in Beirut and the northern city of Tripoli, which has become a battleground for armed groups on opposing sides of the conflict in neighboring Syria. At least three people were killed in Tripoli, the national news service reported. The army said it shot and killed a man who opened fire on a patrol in the capital.

[Updated Oct. 22, 2:20 p.m.: Sniper fire reportedly continued in Tripoli during the day, raising the death toll to four. In Beirut, troops in armored vehicles were taking up positions at some strategic intersections and roads in districts where rival gunmen have engaged in skirmishes.]

The situation remained tense and some parents were said to have kept their children home from school, fearing more violence.

Bomb rocks Damascus as peace envoy meets with Assad

BEIRUT -- A car bomb exploded Sunday at one of the entrances to Damascus’ Old City, killing 13 people and injuring 29, as an international peace envoy seeking a cease-fire in the Syrian conflict met with President Bashar Assad, state media reported.

Authorities said the bomb detonated in Bab Touma Square, a historic Old City district that has mostly been spared the violence raging across much of Syria.

Bab Touma — or Thomas’s Gate, after the apostle Thomas — is considered an important landmark of early Christianity. The ancient district remains home to many members of Syria’s Christian minority.

Scenes on state television showed burned-out cars as body bags lay in the vicinity of Bab Touma, with the signature arched stone entrance to the Old City in the background.

No group took immediate responsibility for the blast. The government blamed the bombing on an “armed terrorist group,” its customary description of rebels seeking to oust Assad. 

Clashes in Beirut follow funeral for slain police official

BEIRUT -- A politically charged funeral for a slain police intelligence chief devolved into clashes in the heart of the Lebanese capital Sunday as angry mourners tried to storm the prime minister’s office but were pushed back by troops.

Soldiers used tear gas and fired shots in the air to disperse the enraged crowd of several hundred -- mostly young men, some wielding sticks.

The clashes followed a somber and peaceful funeral for Gen. Wissam Hassan, the police intelligence chief assassinated Friday in a car bomb in a upscale Beirut neighborhood.

Authorities initially said eight people were killed in Friday's explosion, but have since reduced the death toll to three, including the police official and a bodyguard.

The car bombing — the first significant attack in the Lebanese capital in four years — has outraged opponents of Lebanon’s government and resulted in calls for the nation's ruling coalition to resign. The incident has also raised tensions in a nation with deep religious and political divides and a history of sectarian conflict.

Fatah dominates West Bank election amid low turnout

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Amid a lackluster voter turnout, Palestinians largely elected the dominant Fatah Party to represent them in local councils throughout the West Bank, election officials said Sunday.

But rather than strengthening Fatah’s credibility as its leaders had hoped, the election -- the first municipal poll held since 2005 -- exposed internal party divisions and a deep public apathy.

Only about 55% of eligible voters went to the polls Saturday, down from 70% when municipal elections were last held seven years ago.

Analysts said the low turnout reflected a public frustration over the lack of new leaders and choices.

Fatah’s main rival -- the Islamist party Hamas, which controls Gaza Strip -- boycotted the West Bank election, saying its members were being harassed. No voting occurred in Gaza.

Egypt freezes assets of ex-presidential candidate and Mubarak ally

CAIRO — The Egyptian government on Sunday froze the financial assets of former presidential candidate Ahmed Shafik and his three daughters as authorities move to try the retired general over his alleged business dealings with the sons of deposed leader Hosni Mubarak.

Shafik, who was Mubarak's last prime minister, is wanted for graft and is expected to face trial on Dec. 2. Immediately after losing the presidential race to Mohamed Morsi in June, Shafik left Egypt for the United Arab Emirates. He has not returned home and authorities have announced he may be tried in absentia. 

Last month, Egyptian authorities called for Shafik’s arrest in a case involving Mubarak's sons, Gamal and Alaa, and four retired generals. The charges center on Shafik's role as chairman in the state’s housing association in the 1990s, when he allegedly sold publicly owned lands below market value to Mubarak's sons. Judge Osama Alsaeedy referred Shafik to criminal court on charges of squandering public funds.

Shafik, a staunch Mubarak ally who failed to calm the uprising that brought down the regime last year, has also been ordered to face trial on charges along with 10 other former officials who were accused of corruption in Egypt's Ministry of Civil Aviation. The government did not disclose the amount of Shafik’s assets that have been frozen.

The former pilot and aviation minister spoke from Dubai in September on a television interview to deny the accusations. He said the charges were "politically motivated" and that he would not return to Egypt until investigations were completed and his innocence was proven.

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— Reem Abdellatif

Photo: Then-presidential candidate Ahmed Shafik speaks to the media during a news conference at his office in Cairo on May 26. Credit: Khalil Hamra, file / Associated Press.