DAILY SCOPE: Governmental Bodies Using Illegal Internet, Risk of Espionage

Local Editor

NEWSPAPERS' HEADLINES:

AS-SAFIR:

"Geneva III" Today: Pre-emptive Conditions Threatens Outburst of Talks

AN-NAHAR:

March 14... In Defense of Lebanon the Great

An-Nahar Exposes Internet Scandal: Presidential Palace, Parliament and Army Monitored

AL-AKHBAR:

Bahrain Blackmails Lebanese People: They Will Pay the Price for Their Stances

AL-BINAA:

Saudi Arabia Targets Hizbullah Supporters, Hardan Assures Resistance is the Strength of Lebanon

Lebanese newspapers on Monday, 14-03-2016 focused on the consequences of the Saudi escalation against Hizbullah in Lebanon. Also, the papers shed light on the latest developments concerning the waste management crisis in Lebanon, as popular gatherings blocked roads this morning to protest any garbage landfills close to residential areas across Lebanon.

AS-SAFIR: Gulf Countries Angry over Nuclear Deal, Targeting Iran's Friends

In an interview with As-Safir newspaper on Monday, House Speaker Nabih Berri commented on the campaign launched by Saudi Arabia and its allies against the Lebanese resistance party Hizbullah in Lebanon, saying "Hizbullah is exposed to this attack either because it is an ally of Iran, or because it is the sole enemy to "Israel"."

Berri wondered "if the Arabs have a problem with Iran, then why don't they hit the core of the problem and have direct confrontations and discussions with the Islamic Republic instead of hitting other targets?"

The Lebanese official went on to say "I believe that [the Gulf countries' attitude] comes in the context of a reaction to the nuclear deal between Iran and the West. Some sides in the region are concerned about the deal and its outcome in Tehran and the role it plays in the Middle East region."

He reiterated "I repeat there is no exit to the dark tunnel drawn towards many countries including Lebanon except through a Saudi-Iranian rapprochement."
The latest stances come on the backdrop of the GCC official decision to label Hizbullah as a terrorist organization last Wednesday.

The gulf countries had warned in the past of their intentions to brand Hizbullah a terror organization, but the decision to do so now will give them more freedom of operation vis-à-vis Hizbullah, and they will be able to operate against them more aggressively than before.

AN-NAHAR: Governmental Bodies Using Suspicious Internet Network!

The waste crisis is not the only problem Lebanon is facing. Lebanon stands before a new threat that looms in the security horizon of the country in light of the exposed illegal internet network uncovered last week.

According to An-Nahar newspaper, the illegal internet network provided by Cyprus and passing through Turkey is being used by the Presidential Palace offices, the Parliament and other directories in the government.

It is mostly dangerous because of probable espionage by "Israel", which shares good relations with the two providers.

According to the source, the internet mafia provided free internet services for free, in return for political and security umbrella, and what makes the story more suspicious is that the official buildings in the country are being provided by this network as well.

The story was first exposed b al-Binaa newspaper last week, as it reported that an internet network scandal surfaced on Tuesday in Lebanon, after companies set up massive equipment in rural areas to take Internet services from outside Lebanon and then provide citizens with the service in an illegal way.

Military sources had warned that access to internet services is being provided through what is known as "microwave" networks that can disseminate internet access to the Lebanese people. By that, the sources explained that "every Lebanese connected on the network is open to tapping or espionage, and that is applicable to all smart objects and communication apparatuses."

AL-JOMHOURIA: Civil Society Reaction over Waste Crisis, 350 Thousand Tons of Wastes in Streets!

The Lebanese government faces a challenge today, as civil society organizations hit the streets to protest the pending waste crisis in the country, at the time the total quantity of the accumulated garbage in Lebanon's streets has reached 350 thousand tons, which will need 45 days at least to be moved.

Al-Jomhouria newspaper quoted security sources as saying that Prime Minister Tammam Salam has called for a ministerial council to convene today in the afternoon, in which ministerial and security top officials will discuss the unresolved waste crisis amid fears of the unknown reactions that might emerge as soon as the plan starts to be implemented.

The sources explained that the session will surely discuss the latest security dangers threatening Lebanon, including the terrorist groups and activities inside Lebanon and at the Lebanese-Syrian borders, but it will also try to approve the precautionary measures that should be carried out in terms of the waste crisis and its health repercussions as well as the means of transporting the wastes to the allocated landfills.

On Saturday, the government announced a temporary solution for the country's eight-month trash crisis by opening three landfills, one of which is the Naameh notorious landfill.

The Naameh landfill will be reopened for two months to take in tens of thousands of tons of trash that have piled around the country, at the time two other landfills and treatment plants will be opened in Bourj Hammoud north of Beirut and Nahr al-Ghadir area [Costa Brava] in South of Beirut.

The waste crisis had erupted in July when Lebanon's largest landfill in Naameh was closed. Trash began piling up on the streets of Beirut and Mount Lebanon, forcing the dumping of wastes in makeshift sites and along riverbanks. Heavy rain last week brought with it flooded streets coupled with waste, as experts warned of the health and environmental impact of the crisis.

Source: al-Ahed News