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Syria helicopter raid sparks Lebanon warning

Agence France-PresseJune 13, 2013 00:37
Lebanon's army has warned it will hit back against any new attacks from Syria after a helicopter gunship struck an eastern town, ratcheting up tensions amid US-British talks on the conflict. In Washington, Secretary of State John Kerry and his British counterpart William Hague met on Wednesday, a day after President Barack Obama asked his security team to "look at all options" to help the Syrian opposition. A Syrian helicopter gunship fired two rockets at the centre of Arsal, a Lebanese town populated mostly by Sunni Muslims, wounding one person, Lebanon's army said.

US eases trade restrictions on Syrian opposition

Agence France-PresseJune 12, 2013 18:31
The United States eased restrictions on trade with Syria's opposition Wednesday, in a move aimed at helping supply the critical needs of Syrians in "liberated areas." The new waivers to general sanctions on the country allow companies to supply software, technology, reconstruction and power generation equipment, as well as farm and food production equipment, to opposition-controlled areas.

U.N. says Israel-Syria ceasefire jeopardized by Golan violence

June 12, 2013 15:36
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A spillover of violence from Syria's civil war into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights is jeopardizing a decades old ceasefire between Israel and Syria, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday.

Syria army says 'respects Lebanon sovereignty'

Agence France-PresseJune 12, 2013 18:33
Hours after a helicopter gunship fired missiles at a majority Sunni town in eastern Lebanon Wednesday, Syria's army command said it respects its neighbour's sovereignty and territorial integrity, state news agency SANA said. The army said it will continue to target rebels across Syrian territory, but that it is "committed to respecting the sovereignty of the Lebanese republic, its territorial integrity and the safety of its people".

US condemns Syria gunship strike on Lebanon

Agence France-PresseJune 12, 2013 17:41
The United States on Wednesday condemned a cross-border Syrian helicopter gunship attack on an eastern Lebanese town, calling it an "unacceptable provocation which risked dragging Lebanon into war. "The United States condemns in the strongest terms today's helicopter attack by the Syrian regime on the Lebanese town of Arsal," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

Israeli pilots say training for Syria, Lebanon threats

Agence France-PresseJune 12, 2013 17:40
Israeli air force pilots are training daily to meet threats posed by instability in neighbouring Syria and Lebanon, pilots at a base in the north of the Jewish state said on Wednesday. Daily drills include preparing to counter "the transfer of all kinds of weapons that could lead to terror attacks," Lieutenant Colonel N, who could not reveal his last name, told AFP on a rare visit by journalists to Ramat David air base.

Syria helicopter raid sparks Lebanon army warning

Agence France-PresseJune 12, 2013 17:38
Lebanon's army warned on Wednesday it will hit back against any new attacks from Syria after a helicopter gunship struck an eastern town, ratcheting up tensions ahead of US-British talks on the conflict. The escalation came hours after the emergence of video footage showing the mutilated corpse of one of some 60 Shiites killed in the latest outbreak of worsening sectarian violence in Syria. A Syrian helicopter gunship fired two rockets at the centre of Arsal, a Lebanese town populated mostly by Sunni Muslims, wounding one person, Lebanon's army said.

Jordan removes last hurdle to cleric's extradition from UK

June 12, 2013 17:30
AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordan has removed the last hurdle preventing Britain from sending radical cleric Abu Qatada back home for trial by approving an extradition treaty satisfying British concerns about evidence used against him, officials said on Wednesday. The British government has for years been unable to deport Abu Qatada back to his native Jordan, where he is wanted on alleged terrorism charges, because judges have said evidence obtained through torture could be used against him.

Official: Iraq targeting 4.5 million barrels a day for next year, from around 3.5 million now

The Canadian PressJune 12, 2013 08:30
BAGHDAD - A senior Iraqi official on Wednesday said his country expects to ramp up oil production to 4.5 million barrels per day by the end of next year from around 3.5 million barrels now, thanks to work by a handful of international oil companies developing the country's prized oil and gas fields. The chairman of the prime minister's advisory commission, Thamir Ghadhban, also said that resource-rich Iraq, which sits atop the world's fourth largest proven reserves of conventional crude, is also aiming to produce 9 million barrels a day by 2020.

Jordan MPs approve extradition deal with Britain

Agence France-PresseJune 12, 2013 16:33
Jordan's parliament has approved an agreement with Britain on the extradition of suspects wanted by Amman, including radical cleric Abu Qatada, an MP said Wednesday. "Parliament on Tuesday approved a treaty with Britain to help Jordan extradite suspects from Britain," Khalil Attieh, the deputy house speaker, told AFP. "The agreement does not specifically mention Abu Qatada but it includes him and others." msh-akh/hc
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