SYRIAN TV has carried a report on the Al-Nusrah Front and Israel’s position on it, conducted by anchors Wa’il al-Tawil and Alisar Mu’alla in the Damascus studio.
Al-Tawil began by saying: ‘The terrorist Al-Nusrah Front has disavowed its subordination to the Al-Qaeda organisation in Iraq and pledged allegiance and obedience to the terrorist, Ayman al-Zawahiri.’
Mu’alla added: ‘Washington is preparing a new batch of weapons to send to Syria.’
The programme then carried a two-minute video report by Syrian TV correspondent Abir Barakat, which included an excerpt of a recorded message from the Al-Nusrah Front leader pledging allegiance to (Al- Qaeda leader) Al-Zawahiri.
The TV anchor said: ‘Regardless of the side to which this allegiance of extremism and terrorism is paid, the result is the same, as it will eventually be in favour of a black banner that does not know any language other than the language of death with full obedience.’
She continued: ‘The Independent noted in its editorial that the terrorist Al-Nusrah Front is the strongest armed group among the groups that are fighting in Syria and is responsible for many terrorist attacks, which have killed innocent people.’
And she reiterated: ‘Washington, which has added the Al-Nusrah Front to the list of terrorist organisations, and has authorised its intelligence and security arms in the region to support it in Syria, is now preparing a batch of weapons to deliver to gunmen in Syria, in compliance with a request by the US Congress that was signed by President Obama, according to CNN.’
Continuing, Barakat said: ‘Undoubtedly, all the statements that were made by Al-Qaeda terrorists have not brought anything new in terms of practical action on the ground.
‘The facts about the terrorist Al-Nusrah Front, which is committing the ugliest crimes against the Syrian people, are well known to everybody, despite the insistence of the opposition outside Syria and their supporters on denying these facts – formally in a manner that does not go beyond the media – while leaving the arming and support operations to this terrorist front behind the scenes.’
She concluded: ‘The chapter of Al-Qaeda’s terrorism in Syria, supported on both the Arab and regional levels, is a fact which can be stopped only by the decisive power of the Arab Syrian Army.’
The anchors state that new evidence has been revealed about the link between the Al-Nusrah Front and the ‘Zionist entity’s objectives in Syria.’
The head of the Israeli Defence Ministry’s Diplomatic Security Bureau has expressed admiration for Al-Qaeda’s actions in Syria.
The programme then carried a one-minute video report by Syrian TV correspondent Bilal Ma’ruf, in which he quotes the Israeli official as saying: ‘If Syria is fragmented into parts, enabling particular parties like Al-Qaeda to settle in them, Israel will definitely not prefer President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, because any option would be better for Israel than this regime remaining in power.’
The correspondent adds: ‘This is an open acknowledgment made by the Israeli occupation entity through Amos Gilad, head of the Defence Ministry’s Diplomatic Security Bureau.
‘In an interview with Yediot Aharonot, Gilad noted that the Al-Qaeda organisation is waiting for the opportunity to control Syria and achieve its objectives there, emphasizing that, regardless of the enormity of the threat posed to his entity by this organisation, it would be less than the threat posed by the “evil axis of Syria, Iran and Hezbollah”.
‘According to Gilad, this evil axis is dreadful and alarming to Israel.
‘As to his expectations of a fall of the Syrian regime, Gilad said: “We refrain from saying that this fall will take place after one week or two weeks, because such estimations are unfeasible”.’
Last Thursday the Syrian Foreign Ministry sent two identical letters to the UN Security Council Chairman and the UN Secretary General informing them that on April 7th 2013 websites linked to Al-Qaeda broadcast an audio recording by its leader, Aiman al-Zawahiri, calling on the gunmen in Syria ‘to aspire to a Jihadist Islamic State as the outcome of their Jihad in Syria to be the basis for the restoration of the Caliphate.’
The Ministry added, ‘al-Zawahiri’s call received a rapid response from Al-Qaeda in Iraq by “the Islamic State of Iraq” organisation leader Abu-Baker al-Baghdadi who announced on April 9th, 2013 that: “Jabhat al-Nusrah is fighting to build an Islamic state in Syria,” and revealing that “Jabhat al-Nusrah is an extension of the Islamic State of Iraq and part of it”.’
Abu-Baker al-Baghdadi also announced a merger with ‘Jabhat al-Nusrah’ to form ‘the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham’.
The Ministry continued: ‘on April 10th, 2013, websites linked to terrorist organisations also broadcast an audio recording of Jabhat al-Nusrah leader, Abu-Mohammad al-Jolani, pledging allegiance to Aiman al-Zawahiri.’
And it stressed that ‘these statements prove the warnings of the Syrian Arab Republic against the relationship between the armed terrorist groups and Al-Qaeda and the danger of the crimes perpetrated by these groups in Syria.’
It added that Syria ‘reiterates its warning against the danger of the international community’s disregard of the Takfiri terrorist crimes practiced by “Jabhat al-Nusrah” and its allies, including so-called “Free Syrian Army”.’
The Ministry also pointed out that Syria ‘has completed all procedures required to request enlisting the “Jabhat al-Nusrah” organisation to the consolidated list of individuals and entities belonging to or associated with the Al-Qaeda organisation pursuant to UN Security Council resolutions 1257 (1999) and 1989 (2011).
‘The final report issued by the Panel of Experts on Libya established pursuant to resolution 1937 (2011) included information on cases of transferring illegitimate weapons to Syria in support of the armed terrorist groups through various ways from Turkey or southern Lebanon.’
l Iran’s Ambassador to France, Ali Ahani, has warned against any military attack on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities, saying such aggression may lead to World War III.
Speaking on Sunday, Ahani said: ‘A potential Israeli attack against Iran with an objective of destroying its scientific and nuclear facilities is sheer madness. Its consequences are disastrous and uncontrollable.
‘Iran will not stand idly by in the face of such aggression. This can entail a chain of violence that may lead to World War III,’ the Iranian envoy warned.
He said that, according to Resolution 533 of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN Security Council must react firmly against any threats on nuclear facilities, adding that ‘certain entities apparently want to ignore this issue.
‘The United States, Israel and some of their allies have falsely accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy programme, with Washington and Tel Aviv repeatedly threatening Tehran with a military strike.
‘The US and European Union have also used the unfounded allegations as an excuse to impose illegal sanctions against Tehran.’
Iran has categorically rejected these allegations, noting that as a committed member of the IAEA and a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) it is entitled to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
