Libya's Transitional Council struggles to end clashes between rival militias [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Male #1
Our Al Jazeera correspondent in Libya confirmed that 14 people were killed and 80 others were injured in clashes between armed groups in the western Libyan city of Zuwarah. The shelling between armed groups in the western cities of Zuwarah and Ragdalein was renewed for the third consecutive day. They used mortars and anti-aircraft missiles. This comes after a border guard unit was kidnapped by gunmen from the city of al-Jumail.

Reporter, Male #2
After the Sabha crisis, the clashes this time are in western Libya. They started after a border guard unit was kidnapped by armed men from the city of Jumail, an incident with conflicting narratives. Some believe this operation is the result of the tension between different tribes in Libya, while others assure that Zuwarah's rebels entered an area they had agreed not to go into.

Guest, Male #3 (Atef al-Idrisi, Commander of Kidnapped Unit in Libya)
The Defense Ministry assigned us to be border guards. We represent the state; we didn't assign ourselves.

Guest, Male #4 (Khalifa Kail, National Transitional Council Member in Jumail)
We have no doubt they are rebels; they are the rebels of Zuwarah. But on their way back to Nalut, they attacked some people in an area called Bishoul in the southern part of al-Jumail.

Reporter, Male #2
In the second scene of this story, these conditions lead to other discussions. The residents of Zuwarah say it is oil that is fueling their conflict with their neighbors. They believe stability will not be achieved unless wanted men are handed over, and the damage they endured during Gaddafi's rule is redressed. They say Gaddafi deprived them of their historical rights and seized their land.

Guest, Male #5 (Hafiz Bansasi, Zuwarah Local Council Member)
These are all the conditions of the February 17 rebels in Libya. As we mentioned in these four points, we do retreat from these demands, and they are considered a red line for the February 17 rebels.

Reporter, Male #2
The demands reached the transitional government that rushed to Zuwarah to calm the situation, hoping to win some time to solve these crises. Crises that are placing doubt on the government's ability to carry Libya to safe shores.

Guest, Male #6 (Nasser al-Manea, Libyan Transitional Government Spokesman)
The ceasefire we agreed to is the beginning, and this ceasefire will not be maintained unless we deal with the reasons behind the clashes.

Reporter, Male #2
All parties admit the ceasefire is fragile, and requires more concessions. Some say the current situation in Libya is not helpful to reaching a compromise.

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Bahraini activist's life in danger after 55 days of hunger strike [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
Several demonstrators were injured after regime forces cracked down on protests across various Bahraini regions. Meanwhile, the February 14 Coalition announced the launch of a new week of popular mobilization under the slogan "freedom or martyrdom." The coalition called for demonstrators to express loyalty to the prisoners and the movement's figures.

Reporter, Male #2
These Bahraini protestors took to the street in the Barbar region to affirm their rejection of the Saudi occupation of their country. The demonstrators also condemned the regime's complicity in the occupation's crackdown on civilians. Residents of the town of Shahrakan held peaceful demonstrations in solidarity with the martyrs of the Bahraini revolution, vowing to press ahead with the revolution's demands and honor the victims killed by the Saudi-backed Bahraini forces. Residents in the Sind region also held demonstrations to express loyalty to journalist Ahmed Ismael, who was martyred by the gunfire of the regime's forces. These masses chanted slogans demanding the expulsion of the occupation and the downfall of the regime. In response, regime forces fired live ammunition and tear gas at the peaceful demonstrators in an attempt to disperse them, injuring one protestor. They also attempted to run over several demonstrators.

Reporter, Male #2
The scene was not much different in the Samahij region, where regime forces confronted civilian youths taking part in a demonstration held in solidarity with martyr Ahmed Ismael. The regime forces opened fire at the rally, injuring several protestors. In the town of Salmabad, regime forces attacked a sit-in held in solidarity with the family of martyr Ahmed. The regime continues to refuse to release Ahmed's body to his family even though he passed away three days ago. In solidarity with prominent activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and martyr Ahmed Isamel, residents of Musala, Jidhafs, and other regions took to the street. The demonstrators raised slogans affirming their loyalty to the symbols of the Bahraini revolution.

Reporter, Male #2
In al-Manama, representatives of the International Labor Organization and sacked employees from the Bahrain Aluminum Company, Alba, held a demonstration in front of the Ministry of Labor demanding the authorities fulfill their promise to reinstate them to their jobs. The employees were sacked after participating in peaceful demonstrations. The employees accused the company of adopting an arbitrary dismissal policy, citing that 44 workers had been sacked in the past two days. Meanwhile, the February 14 Coalition in Bahrain announced the launch of "the week of freedom or martyrdom." The coalition called on demonstrators to express loyalty to Bahraini prisoners and the movement's figures. They also called for continuing their campaign, dubbed "mosques belong to God" by reconstructing all mosques demolished by the regime and the Saudi occupation.

Presenter, Female #1
The lawyer of Bahraini activist and hunger striker Abdulhadi al-Khawaja said his client was taken to the hospital after his health deteriorated in prison. In a phone call with Al-Alam, attorney al-Jashi said that al-Khawaja is determined to continue his hunger strike, as well as continuing to refuse taking his anti-diabetic medication in protest of the regime's crackdown policies.

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France expels five Imams after Merah killings [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Female #1
The incidents in the French city of Toulouse led the French Interior Ministry to take new measures, the latest of which was the decision to expel five imams from its territory, saying it is concerned about its national security. An Algerian Islamist and a Malian imam were indeed deported, while another three Imams will soon be deported. The procedure was preceded by a series of arrests, affecting 20 people. Mohamed Wamousi reports from Paris.

Reporter, Male #1
Mohamed Merah, the alleged killer behind the Toulouse attack, was killed by police, embarrassing France. After an arrest campaign targeting radical Islamists, the French authorities resorted to a policy of arbitrary expulsion. Deportation decrees have been issued to five imams, while five others remain on a temporary list, in a show of power by Sarkozy before the presidential elections.

Guest, Male #2 (Nicolas Sarkozy, French President)
We have specific questions that we will ask some people and what happened with the detainees and the expelled will continue. There will be other operations that will enable us to expel some of them, those we do not need, from our country.

Reporter, Male #1
The arrests targeted 20 people, among them Mohamed al-Shamlan, the leader of the Knights of Glory Salafi Society, who is accused of plotting the kidnapping of a Jewish judge in Lyon. Al-Shamlan, who is French, as is his mother, was a nuisance for the authorities because of his recurring appearances on the streets of Paris and his calls for a caliphate.

Guest, Male #3 (Francois Molins, Paris General Prosecutor)
We are now investigating with the leader of the group, Mohamed al-Shamlan, and like the rest of the detainees, he is denying any responsibility, and claiming he is not guilty.

Reporter, Male #1
The inflated Islamophobia campaign in media outlets, along with its implications of hostility and vigilance after the Toulouse attack, made every Muslim in France susceptible to allegations or suspicions, to the extent that Muslims may be removed from the French social composition.

Guest, Male #4 (Salah al-Murabiti, French Council of the Muslim Faith)
Today, we Muslims are scared and we feel as though we're being threatened and cannot live in security and peace. This is a problem that will obstruct the Muslim community's assimilation; a community that is required to go beyond its duties.

Reporter, Male #1
The Mohamed Merah case led French police to monitor the mosques' sermons. And every time the alert level rises, preachers stick to sermons about religious rituals, so it can't be said their speeches are provocative or inconsistent with the values of the Republic. Mohamed al-Moussi, Dubai TV, Paris.

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Yemeni army battles al-Qaeda in southern Yemen [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Female #1
With attacks and counterattacks, battles erupted in southern Yemen today. Sources in Abyan province announced that 38 al-Qaeda members were killed in the shelling and air raids carried out by the Yemeni army on al-Harur region by the border between the provinces of Abyan and Lahij. A military source said Yemeni forces launched extensive air raids and artillery shelling on the border area between Abyan and Lahij, indicating the air strikes were carried out by the Yemeni Air Force with the assistance of the US. The al-Qaeda organization in southern Yemen had taken control of the region that was shelled on Saturday after battles with the Yemeni army led to dozens of deaths and injuries.

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Qatar rejects Iraq's call to extradite VP [Press TV, Iran]

Qatar has rejected Iraq's demand to extradite Iraqi fugitive Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi following his escape from Iraqi's Kurdistan region on Sunday. The Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs Khaled al-Attiyah says diplomatic norms and the post of al-Hashimi prevent Qatar from doing so. Al-Hashimi flew to Qatar on the invitation of the Qatari emir.

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Turkey to cut Iran oil imports under US pressure [Press TV, Iran]

An opposition group in Turkey has criticized the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for its decision to cut oil imports from Iran under pressure from the US. The Great Union Party, or BBP, demands an explanation from the government and filed a lawsuit at the Council of State, the highest administrative court in Turkey, over the issue. It blames the recent hikes in fuel prices in Turkey on the government's decision to cut oil imports from Iran.

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Iran's navy capable of establishing regional security: Commander Sayyari [Press TV, Iran]

Iran's navy has captured a group of pirates who were trying to confiscate a vessel carrying cargo from the Horn of Africa to Iran's Port of Bandar Abbas. The commander of Iran's navy says that currently there are over 11,000 navy men in the Indian Ocean to counter piracy attacks, saying that only 44 piracy battles occurred last year.

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Red Cross chief in Syria as regime shelling continues [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male #1
The Syrian Revolution's General Commission said 27 people were killed in Syria today, most of them in Idlib province. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that clashes, raids, arrest campaigns, and the shelling continued in a number of Syrian areas. The province of Dara'a witnessed unprecedented clashes as the Free Syrian Army escalated its operations against the regime's army. Clashes broke out this morning between regime forces and armed groups of defectors in the countryside of Damascus. This comes as Damascus agreed to receive the UN delegation of observers and allowed the Red Cross to distribute humanitarian aid in the disaster-stricken areas.

Reporter, Male #2
Even though Damascus agreed to receive a UN delegation, its forces continued their military operations, particularly in the regions of Homs, Idlib, Damascus and Dara'a. Violent confrontations are ongoing in these regions between the regime's army and members of the Free Syrian Army. Damascus, which agreed to Annan's plan, says what it refers to as "armed terrorist groups" are militarily superior to its army, and that the regime is attempting to eliminate these groups to restore security and stability to the country.

Guest, Male #3 (Sharif Shahadah, Writer and Journalist in Damascus)
In the regions where gunmen are present, we know they have weapons that are superior to those of the Syrian army. And we saw that on Syrian TV. Some areas, like Baba Amr, are now witnessing the army's withdrawal. Other regions are also seeing the army's withdrawal, including some areas in the countryside of Dara'a and the countryside of Damascus.

Guest, Male #4 (Rami Abdul Rahman, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Director in Coventry)
I believe spokesman Shehadeh said there are ongoing withdrawals. But the military operations are still ongoing in the city of Homs. There is also shelling in al-Bayada and heavy machinegun fire in Deir Ba'alba. In Dara'a, there are military operations in Dael and other areas. Burning houses has now become a widely-used practice in Syria.

Reporter, Male #2
Politically, Damascus received the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross Jakob Kellenberger to discuss delivering humanitarian aid to the disaster-stricken areas, after reports indicated a humanitarian catastrophe is looming in these regions. Human rights advocates and observers of Syrian affairs welcomed the decision, and the approval of the Annan plan, demanding that all parties cooperate to implement it.

Guest, Male #4
The regime and some opposition figures should not fight the Kofi Annan plan. The Kofi Annan plan can transform Syria into a democratic country through peaceful means.

Reporter, Male #2
Clashes, bombardments, raids, and arrests continued as the regime deployed additional forces to al-Zabadani in the countryside of Damascus, which saw fierce clashes this morning. Activists say the Dael area of Dara'a is witnessing an unprecedented escalation of military operations.

Guest, Male #5 (Mahmoud Said, Local Coordination Committee Representative in Dara'a)
Information was leaked that the regime's army is determined to storm the area and eliminate the Free Syrian Army. It is being said that they will accomplish that goal with chemical weapons. This is the news we received.

Reporter, Male #2
The shelling continued in Idlib province, leading to the death of civilians and members of the regime army and the Free Army. In addition, activists say the regime's army continues to burn houses. According to activists, the army's raids, arrest campaigns, and destruction of homes continue in the province of Hama. As for Homs, where at least five civilians were killed, the shelling continued in the neighborhoods of al-Bayada, al-Khadiliya and Deir Ba'alba.

Guest, Male #6
They are shelling us with mortar shells, RPG rockets and mortars, and missiles.

Reporter, Male #2
The city of Rastan in Idlib province also endured fierce shelling. Developments continue on the ground, awaiting the implementation of the ceasefire plan. However, the protesting street continues its peaceful demonstrations demanding the downfall of the regime. At the same time, the regime continues to carry out arbitrary arrests and repress peaceful protests. Hayyan Aqoub, BBC.

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Israeli military assesses possible consequences for attacking Iran [IBA, Israel]

An assessment from senior Israeli military officials has concluded that 300 or fewer Israelis would be killed in a potential Iranian attack against the country. This calculation was presented to the security cabinet during a discussion reportedly centered on possible retaliation for Israeli strikes against Iran's nuclear installations. A top air force official said that if Israel's home front is targeted by Iran, it would likely last for three weeks, and consist of a series of missile attacks from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Syria's army, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and terrorist factions in the Gaza Strip.

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Egypt's failure to meet pro-democracy goals may jeopardize US aid [IBA, Israel]

A senior US leader is expressing concern over the future of USD 1.5 billion of annual military aid that the United States gives to Egypt. A US congressional delegation has arrived in Cairo to gather information on the overall situation in the politically unstable landscape, and to meet with the recently nominated Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Khairat el-Shater, as well as Egyptian parliamentary members. Cairo's failure to meet pro-democracy goals may jeopardize continued US financial assistance.

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Evacuation of Israeli settlers from Palestinian housing complex put on hold [IBA, Israel]

The fate of the disputed house in Beit Hamachpela in Hebron inhabited by dozens of Israeli settlers since last week remains unclear. While the 3 p.m. deadline set by Defense Minister Ehud Barak for the settlers to evacuate the premises expired, the issue was temporarily put on hold until later this evening, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to convene a special ministerial meeting on the matter. The Israeli settlers claim that they purchased the building legally from a Palestinian owner, but the Palestinians are challenging that claim.

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Israel's policy of exile illegal under international law [Palestine TV, Ramallah]

Presenter, Female #1
The policy of exile adopted by the occupation authorities against prisoners is causing great concern among different official and popular organizations. The policy is viewed as unjust and a violation of international law.

Reporter, Male #1
Once again, the Israeli occupation shows complete disregard for international law by exiling prisoner Hana al-Shalabi after she waged a 43-day open-ended hunger strike in protest of administrative detention. With this move, Israel sent a clear message to the world that it pays no attention to international law.

Guest, Male #2 (Shawan Jabarin, Director of al-Haq Human Rights Organization)
The occupation's policy is to expel the Palestinians, to displace them, and move them from their place of residence, and this policy is constant and ongoing. It is a breach of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. It is also considered a war crime. We have expressed our view on the matter, and continue to do so. But the occupation's authorities have not changed this policy, because the international community lacks the political will to solve this issue.

Reporter, Male #1
However, it has recently become clear, especially after the most recent prisoner swap deal, that the occupation is adopting a new policy, targeting the prisoners in general, and freed prisoners in particular. This policy includes a wave of retaliatory measures such as administrative detentions, summons, threats, and intimidation, and reaching their peak with the policy of exile.

Guest, Male #3 (Abdel Al al-Anani, Head of the Detainees' Center)
Our sister Egypt, that stopped implementing the articles of this agreement, should really follow up on what is happening to our prisoners. It should also put an end to the occupation government's ongoing policy of arresting freed prisoners and sending them back to prison.

Reporter, Male #1
These Israeli violations only form one chapter in the series of the occupation that singles out prisoners and breaches the Geneva Conventions as the world simply watches. The occupation's violation of the rights of prisoners is not a new development. However, many are concerned that prisoners will become the target of a number of policies, notably the policy of exile; policies that become the occupation's permanent approach towards many prisoners.