Homs pummeled and Iran may strike first

The heavy bombardment of the Syrian city of Homs leads Arab news on Wednesday, with all major newspapers featuring it as their first headline.

Saudi-owned daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat‘s headline reads “Homs burns, and Washington leaves the possibility of arming the opposition open,” reporting that the city is being hit with 10 shells a minute in an attempt by Assad troops to storm the city.

The Saudi daily bases its coverage on opposition sources inside the country, who claim that the Syrian army has taken away shoulder missiles from its soldiers for fear they may defect, and is only bombing cities from their outskirts.

Al-Hayat, a liberal daily based in London, in an atypically dramatic headline, declares: “Homs drips blood, and a massacre in Idlib.” The daily quotes opposition sources who say that Homs has become “the Misrata of Syria,” a reference to the Libyan stronghold of deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi which witnessed heavy fighting. Oppositionists also report a massacre in Idlib, claiming that 40 people, mostly civilians, were killed there. The article features a video-captured photo of a burning car in what seems to be a badly bombarded street.

Al-Quds Al-Arabi, a hard-line daily based in London, begins its reporting with the diplomatic efforts to stop the bloodshed, emphasizing the fact that Russia and Lebanon will not take part in the meetings of the “friends of Syria” coalition scheduled to take place this Friday in Tunisia. Its coverage relies solely on news agencies, not on original reporting. The photo of Al-Quds Al-Arabi’s front page features a group of young children waving the three-starred opposition flag in the Syrian town of Kafr Nabl.

Al-Arabiya, a Dubai-based news channel, dedicates a short report to the death of amateur cameraman and activist Rami Sayid  in Homs. According to the report, which features his dead body in hospital, Sayyid supplied Arab TV channels with most of the footage and live commentary from the Baba Amr neighborhood of Homs.

Will Iran strike first?

Quoting Western news agencies, Al-Hayat reports that Iran may launch a preemptive strike on Israel if it senses a looming attack on its nuclear facilities. The daily cites Iran’s deputy chief of staff who said that “if we became certain that the enemy has decided to attack us and place our national interests in danger, we will use all our capabilities in self defense and will act without awaiting his actions.”

Al-Quds Al-Arabi, which cites the same quote in its lead paragraph, chooses to focus on Israel in its headline: “Israel is angry at the American criticism of any possible attack on Iran’s nuclear facility.”

Meanwhile, Qatar-based news channel Al-Jazeera reports “frustration” among the IAEA delegation that has just ended a visit to Tehran. The team said that the two-day talks with Iran led to no progress, and their request to visit a military installation was denied by the Iranians.

Interestingly, the Egyptian Salafist “Nur” party announced Tuesday that it is cutting all ties with the Iranian regime for the latter’s support of Bashar Assad in Syria, and that it would not partake in celebrations marking the Islamic revolution in Iran, Egyptian establishment daily Al-Ahram reports. “Nur” is staunchly Sunni, and in its criticism it ties together Shiite actors in the region, including Iran, Hizbullah and Assad’s Alawite sect.

Al-Hayat columnist Randa Taqi A-Din mocks the Iranian decision to stop selling oil to France and Britain. In a Wednesday column titled “the maneuvers of the Iranian regime,” Taqi A-Din argues that the two countries had already halted their acquisition of Iranian crude last month.

“There are upcoming elections in Iran and the administration needs to show its muscles and prove to the domestic audience that it is strong and no one can threaten it,” she writes.

Tribal clashes erupt in Libya

Tribal clashes have caused the death of some 100 people in Libya, receiving wide coverage in Arab press.

Al-Hayat quotes Mustafa Abd Al-Jalil, head of the National Transitional  Council in Libya, as saying that the new Libyan leadership has “made mistakes,” but that tribes which assisted in ousting Gaddafi are now refusing to give up their arms.

The clashes took place in the southern desert city of Kafra, between two African tribes living in the area. The Libyan army is threatening to intervene if the violence does not stop.

Saudi Arabia nominates first ambassador to Iraq in 22 years

A front-page article in the Saudi-owned daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat has not made it to the other large newspapers. The kingdom has just nominated its first ambassador to neighboring Iraq since the First Gulf War, 22 years ago.

The Saudi ambassador to Jordan, Fahd Zaid, was named “non-resident ambassador to Iraq,” Tuesday, in a move that the Iraqi government is defining “a very positive development.” Iraqi government spokesman Ali Dabagh tells the Saudi daily that Zaid’s nomination is another step towards restoring full diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Saddam’s Iraq had launched Scud missiles at Saudi Arabia during the First Gulf War, as the United States used Saudi airbases as launching pads for strikes against Iraq.