MTV : A car bomb explosion south of Beirut- Update 3

MTV security sources : A car bomb explosion took place in the Dhahiya, a suburb south of Beirut . This area is a stronghold of Hezbollah .
New TV also reported about the explosion calling it “mysterious ” and said one person was injured

Update 1 :
There were are conflicting about how many people were injured
. The most recent report stated that at least 2 people were injured and another unconfirmed report stated that one may have been killed
. Initial investigation reports say the explosion was targeting a Hamas leader. Al Arabiyah reported that the car that exploded was parked in front of Abu Imad al Rifaai , a Hamas leader ”
.Lebanon Files reported that the explosion was caused by 3 interconnected bombs and placed underneath the car
.Lebanese officials says Hezbollah has sealed off the area of the explosion in the southern suburb of Haret Hreik , Dhahiya on Saturday, making it difficult to determine the cause of the explosion.
Update 2
Hamas has reportedly stated that Ali Baraka , who is one of the injured may have been the target of the explosion
Update 3

Al Arabiyah :Hezbollah elements were trying to dismantle the explosive devices in Haret Hreik when they exploded, killing two of them.
Hamas denied that that the explosion targeted Al baraka

Clashes escalate in Tehran between the Police and protesters

Clashes that erupted this morning between demonstrators and security forces in central Tehran escalated throughout the early evening, spreading from the south to the far north of the capital, as the peak of a 10-day religious holiday approaches.
Plainclothes security officials stormed a famous north Tehran compound, home to the family of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and barred former President Mohammad Khatami from giving a speech.
Afterward, clashes erupted between thousands of demonstrators and security forces in nearby Tajrish and Niavaran squares, according to reformist websites. Shots were fired into the air, witnesses said. LAT

Israeli military killed 6 Palestinians Saturday

The Israeli military killed six Palestinians on Saturday, three in the West Bank whom it accused of killing a Jewish settler and three in Gaza who it said were crawling along the border wall planning an attack. It was the deadliest day in the conflict in nearly a year.
Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian prime minister, called it “a sad day for Palestinians and their National Authority” and condemned the West Bank operation as an “assassination” and “an attempt to target the state of security and stability that the Palestinian Authority has been able to achieve.” NYT

Palestinians carried the body of Ghassan Abu Sharach in the West Bank City of Nablus on Saturday. Abu Sharach was one of 6 Palestinians that Israeli soldiers shot and killed in the West Bank and Gaza

SSNP announces the death of Dr. Anis Sayegh

MP Assaad Hardan, leader of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) announced the death of Dr. Anis Sayegh.

Egypt: Trial of Hezbollah cell postponed till Sunday

The trial of 22 men accused of plotting attacks and spying on Egypt on behalf of the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah was postponed in Egypt till Sunday at the request of the defense lawyers . The case has highlighted tensions between predominantly Sunni Egypt, Hezbollah and its patrons in Iran and Syria.
The charges against them include planning attacks against tourists and the Suez Canal, possessing explosives and passing information to a foreign organization. The defendants have so far denied the charges but they did confess that they helped Hamas

Lebanese harmed by Jumblatt’s visit to Syria are delaying his trip

Al-Hayat newspaper reported on Saturday that a well-informed source told it that Prime Minister Saad Hariri discussed with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Progressive Socialist Party MP Walid Jumblatt’s relationship with Damascus during the PM’s trip to Syria last week.
The source said that Hariri briefed Jumblatt on his talks with Assad last Sunday imnmediately after returning from Damascus and that what was discussed during the Jumblatt-Hariri meeting remains a secret.
“Some Lebanese, who are harmed by Jumblatt’s visit to Syria, aim to delay his trip,” the source said.
The Syrian media has been speculating about the Syrian demands including a condition that Jumblatt should publicly apologize to Syria and should visit his foe ,former President Emile Lahoud at his residence in Baabda . One such paper Al Akhbar proclaimed yesterday that the road to Damascus goes through Baabdat

Passenger ignites firecrackers on an Amsterdam-Detroit flight

A passenger headed to Detroit from Amsterdam on a Delta Airlines flight Friday ignited firecrackers upon landing in the Motor City, sending at least one person to the hospital.
An emergency was declared aboard the flight, operated as Northwest flight 253, according to a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson. Several people were hurt and one person was admitted to the University of Michigan Medical Center at Ann Arbor, hospital spokeswoman Tracy Justice said.
Justice declined to comment on the condition or gender of the patient. Source: foxnews.
Update1 :
The male passenger who ignited the firecrackers is possibly linked to terrorist organization Al Qaeda , Fox News confirmed. The man is believed to be Nigerian.
The suspect, who ABC reported suffered second-degree burns, told federal investigators he was connected to Al Qaeda, though authorities are questioning the veracity of that statement, Fox News confirmed.
Update 2: “This was not a firecracker,”
The male passenge tried to detonate an explosive device that was strapped to his leg and later told investigators that he was trying to blow up the plane and had affiliations with al Qaeda, according to a senior U.S. official.
The passenger was identified by authorities as Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian national, according to Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican who is the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee. The device was technologically advanced and potentially devastating, Mr. King said. “This was not a firecracker,” he said.

Update 3 :
The White House declared the incident “an attempted act of terrorism.”
In London, the Metropolitan Police said that officials were working with the American authorities to conduct searches on a number of apartments in central London, where the suspect, identified as Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, might have lived. He is believed to be an engineering student at University College London, one of Britain’s top universities.
The incident is likely to lead to heightened security in the US during the busy holiday season.

Update 4 :
The Nigerian government says it has launched its own investigation into the apparent attempt by a Nigerian man to ignite an explosive device aboard an international flight bound for Detroit.

Rahhal: Syria’s handling of pending issues will determine its intentions

Minister Rahhal : The way the Syrians will be dealing with the issues of demarcation of the borders , The Palestinian arms outside the camps and the Lebanese in Syrian jails will determine how serious is Syria about its improving its relationship with Lebanon

Lebanon JM: Hezbollah arms should be resolved diplomatically

Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar told Free Lebanon radio the issues of Iran’s nuclear program and Hezbollah’s arms should be solved through diplomatic means, rather than confrontation.”
Najjar added: Resolving these issues through confrontation could be catastrophic for Lebanon
Najjar commented on Christmas mass held yesterday in Bkirki, by saying that the Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun shook hands with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. However, “it is shameful for one man to shake hands with another without looking into his eyes, and then still say that there is no conflict between the two,” said Najjar in a reference to Aoun.
commenting on on the Phalange Party’s decision to appeal Article 6 of the Ministerial Statement pertaining to Hezbollah and its arms, he said , “ The appeal is a message and a reservation to be addressed on the legal level. However, does the Constitutional Council have the power to look into such matters?” “What is annoying is not that the appeal was proposed by the Phalange , but that certain parties condemned taking such a step,” Najjar added, without elaborating any further.

Nasrallah: We are not afraid of anyone & don’t need anyone

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah criticized in a speech Phalange party’s plan to challenge article 6 of the the cabinet policy statement before the Lebanese constitutional council saying it “won’t change a thing.”
“We are not afraid of anyone and we don’t need anyone ”
The article in question legitimizes Hezbollah arms according to the Phalange party which considers these arms illegal
Nasrallah also urged Lebanese politicians to “observe a one-year truce” to avoid new conflicts. Furthermore, he called for giving the unity government a chance to function.
“Let those who don’t want to tackle the people’s priorities resign from the cabinet,” Nasrallah said.
Hezbollah wants to regain occupied Lebanese territories and sovereignty for the sake of the people and their security and stability. Nasrallah concluded
According Wiam Wahab , a close ally of Syria and Hezbollah the arms of Hezbollah have a different objective