Suicide Attack Hits Cafe in Northern Lebanon

An attack on a cafe in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli killed up to nine people and wounded over 30 others. Two blasts were reported, at least one of which was from a suicide bomber. Some reports say a grenade was thrown into the cafe, while others say there was a twin suicide attack. It was the first major attack in Lebanon in months, hitting the mainly Alawite neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen. Al-Nusra Front claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said was carried out in “revenge for the Sunnis in Syria and Lebanon.” However, Lebanese Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk said that a preliminary investigation suggested the Islamic State group was behind the attack. On Monday, Lebanese police raided Roumieh prison, which reportedly holds high profile Islamist militants, searching for detainees suspected of involvement in Saturday’s attack.

Iraq

A surprise attack by Islamic State militants killed at least 24 members of the Kurdish security forces Saturday near the northern Iraqi town of Gwer, about 25 miles southwest of the Kurdish capital of Irbil. Kurdish officers reported continued clashes with Islamic State militants on Sunday. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Sunday that Iraq may need three years to rebuild and restructure its military. Additionally, Abadi criticized the U.S.-led coalition for being “very slow in its support and training” of the Iraqi army. He noted that support has sped up in the last two weeks, but called for “further acceleration” in assistance.

Headlines

• An Egyptian court has acquitted 26 men arrested in a December raid at a Cairo bathhouse charged with “inciting debauchery.”
• Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Hayat Boumeddiene, the suspected female accomplice in the Paris attacks, was in Turkey on Jan. 2 and traveled to Syria on Jan. 8.
• Libya’s rival factions have agreed to a new round of negotiations next week in Geneva, which aim to halt fighting and address forming a unity government and drafting a new constitution.
• U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif are set to meet in Geneva Wednesday to work to find ways to speed up nuclear talks.

Arguments and Analysis

‘Syria in 2015: Political Stalemate Again, or Compromise?’ (Yezid Sayigh, Carnegie Middle East Center)

“2015 has started with three new proposals to resolve the Syrian conflict. UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura continues to put flesh on his ‘Aleppo freeze’ proposal, which the U.S. and European Union have endorsed, through consultation with various Syrian parties—including the regime, principal political opposition, and rebel groups—and with concerned external actors. Russia will host formal talks, dubbed ‘Moscow-1,’ between the Assad regime and a broad opposition delegation at the end of January. And as the international Arabic daily al-Hayat recently revealed, several of the most important opposition coalitions have agreed a joint blueprint for transition in Syria, based on a diplomatic framework involving all key external actors, notably including Iran, which the opposition had previously insisted on excluding because of what is seen as its direct military role in support of the Assad regime.”

‘Palestine and the ICC’ (MERIP)

“At the close of 2014, Mahmoud ‘Abbas, head of the Ramallah wing of the Palestinian Authority (PA), announced that he would sign the Rome Statute, the 2002 treaty establishing the International Criminal Court based in The Hague. This move opens the possibility that the Palestinians could ask the Court to investigate Israeli military operations and/or occupation practices as violations of international law. ‘Abbas accepted Court jurisdiction retroactive to June 13, 2014, when Israel began the raids that developed into Operation Protective Edge, the seven-week bombardment and invasion of Gaza. The meaning and efficacy of the PA’s maneuver are subjects of considerable debate. We asked five legal scholars and Palestine watchers for their views on the matter.”

‘Gulf state pursue unique approaches to falling oil prices’ (Scott Weiner, The Washington Post)

“As oil prices dip below $50 dollars per barrel, media outlets from Bloomberg to The Economist to Foreign Affairs have analyzed the effects of this price drop on ‘The Arab Gulf’ as a region. While faced with resource allocation problems common to rentier countries, Gulf countries have each in fact pursued a number of different strategies in response. Certain commonalities exist across Gulf countries, but it would be a mistake to think of them as identical. Despite these differences, many articles on the recent decline in oil prices understate or largely ignore this variation. They treat the Gulf as a monolithic region without regard to variation in governance, economy and national outlook, drawing sweeping conclusions. An examination of Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain reveals the extent of differences in sub-regional approaches to the situation, and offers policymakers a better basis for assessing U.S. interests in the region.”

— Mary Casey-Baker

IBRAHIM CHALHOUB/AFP/Getty Images