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Lebanon Set to Restore Disputed EEZ with Israel

Prime Minister Najib Miqati, who is scheduled to represent Lebanon at the United Nations General Assembly meetings in September, will reportedly discuss Lebanon’s Exclusive Economic Zone with international officials.

According to An Nahar newspaper published on Friday, Miqati will head to New York in the second half of September and is expected to tackle with U.N. leaders the dispute between Lebanon and Israel over a zone that consists of about 854 square kilometers and suspected energy reserves there that could generate billions of dollars.

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Jumblat Says March 8 to Increase 'Valium' Intake over Feltman-Khamenei Meeting

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat mocked March 8 majority leaders for needing anti-depressant pills after U.N. Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman met with Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“What was the impact of Sayyed Khamenei’s meeting of Feltman on some March 8 members?” Jumblat wondered in remarks published in An Nahar daily on Friday.

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Judicial Police Patrol Ambushed in Baalbek, Sergeant Killed

Gunmen killed a Sergeant from the judicial police overnight Thursday and wounded two others following an ambush that targeted their patrol in Baalbek.

Internal Security Forces general directorate issued a communique saying: “After the patrol detained two suspects, it was ambushed in al-Sharawneh neighborhood (in Baalbek) by gunmen who killed head of the patrol Sergeant Ali Nasrallah and wounded two others.”

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U.N. Warns against Attempts to Destabilize Lebanon as it Extends UNIFIL Mandate

The U.N. Security Council on Thursday warned against attempts to destabilize Lebanon as it renewed the mandate of the U.N. peacekeeping force in the country for another year.

The renewal of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon came amid mounting concerns about the impact of the 17-month-old war in Syria on its neighbor.

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Khamenei Meets Suleiman, Says Foreign Powers Exporting Region Problems to Lebanon

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday warned during talks with President Michel Suleiman in Tehran that “some foreigners are trying to export some of the problems in the region to Lebanon,” noting that such attempts can be foiled by “depending on the Resistance.”

“Some foreigners are trying to export some of the problems in the region to Lebanon, but the Lebanese groups and sects can foil such attempts by depending on the Resistance,” Iran’s news agency IRNA quoted Khamenei as telling Suleiman during a meeting on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit hosted by Tehran.

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Syrian Ambassador on Calls for his Expulsion: They are Meaningless Demands

Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali hoped on Thursday that all Lebanese factions would resort to internal dialogue for the sake of their country and Lebanese-Syrian ties.

He said of calls for his expulsion: “Such desires are meaningless.”

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Qahwaji Vows Not to Stand Idle to Attacks on Army

Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji issued a stern warning against critics on Thursday, saying the military institution would no longer stand idle to attacks against it.

In a speech during a ceremony in honor of retired officers, Qahwaji said the army will not allow any political party to extort it and “from now on will not remain silent to verbal or actual attacks against it.”

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Al-Rahi: Hidden Forces Meddling with Lebanon’s Affairs

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi warned on Thursday that the situation in Lebanon may be leading the country towards a “major collapse.”

He said during a visit to the Koura town of Rishdibbin: “Hidden forces are meddling with Lebanon’s affairs resulting in its political, economic, and social problems.”

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Samaha Moved to Rihaniyeh Military Prison over 'Security Reasons'

Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr decided on Thursday to transfer ex-Minister Michel Samaha, who was detained on suspicion of plotting terrorist attacks in Lebanon, to al-Rihaniyeh military prison in Baabda.

According to the National News Agency, Samaha was moved from his previous detention center in the military tribunal in Beirut's Mathaf area to al-Rihaniyeh for “security reasons.”

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Oil Exploration Delayed over FPM, AMAL Disputes

Sharp debates emerged between the Free Patriotic Movement and AMAL over oil exploration off Lebanon’s shore, local newspapers reported on Thursday.

The different points of view over addressing the issue created a heated debate in the cabinet session held at the Grand Serail on Wednesday, which prompted the postponement of discussions to the session scheduled to convene on September 5, according to Speaker Nabih Berri's advisor Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil.

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