Lebanon
Latest stories
Lebanese Charges against Gadhafi to be Dropped in Wake of his Death

The death of former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has ended the possibility of persecuting him in Lebanon over his alleged role in the disappearance of Imam Moussa al-Sadr, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Saturday.

Lebanese judicial sources told the daily that Lebanon’s judicial council will follow up on the matter through the necessary diplomatic means and concerned ministries in order to eventually drop the case against Gadhafi.

W140 Full Story
Geagea: We Must Keep Door Open for Hizbullah to Return to Dialogue

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stated that the Lebanese opposition is nearing its goals, criticizing sides that believe that opposition means occupying downtown Beirut, blocking roads, and stirring unrest.

He told Abu Dhabi’s al-Ittihad newspaper: “The real opposition is what we are doing today through following up on the government’s work and issuing positions on all that is being proposed in Lebanon.”

W140 Full Story
Lebanese Army Bolsters Presence along Border with Syria

The Lebanese army has bolstered its presence along the Lebanese-Syrian border in light of recent Syrian army incursions into the country, reported the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat on Saturday.

Field sources told the daily that the army has also intensified its patrols in those areas.

Full Story
Promotions from Colonel to Brig-Gen. Halted over Hassan’s Failure to be Promoted

President Michel Suleiman has halted the decision to promote officers in all security institutions because of the objection over the promotion of the head of the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau Wissam al-Hassan, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.

Prominent March 14 sources told the daily that Suleiman froze the promotions at the behest of Hizbullah and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun over their opposition to Hassan’s promotion.

W140 Full Story
Tarshish Residents Prevent Hizbullah from Expanding its Telecom. Network in Town

The residents of the town of Tarshish in the Zahleh region prevented on Friday members of Hizbullah from expanding the party’s telecommunications network in the area, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.

It explained that party members sought to expand the network as a team from the Telecommunications Ministry was installing fiber optic cables to improve internet services.

W140 Full Story
Hizbullah Congratulates Libya on Overthrowing 'Tyranny'

Hizbullah on Friday congratulated Libyan revolutionaries on the capture and death of Moammar Gadhafi a day earlier on the outskirts of his hometown Sirte.

"Hizbullah congratulates the people of Libya on turning the page on more than four decades of tyrannical rule," read a statement released by the group.

W140 Full Story
Al-Rahi Fears Possible Syria Civil War, Displacement of Christians

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Friday voiced concerns over a possible Sunni-Alawite civil war in Syria that “might lead to displacing the Christians from the region, like in Iraq.”

At a press conference ahead of talks with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon in New York, al-Rahi added: “We are not with the ruling regimes, we are with the reforms that are essential for the Arab peoples, but we are also with the democratic life.”

W140 Full Story
Raad from Russia: Resistance is Not Deluded in Believing it Can Rule a Country by Itself

The head of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Mohammed Raad stated on Friday that the Resistance is keen on finding solutions to disputes in Lebanon through national dialogue, which it believes is the only way to end the current political divide in the country.

He said during a seminar from Moscow: “The Resistance is not deluded in believing that it can singlehandedly rule a country, even if it was in a position of power.”

W140 Full Story
Khoury Meets Miqati, Mansour: Syria Has Not Violated Lebanese Territory

The Secretary General of the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council Nasri Khoury stressed on Friday the daily coordination between the Lebanese and Syrian armies, adding that they hold field meetings on a weekly basis to this end.

He said after holding talks with Prime Minister Najib Miqati: “The Syrian army did not infiltrate Lebanese territory as it had been claimed and the Lebanese army can vouch for this as it is responsible for controlling the situation on the border.”

W140 Full Story
Aoun Snaps Back at Critics, Defends his Ministers

Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun stressed on Friday that the cabinet is not one-sided but it contains parties that have different priorities.

Aoun lashed out at his critics who said that his ministers are moody, in a press conference before heading a meeting for the FPM bloc in Mar Elias Monastery in Baabda.

W140 Full Story