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Hariri Hails 'Made in Lebanon' Achievements

Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Wednesday boasted that his government made several “achievements” during its term.

“This government has made achievements that previous government had failed to make and this is due to the election of President (Michel) Aoun,” Hariri said during a cabinet session which could be his government's last.

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Ex-Mufti Qabbani Urges 'Jihad' in Support of Palestinians

A senior Sunni cleric in Lebanon has called on all Muslims to wage jihad, or holy war, in support of the Palestinians after the U.S. decision to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Mohammed Rashid Qabbani, the former top Sunni religious authority, or Grand Mufti, in Lebanon, also said it is not sanctioned religiously for the Palestinians or any Arab or Muslim country to "surrender, reconcile or make peace deals or give up any inch" of historic Palestine.

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Rights Group Says Palestinian Activist Detained in Lebanon

Lebanese authorities have detained a Palestinian human rights activist after he was summoned to a security agency in Beirut, an international rights group said Tuesday.

Human Rights Watch said Ghassan Abdallah, director of the Palestinian Human Rights Organization, or PHRO, was detained after being summoned to the General Security Directorate early Monday and was held incommunicado for more than 24 hours.

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Cabinet OKs Electricity-Related Items, to Hold Its Last Session Monday

The Council of Ministers on Wednesday approved some agenda items related to power generation as it decided to hold its last session Monday ahead of turning into a caretaker cabinet with the expiry of the term of the incumbent parliament.

It approved several items during its session at the Baabda Palace, including granting a license for the establishment of the Saint Georges University in Beirut, an item on generating electricity from wind turbines, and two items on seaside properties in Zouk and Chouf.

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Beirut Air Traffic Controllers Go on One-Hour Strike

Air traffic controllers at the Rafik Hariri International Airport held a one-hour strike on Wednesday demanding salary increases, the National News Agency reported.

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Report: Parties ‘Delay Differences’ ahead of Consultations

In the wake of Lebanon’s legislative elections that surprisingly created electoral alliances between conflicting political parties, various factions have reportedly started mending relations with their original allies in preparation for the upcoming stage of electing a Speaker and the formation of a new government.

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Syrian Ambassador: Syria Has No Enemies in Lebanon, Formal Coordination Solves Refugee Crisis

Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali stated that Syria “has no enemies in Lebanon,” pointing out that the Syrian refugees crisis can only be solved “through coordination between the two governments”, al-Akhbar daily reported on Wednesday.

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Geagea Meets Hariri at Center House

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea held talks Tuesday evening with Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the Center House in downtown Beirut.

A statement issued by Hariri's office said the meeting was also attended by Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury, Information Minister Melhem Riachi and ex-minister Bassem al-Sabaa.

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U.S. Slaps Sanctions on Hizbullah Official, Iran Central Bank Governor

The United States designated the head of Iran's central bank as a “terrorist” on Tuesday and barred anyone around the world from doing business with him, escalating financial pressure on Iran in the wake of President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal.

Al-Bilad Islamic Bank and its CEO and chairman, Aras Habib, were also hit with U.S. sanctions, as was Muhammad Qasir, who the Treasury said is a Hizbullah official who has been a "critical conduit" for transferring funds to Hizbullah from the Revolutionary Guards.

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PSP Slams Bassil's 'Incitement against Refugees' at Brussels Conference

The Progressive Socialist Party on Tuesday blasted Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil's remarks at an international conference that was held Monday in Brussels.

“When the Foreign Minister represents Lebanon at international conferences, he should speak on behalf of the entire Lebanese government and he should endorse the spirit of its Policy Statement and consensual policies, instead of raising existential questions that reflect the viewpoint of his political group and contradict with the general atmosphere that formed in Lebanon after the Taef Accord, which confirmed Lebanon's unity as a final homeland for all its sons,” the PSP said in a statement.

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