Lebanon
Latest stories
Mustaqbal: Mansour’s Visit to Syria Reminiscent of Days of Hateful Syrian Hegemony

The Mustaqbal bloc criticized on Tuesday Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour’s trip to Syria on Sunday, saying that it is reminiscent of the “hateful” days of Syria’s hegemony over Lebanon.

It also praised in a statement after its weekly meeting: “Parliament’s approval of a law on its maritime borders, which will help facilitate and speed up the steps needed to pave the way for drilling for oil in the Mediterranean Sea.”

W140 Full Story
Aoun: Armed Groups Committing Terrorism in Syria, Not the State

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun demanded on Tuesday the Syrian people to return to their senses, calling on them “resort to the ballot boxes instead of resorting to murder and massacres” in dealing with its internal affairs.

He said after the Change and Reform bloc’s weekly meeting: “The terrorism is being committed by the (armed) organizations and not the state as they are saying.”

W140 Full Story
European Missions in Beirut Take Precautionary Measures over Possible Syria Deterioration

Lebanon has been witnessing a notable diplomatic activity concerning the situation of European nationals in Syria, with a number of embassies in Lebanon taking precautionary measures to confront any dramatic development in the Syrian arena which might require the evacuation of foreigners from Syria into Lebanon, the Central News Agency reported Tuesday.

European diplomats have asked Lebanon to facilitate the entry of Europeans through the Lebanese-Syrian land border crossings and their departure from the Beirut Rafik Hariri International Airport to their countries, well-informed sources told the news agency.

W140 Full Story
Mastermind behind al-Lino’s Assassination Succeeds Awad as Fatah al-Islam Leader

Fatah al-Islam has appointed Usama al-Shahabi as the new leader of the group after the death of its former leader Abdul Rahman Awad who was killed in an army ambush in Shtoura in 2010, revealed a Fatah source to the Central News Agency on Tuesday.

Confessions of two Fatah al-Islam members revealed that al-Shahabi was the mastermind of the failed assassination attempt against Fatah's Lebanon commander Mahmoud Issa, alias "Al-Lino", added the source.

W140 Full Story
France Caught between Keeping and Withdrawing Troops from UNIFIL

A debate has erupted in France between sides supporting the withdrawal of French troops from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and others who advocate maintaining them.

Diplomatic sources told the Central News Agency on Tuesday that the former are questioning the purpose of retaining the troops in light of the repeated attacks against it by terrorist groups whose identity and goals remain unknown.

W140 Full Story
Lebanon Informs STL of its Failure to Detain Any of the Four Suspects

The Lebanese authorities have reported to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on the measures that they have taken to search for, arrest, and transfer those accused in the February 14, 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, said the STL press office in a statement.

Lebanese Prosecutor General Saeed Mirza submitted his report Tuesday, it added.

W140 Full Story
Report: Israel Air Force Deploys Drones to Protect Gas Fields from Hizbullah

The Israeli air force has begun using unmanned aircraft to conduct surveillance and reconnaissance missions over Israeli gas fields in the Mediterranean Sea out of fear that they will be targeted by Hizbullah, The Jerusalem Post reported on Tuesday.

The Israeli daily said the decision to deploy the drones came after the Shiite party warned Israel that it would protect Lebanon’s maritime sovereignty.

W140 Full Story
Miqati: Regional Developments Must Force us to Fortify Lebanese Internal Scene

Pirme Minister Najib Miqati stressed on Tuesday that the critical developments in the region should force the Lebanese to fortify the internal scene against any dangers that might spread into the country

He asked during a Ramadan iftar: “How can Lebanon benefit from getting involved in the regional developments?”

W140 Full Story
Jumblat Pessimistic over Developments in Syria

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat expressed pessimism over developments in Syria, saying that the international evaluation of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s alleged reforms isn’t very optimistic.

High-ranking sources quoted Jumblat as saying: “I fear for Syria as a whole.”

W140 Full Story
Report: Syria Hasn’t Sent Arrest Warrants Against 33 Figures in Hariri Probe

Informed sources have denied that Syria has sent to Lebanon for the second time arrest warrants against 33 Lebanese personalities in the lawsuit filed by former head of Lebanon’s General Security Department Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed.

The sources told al-Mustaqbal daily published Tuesday that Syria only sent a detailed document on the identities of the 33 figures. They include judges, security officers, politicians, journalists and other Lebanese, Arab and foreign officials and individuals.

W140 Full Story