Hizbullah's top lawmaker called Monday for “rescuing” the northeastern border town of Arsal from what he called “the threat of takfiri terrorists.”

France on Monday condemned what it called the “acts of violence” that targeted the Beirut offices of the Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, after they were stormed by protesters on Friday.

Hizbullah fighters launched an attack against an Islamic State position in the outskirts of Ras Baalbek, killing and wounding several, al-Manar TV reported on Monday.
The attack was launched against a position in the al-Zwaytini where Hizbullah was able to destroy the militants' fortifications.

Head of the Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun said on Monday that the way in which the international community and the United Nations are addressing the Syrian refugees issue in Lebanon “is dubious” and raises fears of hidden intentions to naturalize them.
“The international community and the United Nations are addressing the issue of displaced Syrians in a dubious and suspicious manner. It makes us believe that there are intentions to impose naturalization on us as a fait accompli,” Aoun told As Safir daily.

Imagine living near a trash dump so putrid that you would rather move to war-torn Syria.
That's what Fayyad Ayyash, his wife Riham and their four young daughters plan to do next week, leaving behind their home in Lebanon for neighboring Syria.

A summit of Christian religious leaders was held at the seat of the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkirki on Monday to emphasize the need to elect a president and reject extremism.
The gatherers announced after the meeting their rejection of “extremist religious speeches that are employed to achieve bloody goals.”

Prime Minister Tammam Salam expressed his exasperation with the ongoing debate on alleged plans to naturalize refugees in Lebanon, saying that the claims are “baseless,” reported As Safir newspaper on Monday.
“The possibility of naturalization is an illusion,” he added.

Speaker Nabih Berri rejected claims that there are plans to naturalize refugees in Lebanon, saying that these concerns have been “exaggerated”, reported As Safir newspaper on Monday.
He told the daily that there are no factors on the ground that indicate that refugees will be naturalized, adding that this issue is being exploited for presidential elections purposes.

Head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri concluded on Friday a trip to Russia where he held talks with President Vladimir Putin before traveling to the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Monday.
Mustaqbal sources told the daily that the Russian leader informed the MP of his country's “readiness to support Lebanon on the military and security levels,” especially given the confrontation with terrorists.

A Hizbullah tip-off helped the Internal Security Forces dismantle the country's largest known sex trafficking ring, media reports said on Sunday.
