Spotlight
Mustaqbal bloc MP Ammar Houri stated on Thursday that the AMAL ministers' withdrawal from Cabinet on Wednesday would not have an effect on the situation in government.
He told Voice of Lebanon radio that any talk of a governmental change during this current phase would lead the country to the unknown and cause more concern.
Full StoryThe majority March 14 coalition stressed on Wednesday that the Lebanese were fed up with "daily Hizbullah threats and militia-style practices."
It said after the weekly meeting of its general-secretariat that the practices "will not intimidate the Lebanese or dissuade them from committing to the accomplishments of the independence intifada and its gains."
Full StoryLebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea criticized on Wednesday Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, saying: "I did not expect you to reach such a low level and for you to call on your allies to militarily attack your Christian opponents."
"I did not expect you to make up so many lies … Tell me General, do the LF or your allies posses weapons? Are the LF or you calling on the people to civil disobedience against the legitimate legal and security authorities?" he said.
Full StorySaudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Assiri stressed on Tuesday that a solution to the crisis in Lebanon lies on the country's internal scene, adding that the Kingdom is keen on ensuring Lebanon's stability.
He made his statements after meeting with House Speaker Nabih Berri.
Full StoryParliament Speaker Nabih Berri said the "unjustified sluggish" dealing with the false witnesses issue has led Syria to issue arrest warrants against 33 people, including Lebanese and Arabs, over the 2005 probe into ex-PM Rafik Hariri's assassination.
He said Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar was tasked Aug.1 8 to study the false witnesses case and present a report on an appropriate mechanism to follow up on this issue.
Full StoryFrance has postponed for the second time reenactment of the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, LBC reported.
The reenactment was set to take place at a military base in Captieux, in the Gironde region, southwest France Oct. 5-6.
Full StoryThe Syrian military judiciary on Tuesday summoned the four Lebanese generals -- who served four years in prison on suspicion of involvement in the murder of ex-PM Rafik Hariri – for hearing as witnesses in the case against "the two false witnesses" Mohammed Zuheir Siddiq and Fares Khashan.
The Four Generals are Jamil Sayyed, Ali al-Hajj, Raymond Azar and Mustafa Hamdan who respectively headed the General Security Department, the Internal Security Forces, Military Intelligence and the Presidential Guards Brigade.
Full StoryU.N. Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Patricia O'Brien filed a request with Judge Antonio Cassese, President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, asking him to refrain from granting Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed access to investigation documents.
O'Brien based her request on "the inviolability of the archives and documents of the United Nations."
Full StoryLebanese Forces MP Antoine Zahra warned on Wednesday of a possible plan to assassinate Prime Minister Saad Hariri, former PM Fouad Saniora, and LF leader Samir Geagea,
He told LBC: "The current information available indicates that those planning an assassination will not hesitate to execute their plan when the circumstances are appropriate."
Full StoryFree Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday noted that "Christian areas would be spared" the violence of a potential civil strife in the country if Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea avoided resorting to weapons.
After the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc, Aoun said that Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed, former head of General Security Department, filed his lawsuit with the Syrian judiciary "as a result of the judicial vacuum in Lebanon."
Full Story