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Jumblat Accuses General Security Chief of Yielding to Syrian Regime over Deportations

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat accused on Thursday General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim of utterly following the Syrian regime’s orders by deporting 14 Syrians.

“It would be useful to remind (Ibrahim) that Syria and during the stability period in the country didn’t have any true concept of independent judicial system, like all the other dictatorial regimes,” Jumblat said in a statement.

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Teachers to Resume Correction of Official Exams

The Syndicate Coordination Committee announced on Thursday the resumption of the official exams correction for grades 12 and 9 after a series of negotiation with the cabinet.

The SCC said that teachers are expected to start issuing the results starting Saturday.

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Report: Experts Predict 200 Israeli Fatalities in War with Hizbullah, Iran

The Israeli Defense Ministry estimated that if the country engaged in a war with Hizbullah and Iran some 200 Israeli civilians would die.

According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the number of fatalities could rise to 300 if Syria joins the war as well.

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Traffic Back to Normal in Sidon as Saad Claims Victory over Asir

Traffic that was halted for 35 days at the northern entrance of the southern city of Sidon resumed on Thursday after Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir’s supporters removed their sit-in tents.

LBC TV said that some personal belongings were still being removed from the streets.

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Syrian Shells Hit Deep Inside Lebanese Territory in Akkar, 2 Injured

Syrian shells hit at dawn Thursday an area in the northern district of Akkar that lies six kilometers away from the Lebanese-Syrian border, injuring two people, the National News Agency reported.

NNA said this was the first time that shells hit an area relatively far from Lebanon’s northern border.

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Miqati Optimistic on Settling Prolonged Crises

Prime Minister Najib Miqati expressed relief on Thursday on the success of the authorities in resolving several crises gripping Lebanon, in particular the demands of the Syndicate Coordination Committee and Electricite du Liban’s contract workers.

“The recent crises seemed they were undermining the state’s authority, but I had as a premier to choose between resolving them by using force or calmly,” Miqati told An Nahar newspaper.

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Berri Reveals EU Warning not to Reject Lebanese ‘Federation’

The president of a European country has advised Lebanese political parties from across the political spectrum not to object the division of Lebanon into a Switzerland-like federation, Speaker Nabih Berri revealed on Thursday.

Berri told al-Akhbar daily in an interview that he has received unconfirmed information about the head of state’s advice that was made around 15 days ago.

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Lebanon Deports Syrians, Drawing Human Rights Watch Criticism

Lebanon deported 14 Syrians on Wednesday despite the raging violence over the border, drawing criticism from human rights activists.

The Lebanese authorities said the reasons for the expulsions were not political but a Human Rights Watch representative in Beirut said some of the deportees had expressed fears of persecution on their return.

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Asir Agrees to End Sit-in after Reaching Agreement with Charbel

Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir, the imam of Sidon’s Bilal bin Rabah Mosque, on Wednesday agreed to end a sit-in protesting Hizbullah’s arms that lasted for more than a month after reaching an agreement with Interior Minister Marwan Charbel.

“Reopening the road in Sidon is a gift on the occasion of Army Day,” Charbel said at the site of the sit-in in Sidon.

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Nasrallah Urges 'Liberation Strategy alongside Defense Strategy', Slams March 14's 'Blackmail'

Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday called on the national dialogue committee to agree on a “liberation strategy” as well as on a defense strategy, accusing the rival March 14 camp of “blackmail.”

Recalling recent remarks by MP Mohammed Raad, head of Hizbullah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc, Nasrallah said “remarks about a liberation strategy are not new.”

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