Lebanon
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Syria forces accuse Hezbollah of attacks, sponsoring smuggling at border

Hezbollah has launched attacks on Syrian security forces and is sponsoring cross-border smuggling gangs, the new Syrian authorities said on Monday, according to state media.

Syrian forces clashed with smuggling gangs this week, most of whom were affiliated with Hezbollah, but did not target Lebanese territory, Lieutenant Colonel Moayed al-Salama said in a statement carried by official news agency SANA.

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UNIFIL congratulates Lebanon on govt. formation

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has congratulated Lebanon on the formation of a new Government, saying that peacekeepers will actively support the Salam Government in its efforts to fully implement resolution 1701, including through strong partnership with the Lebanese Army and other security institutions.

"UNIFIL and our peacekeepers from 48 countries reaffirm our support for the Lebanese Armed Forces in their re-deployment in southern Lebanon, as well as for Government institutions in their efforts to extend State authority and help people return to their villages to start rebuilding. We remain committed to supporting stability that will bring a return to normalcy for people living on both sides of the Blue Line," UNIFIL said in a statement Monday.

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UN chief welcomes formation of new Lebanon government

U.N. chief Antonio Guterres has welcomed the formation of a new government in Lebanon, affirming the international body's commitment to the country's "territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence," a spokesman said.

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Opening statements set in trial of Lebanese-American who stabbed Rushdie

Lawyers are scheduled to deliver opening statements Monday at the trial of the Lebanese-American man charged with trying to fatally stab author Salman Rushdie in front of a lecture audience in western New York.

Rushdie, 77, is expected to testify during the trial of Hadi Matar, bringing the writer face-to-face with his knife-wielding attacker for the first time in more than two years.

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Israeli airstrikes target areas in Nabatieh region and Bekaa

The Israeli military said it carried out an air strike on Sunday targeting a tunnel on the border between Syria and Lebanon allegedly used by Hezbollah to smuggle weapons.

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Who are some of Lebanon's new ministers?

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam formed a government on Saturday after weeks of tough political deliberations over its 24 ministers, ending more than two and a half years of caretaker leadership.

Salam has vowed not to name members of political parties, which often follow sectarian lines and have long been accused of corruption.

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6 killed in Israeli drone strike in Lebanon near eastern border with Syria

Six people were killed and two injured in Lebanon on Saturday in an Israeli drone strike in the area of Janata near the eastern border with Syria, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it struck “Hezbollah operatives” who “were operating in a strategic weapons manufacturing and storage site” belonging to the militant group.

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Army says began responding to gunfire from Syria at Aoun's orders

The Lebanese Army said it had responded to incoming fire from across the Syrian border on Saturday, two days after the new authorities in Damascus said they had launched operations against smugglers in the area.

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EU urges 'reform-oriented agenda' from Lebanon's new govt.

EU High Representative Kaja Kallas on Saturday warmly congratulated Lebanon on the formation of a new government, wishing Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and the entire government "full success in delivering on the aspirations of the Lebanese people."

"I extend my congratulations in particular to Youssef Rajji for his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, and look forward to engaging with him," she added.

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Who are the ministers of the new government?

Below are the names of the new government’s ministers as announced by Council of Ministers Secretary-General Mahmoud Makkiyeh:

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