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Hochstein holds 'good' talks with Berri

U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein’s held a “good” meeting Tuesday with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, parliamentary sources informed on the talks said.

“This is reflected in the course that the Americans are taking and the efforts that they are exerting to prevent an expansion of the conflict,” the sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper in remarks published Wednesday.

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G7 calls on Iran to stop supporting Hezbollah and Hamas

G7 foreign ministers called Wednesday on Iran to refrain from providing support for Hamas and Hezbollah, and to use its influence to de-escalate regional tensions.

"We call on Iran to refrain from providing support for Hamas and taking further actions that destabilize the Middle East, including support for Lebanese Hezbollah and other non-state actors, and to use its influence with those groups to de-escalate regional tensions," the ministers said in a joint statement after talks in Japan.

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Gallant says Israel doesn't have any intention to fight a war against Hezbollah

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced Tuesday that Israel does not have "any intention to fight a war against Hezbollah."

He however warned that if Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah "commits a mistake" he will be "destroying Lebanon."

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How Hezbollah became a critical player in the Israel-Hamas war

When Hezbollah announced last week that its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah would deliver his first public speech since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, much of the region held its breath.

Would Iranian-backed Hezbollah, the Arab world's most powerful paramilitary force, continue its limited exchanges of fire with Israel or throw itself wholeheartedly into the war? In Lebanon, streets emptied as people sat glued to their screens to watch, ready to parse his words along with decision-makers in Israel and across the Mideast.

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Hezbollah fires rockets at Golan in response to Iqlim al-Tuffah strike

Hezbollah said Tuesday that it fired rockets at Israel's artillery positions in the occupied Golan Heights in response to an overnight Israeli strike on a Hezbollah post on the outskirts of the town of Aramta in the Iqlim al-Tuffah region.

Aramta lies about 20 kilometers north of the border and is a Hezbollah stronghold. The strike was one of the deepest inside Lebanon since the fighting along the border erupted on October 8.

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Al-Mayadeen reporter files complaint against Israeli journalist who 'intimidated' her

A journalist with Lebanese Al-Mayadeen television channel has filed a police complaint against an Israeli journalist who she alleged had "intimidated" her.

Hana Mohamed said Israeli journalist Haim Etgar confronted her at a post office after allegedly impersonating a postal employee and "threatening" her.

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Contacts intensify with Lebanon in bid to contain border tensions

Western and non-Arab nations intensified their contacts over the past hours with Lebanese officials in a bid to contain the tensions on the southern front with Israel and avoid descent into a bigger confrontation, media reports said.

“These contacts expressed desire to preserve security and stability in Lebanon, especially on the southern front, and carried a renewed U.S. assurance that Israel does not intend to engage in a confrontation with Hezbollah in Lebanon,” al-Joumhouria newspaper reported.

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Report: US not opposed to appointment of army chief of staff

The appointment of a new army chief of staff has become the most likely choice to avoid vacuum in the army command after the expiry of the term of Army Commander General Joseph Aoun on December 10, a media report said.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea has not insisted on extending Aoun’s term although she has considered his departure to be a great loss, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Tuesday.

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Hochstein visits Beirut, calls for 'restoring calm' on southern border

U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein on Tuesday said "restoring calm on the southern border" of Lebanon with Israel is "of utmost importance to the United States."

"It should be the highest priority for both Lebanon and Israel," Hochstein urged after meeting Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh after he arrived in Lebanon on a surprise visit.

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Israel discusses 'mechanism' to avoid war on Lebanon front

The Israeli war cabinet has discussed a mechanism for avoiding being dragged into wars on other fronts, specifically with Lebanon, Al-Jazeera television reported.

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