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Miqati Urges Officials to Adopt Balanced Rhetoric

Prime Minister Najib Miqati urged on Monday officials to cooperate in order to strengthen unity and save the country, the National News Agency reported.

“I call on all political leaderships to adopt a balanced rhetoric to lay the appropriate foundation for dialogue,” he said after meeting with Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani.

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Netanyahu: Israeli Soldiers Acted Properly in Border Clash

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Monday that the Israeli army had the right to defend itself during the border clash with Lebanon at Wazzani earlier on Monday, reported the Jerusalem Post.

He told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee: "The soldiers behaved like they were supposed to.”

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Jumblat to Show Further Disagreements with March 8 Forces over Syria

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat is expected to show more differences in his point of view from those of the March 8 forces, especially regarding the Syrian developments.

High-ranking opposition sources told An Nahar daily in remarks published on Monday that Jumblat’s stance in his weekly editorial in al-Anbaa newspaper should be observed.

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UNIFIL Confirms Border Incident, Says No Casualties

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) spokesman Neeraj Singh confirmed on Monday the clashes that occurred in the Wazzani area between the Israeli and Lebanese armies.

"We can confirm that at around 7:00 am this morning there was a brief exchange of fire between the Lebanese army and the Israeli army along the Blue Line in the general area of Wazzani," he said.

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Berri Determined to Hold Top Security Officials Accountable, Says Parliament Will Meet Weekly

Speaker Nabih Berri said on Monday that the parliament’s full agenda makes it imperative to hold a weekly session until it finishes studying the draft laws, As Safir newspaper reported.

“The parliament will hold a meeting every Wednesday,” he stressed.

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Suleiman to Resume Dialogue Consultations at Beiteddine on Tuesday

President Michel Suleiman is expected on Tuesday to continue his consultations with top Lebanese officials to hear their viewpoints on his invitation for the national dialogue.

Suleiman moves to his summer residence in Beiteddine on Tuesday where he would hold talks with the officials on the all-party talks which he insists to hold to resolve the differences between the March 8 and 14 forces.

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Army: Israeli, Lebanese Troops Exchange Fire in Wazzani Area

The Lebanese and Israeli armies exchanged fire in the area of Mountazahat in Wazzani on Monday morning after a Jewish state patrol crossed the U.N.-drawn Blue Line, the Lebanese military said.

Both sides reported no casualties but each blamed the other for the clash.

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Suleiman on Army Day: Dialogue Aimed at Avoiding Future Conflicts

Lebanon celebrated Army Day on Monday as President Michel Suleiman stressed on the importance of national dialogue and the adoption of an electoral law based on proportional representation.

The Army Day celebration took place at the Shukri Ghanem barracks in Fayyadiyeh and was attended by Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Miqati and other high ranking officials led by Army Commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji.

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Hariri Condemns Hama 'Slaughter': We Cannot Remain Silent

Former premier Saad Hariri condemned Sunday “the slaughter the Syrian city of Hama is being subjected to and all the bloody acts of killing in Homs, Idlib, Deir Ezzor, Daraa and several other cities and regions on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan.”

“These bloody incidents definitely contradict with all the intentions that want sisterly Syria and its defiant people to overcome the current crisis,” Hariri said in a statement.

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Geagea: Hizbullah Not Even Willing to Let Allies Take Part in Strategic Decisions

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Sunday accused the Hizbullah-led camp of “practicing hegemony over the State’s strategic decisions,” noting that “Hizbullah is not even willing to let its allies take part in these decisions.”

On the second day of his visit to Zahle and the Central Bekaa region, Geagea added: “Why would we engage in (national) dialogue if the other camp is insisting on its point of view regarding the issue of the strategic decisions.”

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