Lebanon
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MP urges state to step in, protect Lebanon, without Hezbollah's help

As Israel kept violating a U.S.-French brokered ceasefire, weeks after it was reached, Hezbollah accused it of taking advantage of a 60-days time limit, describing the Lebanese state's efforts to stop Israel's violations as unsuccessful.

As part of the ceasefire deal, Israeli troops have 60 days to withdraw from Lebanon, while Hezbollah will have to pull its heavy weapons away from the border area to north of the Litani river.

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Raad stresses Syrian people's 'right to self-determination'

The head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, MP Mohammad Raad, has noted that the regime change in Syria was not spontaneous, but rather the product of a "program prepared by regional and international forces whose interests intersected over changing the authority in Syria."

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Geagea to seek presidential consensus, says al- Khazen

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea will work on securing consensus over a new president, MP Farid al-Khazen said after meeting him on Monday.

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Christmas joy 'doubled' for Geagea as he celebrates Assad fall

For Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, the joy of Christmas this year is doubled as he celebrates the ouster of Syrian President and Hezbollah ally Bashar al-Assad.

Geagea appeared Sunday night on a screen in a LF-organized event in Canada. He called on Lebanese expats to return, promising that a U.S.-French brokered ceasefire in Lebanon and the fall of al-Assad are a real chance to rebuild Lebanon.

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Berri, Jumblat optimistic Jan. 9 session will produce president

Speaker and Amal leader Nabih Berri reassured Monday that "the atmosphere is good" regarding the presidential file.

"God willing, there will be a president in the January 9 session," he added.

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Israeli drone strikes valley in Sidon district

An Israeli drone on Monday raided a valley on the outskirts of the Sidon district town of al-Najjariyeh, wounding three people, the National News Agency and the Health Ministry said.

Israel has carried out at least three airstrikes in the Sidon district since the ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect on November 27.

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Mikati calls on Syrians to return home

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has called for Syrians who sought refuge in his country to return home following the fall of Syria's longtime leader, Bashar al-Assad.

"The consequences of the Syrian war made Lebanon home to the largest number of refugees per capita, with one-third of our population comprising of Syrian refugees", Mikati said Saturday at a Rome political festival.

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One person killed in Israeli strike on al-Khardali

Lebanon’s health ministry said an Israeli drone strike in the south killed one person on Saturday, the latest deadly raid despite a more than two-week ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

"An Israeli enemy drone strike... killed one person" in al-Khardali in the Marjayoun district, the health ministry said in a statement. The official National News Agency reported a car was targeted.

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Hezbollah's Qassem warns new Syria rulers against Israel ties

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Saturday that Syria's new rulers, who ousted the Lebanese armed group's ally Bashar al-Assad, should not recognize neighboring Israel or establish ties with it.

"We hope that this new party in power will see Israel as an enemy and not normalize relations with it," Qassem said in a televised speech, his first public remarks since Islamist-led rebels toppled Assad following an offensive launched on November 27, the same day that a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect.

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Hezbollah made even weaker by Assad toppling in Syria

A severely hobbled Hezbollah was in no position to help defend former Syrian President Bashar Assad, a longtime ally, from the lightning-fast insurgency that toppled him. With Assad gone, the militant group based in Lebanon is even weaker.

Hezbollah was dealt a major blow during 14 months of war with Israel. The toppling of Assad, who had strong ties to Iran, has now crippled its ability to bounce back by cutting off a vital weapons-smuggling route through Syria.

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