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Hariri: Attack on UNIFIL was a Message from Assad

Former Premier Saad Hariri said Friday’s attack on a UNIFIL patrol in the southern city of Tyre was “another Syrian message from (President) Bashar” Assad.

Five French peacekeepers were injured when a roadside bomb targeted their vehicle. The incident was seen as a message to Western countries, mainly France, over the pressure exerted on Assad.

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Geagea Lashes Out at those Seeking to Undermine Lebanon’s Democracy

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Saturday slammed some parties in the government for seeking to undermine the democratic principles that the Lebanese system is based on.

“They are trying to put the Lebanese in the opposite direction that the region’s people are heading to,” Geagea told a conference on professions organized by the LF at Maarab.

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Canada Moves to Strip Citizenship from Thousands Including Lebanese

Canada is investigating 6,500 people from more than 100 countries, including Lebanon for fraudulently attempting to gain citizenship or permanent residency, the immigration minister announced Friday.

"Canadian citizenship is not for sale," Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said in a statement. "Canadians are generous people, but have no tolerance or patience for people who don't play by the rules and who lie or cheat to become a Canadian citizen."

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Miqati Supports Army-UNIFIL Ties, Says Wage Boost Maximum Possible in Current Circumstances

Premier Najib Miqati stressed on Saturday that the government was determined to back the cooperation between the Lebanese army and the U.N. peacekeepers despite the attack on a UNIFIL patrol that left 5 French troops injured.

“We are determined to support the cooperation between the army and UNIFIL to carry out its mission,” Miqati said at the opening of the 31st round of the Council of Arab Social Affairs Ministers at the Movenpick hotel in Beirut.

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Cabinet Holds ‘Calmest Session Ever’

A cabinet session held on Friday was “one of the calmest ever,” Information Minister Walid Daouq said, stressing that the ministers would discuss the 2011 draft state budget next week.

“It was one of the calmest sessions,” Daouq told reporters after the government convened at the Grand Serail under Prime Minister Najib Miqati.

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France Probes UNIFIL Attack, Sources Say Perpetrators Sought to Avoid Causing Casualties

Explosives experts from the French contingent serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon on Friday inspected the scene of the blast that injured five of their peacekeepers and launched an investigation, the National News Agency reported.

NNA said that later in the day, the vehicle that was targeted in the blast in the southern city of Tyre was taken to the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura.

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U.N. Condemns Attack, Calls for Respect of Freedom of Movement of UNIFIL

The U.N. Security Council and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned Friday’s attack against a French UNIFIL patrol in southern Lebanon, hoping the perpetrators will be identified and calling for the respect of the freedom of movement of peacekeepers.

In a statement, the members of the Security Council condemned “in the strongest terms the terrorist attack” and “all attempts to threaten the security and stability of Lebanon.”

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U.S. Condemns Attack on UNIFIL, Says Lebanon Should Tackle Security Issues in South

The United States on Friday condemned a roadside bomb attack in Lebanon that wounded five French peacekeepers, and urged Beirut to tackle its security problems in the south of the country.

The attack on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) hit a French patrol on the southern outskirts of the coastal city of Tyre, and two civilians were also wounded.

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Hizbullah: CIA Using U.S. Embassy as Base to Recruit Spies

The Central Intelligence Agency has been operating form the U.S. embassy compound in Awkar to recruit agents to spy on Hizbullah, the party’s al-Manar TV station reported on Friday.

It said the CIA’s current chief in Lebanon is Daniel Patrick Mcfeely, 45, who replaced Louis Kahi after quitting in 2009.

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Paris: We Haven't Yet Linked between UNIFIL Attack, Syria Crisis

The French foreign ministry said Friday Paris did not have enough information that allows it to link between the attack on its troops in southern Lebanon and the active role France is playing concerning the situations in Syria.

“We have not yet linked” between the attack and the Syrian crisis, foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told reporters.

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