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Jumblat calls on Hezbollah to turn into 'political party'

Druze leader Walid Jumblat has called on “the political and military members of Hezbollah” to “realize that the past has ended” and that “they must turn to political action and abandon military action.”

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Salam wants govt. that meets 'aspirations' and 'need for reform'

Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam said Tuesday that he is continuing his consultations to form a government that “meets the aspirations of the Lebanese and the urgent need for reform,” dismissing the latest media reports about the cabinet formation process.

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Hezbollah and Amal condemn 'provocative' motorbike convoys

Hezbollah and the Amal Movement on Tuesday condemned Sunday’s motorbike rallies by their supporters that stirred tensions in Beirut and other areas.

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Draft new government line-up surfaces

MTV on Tuesday published a draft government line-up containing “some portfolios and names that have been settled until the moment.”

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New govt. will likely be formed in next few days

The past hours carried developments indicating that the new government will be announced in a few days, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Tuesday.

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Assad's fall opens window for Syrian refugees to head home − but for many, it won't be an easy decision

BY Kelsey Norman, Rice University and Ana Martín Gil, Rice University

(THE CONVERSATION) For more than a decade, Syrians have been the world's largest refugee population.

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Trump envoy to seek Lebanon truce bolstering on Israel visit

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hoping to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington as early as next week, according to two U.S. officials familiar with preliminary planning for the trip.

Should the trip come together in that timeframe, Netanyahu could be the first foreign leader to meet with Trump at the White House since his inauguration last week. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the planning remains tentative, said details could be arranged when Trump's special Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, travels to Israel this week for talks with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.

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Qassem says Israel's violation of agreement highlights 'Lebanon's need for resistance'

Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem has announced that the ceaesfire agreement's violation by Israel "highlights Lebanon's need for the resistance," adding that so-called army-people-resistance equation is "still steadfast despite the talk of haters."

In a pre-recorded speech aired Monday, Qassem added that his group won’t accept the extension of the ceasefire deadline, without addressing the fact that the Lebanese government had already done so overnight.

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Source close to Hezbollah says 7 fighters in Israeli hands

A source close to Hezbollah said Monday that Israel's army detained seven fighters from the Lebanese group during more than a year of hostilities between the two sides before a November ceasefire.

"Seven fighters from Hezbollah were taken prisoner" by Israel before the November 27 truce went into effect, the source said, requesting anonymity as the matter is sensitive.

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Israel: Hezbollah forces and weapons are still on our border

An Israeli government spokesman on Monday stressed Israel’s “commitment” to the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon but added that “Hezbollah must withdraw beyond the Litani River.”

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