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Geagea Doubts Iran and Hizbullah Want Aoun as President

Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea said that Iran and Hizbullah might not want MP Michel Aoun to be elected as a head of state, An Nahar daily reported on Wednesday.

“Aoun might be the last person that Iran and Hizbullah want as a president,” Geagea told the daily.

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Saudi FM Says Hizbullah to Blame for Lebanon Political Vacuum

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Tuesday blamed Hizbullah and Iran for the protracting political vacuum in Lebanon, a day after the party accused Riyadh of blocking political solutions in the country.

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Army Raids Syrian Refugee Encampments after Suicide Blasts

Lebanese troops raided makeshift refugee camps near a predominantly Christian village on the border with Syria on Tuesday a day after two waves of suicide attacks.

"We are worried that there are more terrorists, so the Lebanese army is searching the area," said Bashir Matar, mayor of al-Qaa, which lies in a hilly border area shaken by violence since the civil war erupted in Syria in 2011.

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Report: Military Source Says al-Qaa Bombings Not Surprising

The successive suicide attacks that targeted on Monday the northeastern town of al-Qaa were not surprising after intelligence reports indicated the presence of threats that could possibly target Lebanon's internal arena, al-Mustaqbal daily reported on Tuesday.

“The military and security vigilance are at their highest levels, but that does not prevent the existence of some gaps exploited by the terrorists to carry out their criminal suicide operations,” a military source told the daily on condition of anonymity.

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8 Hurt in New Suicide Blasts in al-Qaa after Pre-Dawn Bombings Kill 5, Wound 15

Fresh suicide bombings rocked the eastern border town of al-Qaa on Monday evening, injuring eight people, only hours after four suicide bombers killed five people and wounded 15 others in the town before dawn.

In the latest violence, three suicide bombers riding motorcycles blew themselves up in the center of the predominantly Christian town, a security source told AFP.

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Lebanese Officials Denounce al-Qaa Bombings

Following the successive suicide bombings early Monday that hit the town of al-Qaa near the volatile border war-ravaged Syria, several politicians denounced the attacks and described them as an act of terror.

Al-Mustaqbal Movement chief and ex-PM Saad Hariri said in a statement: “The terrorist operation that targeted the Bekaa town of al-Qaa is an episode in a series of hellish plans to spread the Syrian fire (war) to neighboring countries, and the dissemination of chaos and havoc on the rest of the communities.”

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Health Ministry Shuts Dental Clinic Operated by Syrian Doctor

The Health Ministry ordered on Saturday the closure of a dental clinic in the northern town of Ghazir that is run by a Syrian doctor, the National News Agency reported on Saturday.

The Health Ministry inspectors found out that the clinic, in the Blat neighborhood, is situated inside a residential apartment where the practitioner lives with her family.

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Environment Minister: Government Work Critical, No Suspicious Deals at Cabinet

Environment Minister Mohammed al-Mashnouq stressed on Saturday that there are no “suspicious” deals being struck at the cabinet describing the government’s work as “critical” due to the unusual circumstances it is facing.

“There are no suspicious deals at the cabinet. The cabinet's work is critical because it was formed during difficult circumstances and PM Tammam Salam has given the needed time for each subject to be discussed,” said Mashnouq to the Voice of Lebanon radio station (93.3).

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Report: France Raises Eyebrows after Zarif States Iran Against Interference in Lebanon's Elections

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif has indirectly shrugged off claims of an Iranian intervention in Lebanon's controversial presidential file and said that Iran is "against foreign interference," the pan-Arab al-Hayat daily reported on Saturday.

French President Francois Hollande told Zarif during his trip to France that the situation in Lebanon is dangerous and fragile, added the daily.

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Report: A Consensual President is Ready and Waiting

A consensual president to fill Lebanon's two-year vacuum is ready and waiting to be elected, and he garners the support of international and regional powers, As Safir daily reported on Saturday.

If Hizbullah remains adamant to elect founder of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun for the post, that means that a consensus nominee is ready somewhere and waiting to fill the seat, visitors to Washington told the daily without elaborating.

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