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Rifi Accuses Hizbullah of Arming 'Tripoli Gangs,' Says Groups Submissive to Damascus

Former Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi accused Hizbullah on Friday of supplying armed gangs in the northern city of Tripoli with arms and money.

"Hizbullah is supporting these armed gangs in Tripoli and providing them with weapons and money,” Rifi said at a press conference he held in Tripoli.

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Rahi Says Salam's Resignation Would be Shameful for All MPs

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi said Friday that a possible decision by Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam to give up his task to form the new government would be shameful for all the lawmakers who named him during binding consultations with the president.

In remarks to reporters at Rafik Hariri International Airport upon his return from the Qatari capital, al-Rahi said: “Such a possible decision would be shameful for all the MPs who unanimously named it.”

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2 Dead, Several Hurt in Ongoing Tripoli Clashes, Military Court Seeks to Arrest Gunmen

Two people were killed and at least 15 injured in heavy clashes that rattled the northern city of Tripoli on Friday as the military prosecution began acting against the warring sides, the state-run National News Agency reported.

The latest casualty was Jabal Mohsen resident Katia Khodr, a 22-year-old mother of two, who died from gunshot wounds she suffered on Thursday, a security official told Agence France Presse.

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UNIFIL to Aid Lebanon in Oil Exploration after 'Political Solution' Reached

UNIFIL Commander Maj. Gen. Paolo Serra said on Thursday that the peacekeeping force is waiting for the Lebanese to reach a political solution over the extraction of the country's oil and gas resources to ensure the safety of the its maritime.

The “UNIFIL has nine vessels and will offer all the logistic capabilities to aid Lebanon in the drilling process,” Serra said in comments published in al-Akhbar newspaper.

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Feltman Dubs Hizbullah 'Soldiers of Fortune,' Accuses it of Causing Sectarian Tensions

Jeffrey Feltman, U.N. under secretary general for political affairs, has described Hizbullah members fighting in Syria as “soldiers of fortune,” saying they have contributed to the rising sectarian tensions linked to Syria's war.

“Hizbullah’s role inside Syria, which is a violation of their own national government’s policy of disassociation, has been part of the fuel of the rising sectarian tensions that characterize this conflict,” Feltman told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat in an interview published on Friday.

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Ibrahim in Qatar to Press Forward Release of Two Bishops

General Security Chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim headed to Doha on Wednesday to discuss with Qatari officials the case of the two kidnapped bishops by armed men in Syria in April.

According to al-Joumhouria newspaper published on Thursday, Ibrahim held talks with senior Qatari political and security officials, including his Qatari counterpart.

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Israel's Defense Minister: Hizbullah-Global Jihad 'Civil War' Raging in Lebanon

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon has said "civil war" was raging in Lebanon between Hizbullah and Global Jihad members who have attempted to drag Israel into the conflict.

"To those who are not yet aware, there is already a civil war in Lebanon. Global Jihad, which has infiltrated Lebanon and is attacking Hizbullah, is blowing up car bombs in Dahieh and is firing rockets at Dahieh and the Bekaa Valley," Yaalon said Thursday in reference to recent attacks on Hizbullah's strongholds.

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Saniora Says Communication Ongoing with Berri, Stresses Parliament Can't Convene

Head of al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc ex-Prime Minister Fouad Saniora accused Hizbullah and the March 8 alliance of obstructing the legislative work.

“We won't stop communicating” with the rival parties, Saniora said in comments published in local newspapers.

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Suleiman Asks Army, Security Forces to Control Situation in Tripoli

President Michel Suleiman revealed on Thursday evening that he asked security forces and the army to deploy the necessary units to control the security situation in the northern city of Tripoli.

Suleiman's request came as Tripoli has been witnessing intense clashes between the city's rival neighborhoods of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh.

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Rafehi Urges Disbanding of Arab Democratic Party, Arrest of Shooters

Salafist cleric Sheikh Salem al-Rafehi on Thursday slammed the state for failing to stop the violence in Tripoli, accusing Jabal Mohsen's Arab Democratic Party of starting the new round of fighting in the city.

“Tripoli is being shelled since four days at the hands of a criminal party despite the presence of the security plan,” Rafehi said following a meeting for clerics and leaders of Bab al-Tabbaneh's fighting frontiers.

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