Lebanon
Latest stories
March 14 Says Nabi Sheet Explosion Was 'Deliberate'

The Nabi Sheet explosion in a Hizbullah arms depot on Wednesday demonstrated the danger the party's weapons pose to Lebanon, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Thursday.

March 14 sources noted to the newspaper that the Hizbullah sought to demonstrate the power of the blast through the damage it caused, which is an indication that the explosion was deliberate.

W140 Full Story
Officer Recruits Pass Psychiatric Exam Despite Manipulation Reports

All officer recruits, who recently applied to the position, passed the psychiatric exam despite rumors over a manipulation of the results of the exam, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Thursday.

According to the report, a settlement was reached over the matter where all the recruits passed the first round of the exam instead of it being canceled.

W140 Full Story
Report: Al-Meqdad Clan to Stage Open-ended Strike over Arrest of Members

Al-Meqdad clan are set to stage a “peaceful” open-ended strike to protest the arrest of several members of the family over a kidnapping spree across the country, An Nahar newspaper reported on Thursday.

The daily reported that the clan members received a text message on their cell phone calling for an “open-ended sit-in as their (arrested) family members are not terrorists.”

W140 Full Story
Safadi Says Won't Run in Parliamentary Elections

Finance Minister Mohammed Safadi on Wednesday announced that he will not run in the 2013 parliamentary elections.

“I will not run in the parliamentary elections,” said Safadi when asked by reporters why he had not launched his electoral campaign yet. 

W140 Full Story
FSA Promises Hizbullah 'Severe Retaliation' over 'Interference in Syrian Affairs'

The rebel Free Syrian Army on Wednesday warned Hizbullah of a “severe and earthshaking retaliation,” after the Syrian opposition said Tuesday that a Hizbullah commander and several fighters were killed inside Syria.

“We promise the Hizbullah members who are deployed in Syria that they will face a severe and earthshaking retaliation over their interference in the Syrian affairs and aiding the regime of President Bashar Assad to kill the Syrian people,” the Joint Command of the Free Syrian Army in Syria said in a statement.

W140 Full Story
Berri: No Just Christian Representation with Small Electorates

Speaker Nabih Berri expressed on Wednesday that a law based on small electorates suits the interests of some parties only, denying that is gives a just representation of the entire Lebanese Christian community.

Berri's message was transmitted by lawmakers he met after his weekly discussions with Lebanese MPs in Ain al-Tineh. During the meetings, the Speaker also announced the formation of a unit that will be dedicated to studying proposed electoral draft laws.

W140 Full Story
3 Hizbullah Fighters Die in Blast at 'Old Ammo Depot' in Bekaa's Nabi Sheet

Three Hizbullah fighters were killed and several other people wounded on Wednesday in a blast at a depot for old ammunition in the Bekaa town of Nabi Sheet, the party's media relations department said in a statement.

“The blast happened at a storehouse for old shells and ammunition and the remnants of the Israeli attacks on the area,” said the statement.

W140 Full Story
Committee on Sheikh Abdul Wahed's Death Urges Govt. to Reopen Case, Refer it to Judicial Council

The authority charged with following up on the case of the death of Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Wahed and his companion Sheikh Mohammed Merheb demanded on Wednesday that the case be reopened following recent revelations that the Syrian regime was involved in the crime, reported the National News Agency.

The authority demanded from President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati to reopen the case and refer it to the judicial council.

W140 Full Story
Suspect who Killed Army Officer in al-Ghobairi Charged with Murder

State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr charged Wednesday Hassan Karaki with killing Officer Abbas Jomaa and attempted murder.

According to the National News Agency, Karaki was referred to the first Military Examining Magistrate.

W140 Full Story
Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Grateful for Quiet Start to School Year

In the courtyard of a school in northern Lebanon refugee children from neighboring Syria clamor to grab one of the flags of their country's rebellion being handed out before they enter the classroom.

Rich or poor, from all over Syria, they are among 1,500 Syrian primary school children who began the new academic year studying in Lebanese schools after their families fled the bloodshed at home, and the flag is a poignant symbol for them.

W140 Full Story