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Report: Israeli Commandos Helped Hizbullah ‘Minister of Infrastructure’ Escape Lebanon

An Israeli commando force helped a top Hizbullah official escape to Israel a month ago, An Nahar said Sunday under the daily's 'Secrets of the Gods' tidbit but without saying that he is a member of the Shiite party.

“Abou Abed Ismail’s rank is similar to a Minister of Infrastructure in his party,” it said without mentioning Hizbullah. “The commando force helped him escape from Lebanon a month ago after meeting him at a border village.”

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March 14 Lauds Geagea’s ‘Brave’ Speech

The opposition has described Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea’s words on Saturday as “brave” and a “March 14 speech par excellence.”

March 14 general-secretariat coordinator Fares Soaid told An Nahar daily on Sunday that through the presence of former Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir in the commemoration of the fallen members of the party, the “LF is now in the stage that characterizes the moral and political responsibility taken by the LF and the Maronite church to move Lebanon from civil war to civil peace in 1989.”

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Al-Azhar Condemns al-Rahi Statements on Christians in the East

Grand imam of al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb condemned on Saturday the position of Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Christians in the East.

“The Christians in the east are part of the national fabric in the states,” al-Tayeb said during a meeting with Lebanese Ambassador to Egypt Khaled Ziade.

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Mansour Confirms Syria Will Surpass Crisis

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour stressed on Saturday that the Syrian regime will surpass the crisis, urging “friends” to support it to implement reforms.

“I am sure that the Syrian leadership will pass the crisis by implementing reforms and the peoples’ demands,” Mansour said after a meeting with his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallem in New York.

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Geagea Says Fear of Extremism Does Not Justify Crimes of Dictatorships

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Saturday urged Hizbullah to take a bold decision and hand in their weapons to the state after they fulfilled their role in the year 2000, stressing that the fear of extremism does not justify the crimes of dictatorships that created it in the first place.

“Some of you might think that Hizbullah’s arms protect and strengthens you, but you have missed that our protection can only be achieved through the Lebanese state,” Geagea said in a speech commemorating fallen members of his party.

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Berri Slams Netanyahu Speech at U.N.

Speaker Nabih Berri on Friday lashed out at a speech given by Israeli Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations General Assembly, Saying it was filled with “contempt” and “grudge.”

“Hizbullah doesn’t preside over the U.N. Security Council nor do President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister (Najib Miqati), but Lebanon does the state that was slaughtered (by Israel) in 1996,” Berri said in a statement.

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Al-Rahi from Tyre: We Want Political Decisions that Ensure Muslim-Christian Coexistence

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi hoped on Saturday that God would inspire political leaders to take the appropriate decisions that would fall in Lebanon’s favor.

He said from the southern city of Tyre: “We hope they will take political decisions that can ensure the people’s freedom and protect the coexistence between Muslims and Christians in Lebanon and the whole region.”

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Hariri: Abbas’ Speech Uncovered Israel’s Intentions to Reject Peace

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri praised on Saturday Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ speech at the United Nations where he demanded that Palestine be admitted as a full member state at the international organization.

He said in a statement: “The speech revealed Israel’s hostile plans and its hidden intentions to reject all efforts to achieve peace.”

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ISF Member Killed in Dispute between Bir Hassan Residents

A member of the Internal Security Forces was killed Friday night when a clash broke out between the al-Qaq and al-Dar families in the Bir Hassan neighborhood in Beirut, reported the National News Agency on Saturday.

It explained that heavy machine guns were used in the dispute.

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Al-Rahi to Connelly: Resolving Hizbullah’s Arms Linked to Israeli Implementation of International Resolutions

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly informed Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi of her country’s disappointment with his recent statements, reported As Safir on Saturday.

Al-Rahi had recently stated that Hizbullah’s arms are a product of the Israeli occupation, which sparked Connelly’s consternation.

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