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Parliament OKs Audit, Competition Laws, Returns Judiciary Bill to Committee

Parliament on Monday approved a host of draft laws during a legislative session at its temporary venue at the UNESCO Palace in Beirut.

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Israel's Gantz Issues Direct Threat against Hizbullah after Drone Incursion

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has accused Iran of "undermining" Lebanon’s "governance" through Hizbullah, as he issued a direct threat against the Tehran-backed group.

“Just this week, in Israel we saw a number of Hizbullah attempts to violate Israel’s sovereignty. In this context, I have a clear message for Hizbullah: Their operatives are familiar with the noise made by our aircraft engines, and with their capabilities. If we are required to respond and to attack in order to defend ourselves, we will do so and we will cause great damage to the terror organization and its surroundings,” Gantz said in remarks at the Munich Security Conference.

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Qaouq Says 'Hassan' Drone is 'Very, Very Significant Message' to Israel

Senior Hizbullah official Sheikh Nabil Qaouq stressed Sunday that “the resistance in the year 2022 is at its strongest historic phases in terms of quantity and quality.”

“No one can threaten its existence, not through war nor through other means,” Qaouq said.

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Berri Rejects Prosecution of Salameh without 'Evidence'

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has warned against stirring clashes between security agencies in connection with the latest standoff over the enforcement of the subpoena issued against Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh.

“Despite the circumstances that Lebanon is going through, there is something that is very good, which is security, but creating problems between security agencies is something very dangerous and will certainly affect the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund,” Berri said in an interview with Egypt's al-Ahram newspaper.

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Geagea on Hizbullah Drone: Shameful to Put Lebanon in Danger

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Saturday criticized Hizbullah for sending the ‘Hassan’ drone deep into Israel, saying such a move pushes Lebanon into “impending dangers.”

“The Lebanon we want is not the Lebanon of drones and it shameful to push Lebanon into impending dangers as is happening today,” Geagea said at a ceremony to announce the re-nomination of MP Pierre Bou Assi for one of the Maronite seats in Baabda.

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Israeli Jets Overfly Beirut at Very Low Altitude after Hizbullah Sends Drone over Israel

Two Israeli warplanes overflew Beirut and its suburbs at a very low altitude in a mock raid on Friday, minutes after Hizbullah claimed responsibility for a drone that overflew northern Israel for 40 minutes.

The buzzing of the fighter jets jolted residents, rattled windows and set off some car alarms.

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Aoun Stresses Elections to be Held on Time, Dismisses 'Rumors'

President Michel Aoun reiterated Friday that the parliamentary elections will be held on time on May 15 as he signed a decree referring to parliament a draft law for earmarking a budget for the polls in the 2022 state budget.

Aoun hoped parliament will approve the draft law as soon as possible to enable the Interior Ministry to continue the necessary preparations for the elections.

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Israel Fires Missile, Scrambles Aircraft after Drone Crosses from Lebanon

Israel said Friday that it fired an anti-aircraft missile and scrambled warplanes and military helicopters after a small drone crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory.

In an English-language tweet, the Israeli army described the drone as a “radio-controlled aircraft.”

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Guterres Appoints Lebanese as Global Lead Coordinator for COVID-19 Vaccine

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today has announced the appointment of Ted Chaiban of Lebanon as Global Lead Coordinator for COVID-19 Vaccine Country-Readiness and Delivery, at the level of Assistant Secretary-General, in UNICEF.

"Chaiban will lead a senior inter-agency team to ensure an effective global response to the pandemic, supporting COVID vaccine country-readiness and delivery," the U.N. said.

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Lebanon Seizes Captagon Pills Hidden in Hookas

The Lebanese authorities have seized more than five tons of Captagon bound for Africa, the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces announced Friday.

More than 30,000 pills of Captagon have been seized, last week, hidden in boxes containing five hookahs, the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces said in a statement.

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