Lebanon
Latest stories
Syria Brings Military Reinforcements on Border with Lebanon as Army Says Has Backed Its Units

The Syrian army has brought reinforcements to military bases on the border with Lebanon, the Turkish state-run Anadolu agency reported on Saturday and the Lebanese army assured that it has backed its forces in the region.

“Syrian military reinforcements have reached army bases overlooking Lebanese northern villages,” Anadolu said.

W140 Full Story
Miqati Said Border Situation 'Top Priority': We'll Follow-Up on Syria's Letter

Prime Minister Najib Miqati revealed on Saturday that the Lebanese authorities are giving “top priority” to the border situation, promising that he will follow-up on the Syrian note that threatened to bomb regions inside Lebanon.

"The army has been given directions to appropriately deal with violations,” Miqati said during security meetings he held to discuss the latest developments on the border.

W140 Full Story
Jumblat Calls for Preventing Sedition, Warns: Tough Days ahead for Lebanon

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat warned on Saturday that “difficult days are ahead for Lebanon”, urging political factions in the country to work on preventing sedition.

"We must all work towards preserving national unity and preventing sedition as tough days are ahead,” Jumblat said following a march organized by the PSP from the Mukhtara palace to the grave of the party's founder Kamal Jumblat on the anniversary of his assassination.

W140 Full Story
Geagea Denounces Cabinet Tardiness in Tackling Security Threats

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea urged the government on Saturday to resign over its procrastination in calling for an urgent meeting to deal with the security dangers spreading out in the city of Tripoli and along the northeastern border.

“I can not understand how the cabinet has failed so far to call for an emergency session to tackle the dangerous security situation in Tripoli and the northeastern border,” said Geagea in a statement released by his press office.

W140 Full Story
Suleiman Said he Tasked Armed Forces with Arresting Fighters Crossing Border

President Michel Suleiman said Lebanese armed forces must prevent the infiltration of fighters across the border with Syria, and that he has given instructions to them to arrest militants.

Suleiman made the remarks while meeting with the Lebanese community in the Ivory Coast during an official visit, according to a statement from his office on Saturday.

W140 Full Story
SCC Holds Another Protest, Doubts Miqati's Intentions on Wage Scale

Head of Public Secondary School Education Teachers Association Hanna Gharib doubted on Saturday the government's intentions in funding the wage scale for the public sector and demanded Prime Minister Najib Miqati to dedicate for it a cabinet session next week.

“It is our right to know how the government will fund the wage scale,” Gharib said at a sit-in organized by the Syndicate Coordination Committee near the finance ministry's revenues building in the area of Beshara al-Khoury in Beirut.

W140 Full Story
Locusts Reach Lebanon and Agriculture Ministry Confirms: Environment Doesn't Favor Multiplication

Locust sightings were made across Lebanon on Saturday and the agriculture ministry vowed to combat them to prevent an outbreak.

"Lebanon does not have an environment that is favorable for locust multiplication,” the ministry assured, noting that they arrived in limited numbers.

W140 Full Story
Mansour Plays Syrian Threats, Says Damascus has no Interest in Creating Tension

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour said Lebanon and Syria had no interest in turning their border area into a scene of tension as a Lebanese man was injured from renewed cross-border shelling.

“Lebanon has absolutely no interest in turning Lebanese territories to a path or base to any military action,” Mansour, who is accompanying President Michel Suleiman in his African tour, told al-Joumhouria daily published Saturday.

W140 Full Story
Report: Shaaban Detained Shortly at Beirut Airport over Samaha-Mamlouk Case

The General Security detained on Friday the Syrian president's media adviser Buthaina Shaaban at the Rafik Hariri international Airport against the backdrop of the Mamlouk-Samaha case, al-Liwaa daily reported Saturday.

The General Security detained Shaaban for nearly an hour upon arrival at the airport at 7:00 am, but was later allowed to catch her flight heading to Dubai when no judicial order was found against her in terrorism case.

W140 Full Story
Source: Cabinet to Refer Wage Scale to Parliament Only After End of SCC Strike

The government will not refer the public sector wage scale to the parliament for adoption unless the Syndicate Coordination Committee approves to end its open-ended strike, a ministerial source said Saturday.

The source spoke after a ministerial committee held its last meeting on Friday following the approval of a series of measures that would increase the state's revenues and introduce reforms to the public sector.

W140 Full Story