The stabbing of author Salman Rushdie has laid bare divisions in Lebanon's Shiite Muslim community, pitting a few denouncing the violence against fervent followers of Hezbollah who have praised the attack.

The attack struck close to home among Lebanon's Shiites. The assailant, 24-year-old Hadi Matar, is a dual Lebanese-U.S. citizen, and his father lives in a village in Hezbollah-dominated southern Lebanon. Matar's mother has said she believes her son's visit to the village of Yaroun in 2018 turned him into a religious zealot.

Relatives of Lebanese American Amer Fakhoury said they are happy to proceed with their lawsuit alleging that Lebanon's security agency kidnapped and tortured him before he died in the U.S., now that a judge has rejected the agency's attempt to strike the allegations.

Fakhoury died in the United States in August 2020 at age 57 from stage 4 lymphoma. His family says in the lawsuit, filed in Washington last year against Iran, he developed the illness and other serious medical issues while imprisoned during a visit to Lebanon over decades-old murder and torture charges that he denied.

Syria is not safe yet for millions of refugees to start going back home, a Canadian minister has cautioned during a visit to Lebanon. He spoke days after Lebanese officials announced a plan to start returning 15,000 Syrian refugees to their war-shattered country every month.

The remarks by Harjit Sajjan, Canada's minister of international development, followed his tour of the region that also took him to Jordan, where he visited Syrian refugees living in tent settlements.

The man charged with stabbing Salman Rushdie on a lecture stage in western New York said in an interview that he was surprised to learn the accomplished author had survived the attack.

Speaking to the New York Post from jail, Hadi Matar said he decided to see Rushdie at the Chautauqua Institution after he saw a tweet last winter about the writer's planned appearance.

President Michel Aoun warned Wednesday that “the effort of some countries to integrate the displaced Syrians present in Lebanon into the Lebanese society is a crime that Lebanon will not accept no matter what happens.”

Aoun voiced his remarks in a Baabda meeting with Canadian International Development Minister Harjit S. Sajjan.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stressed Wednesday that “an understanding or a settlement with the Axis of Defiance over the presidential file is rejected, because it will certainly lead to prolonging the crises that the country is suffering from.”

“The concerns and interests of Hezbollah contradict with the interests of Lebanon the state and the country,” Geagea added, in a meeting in Maarab with Swedish Ambassador to Lebanon Ann Dismorr.

The Free Patriotic Movement on Wednesday denied that FPM chief Jebran Bassil has asked to meet with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea over the presidential file.

“Whenever the FPM chief is asked about his readiness to meet with those with whom he has political differences, he answers that he is ready to meet with anyone for the sake of the public interest,” the FPM’s central media committee said in a statement.

MP Paula Yacoubian called Wednesdays the MPs to vote on draft laws that would resume the Beirut port blast probe and prevent future obstructions.

In a press conference at the Parliament, Yacoubian said she had contacted the parliamentary blocs, except for Amal and Hezbollah, as she said that the Shiite Duo's position is clear concerning the probe.

Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel said Wednesday that the opposition forces are forming a coordination framework in order to reach a common agreement on a candidate for Presidency.

"We are communicating with the Lebanese Forces, the Progressive Socialist Party and other new MPs in order to agree on a President who is able to rescue Lebanon," Gemayel said.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Wednesday that Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement are exerting pressure on the Constitutional Council in order to transfer four seats from the opposition to the March 8 Alliance.

"They are trying to manipulate the parliamentary appeals in different regions especially in Tripoli and Marjayoun," Geagea said in a tweet.