An "immediate and lasting cease-fire" was declared Monday after a top Lebanese general met with officials from rival Palestinian factions, following days of fighting in Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp, which left several people dead and dozens wounded.
The new ceasefire failed to halt the fighting, however, residents and officials in the camp said in the hours after the agreement was announced. It was the latest in a series of cease-fires that only lasted for hours before fighting erupted again.
Full StoryParliament Speaker Nabih Berri has denied reports claiming that he had suspended his presidential dialogue initiative.
“I have not suspended my initiative. To the contrary, it is ongoing, continuous and in harmony with the French initiative. The two initiatives complement each other and their essence is the same: dialogue and consensus for the election of a president,” Berri said in an interview with al-Liwaa newspaper published Monday.
Full StoryAt least six people have been killed and dozens wounded in five days of continuous clashes in the Ain el-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, first responders said Monday.
Violence broke out late Thursday in the camp, just weeks after similar clashes pitted members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement against Islamist militants.
Full StoryThe Lebanese Forces has informed French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian that it will not attend any dialogue conference prior to the election of a new president, LF lawmaker Ghada Ayoub said.
“The Strong Republic bloc’s specifications for the president and his missions are clear and in line with the Doha meeting’s closing statement,” Ayoub said in an interview on Radio Free Lebanon.
Full StoryThe U.N. human rights chief decried Monday the lack of accountability for the 2020 Beirut port blast, urging an international probe into the massive explosion that killed that killed more than 220 people, wounded 7,500 and destroyed swathes of the city.
"Three years after the Beirut explosion, ... there has been no accountability," Volker Turk told the United Nations Human Rights Council, adding "it may therefore be time to consider an international fact-finding mission to look into human rights violations related to this tragedy."
Full StoryCabinet failed to convene Monday at the Grand serail to discuss the Syrian refugee crisis amid a new wave of illegal crossings, due to a lack of quorum.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati called instead for a consultative ministerial meeting at his office.
Full StoryThe U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has opened shelters in schools and other facilities to accommodate over 750 displaced people as fighting and heavy destruction of homes and facilities continued across southern Lebanon's Ain el-Hilweh refugee camp.
"UNRWA, with partners, is responding to the urgent humanitarian needs," said Dorothée Klaus, the director of UNRWA affairs in Lebanon.
Full StoryIslamist factions in Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp have said they will abide by a cease-fire after three days of clashes killed at least five people and left hundreds of families displaced.
Fighting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement and Islamist groups has rocked southern Lebanon's Ain el-Hilweh refugee camp since Friday. Fatah and other factions in the camp had intended to crack down on suspects accused of killing one of their military generals in late July.
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Three fighters and a civilian have been killed in clashes over the past hours in the Ain el-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon, official media reported, as caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati rebuked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas over the spiralling violence.
Full StoryThe undeclared meeting between Army chief General Joseph Aoun and Hezbollah’s top lawmaker Mohammed Raad tackled the security situations, the Kahale incident and the UNIFIL resolution as well as the presidential file, media reports said.
According to ad-Diyar newspaper, Aoun told Raad that he is not currently engaged in the presidential battle, but is willing to assume the post if there is “national consensus” over his nomination.
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