Lebanon
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Lebanon judge refers ex-central bank chief for trial

A Lebanese judge on Tuesday referred former central bank governor Riad Salameh to court for trial over the alleged embezzlement of $44 million of the bank's funds, a judicial official said.

The move came seven months after Salameh was arrested in Lebanon over the case.

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Ortagus says Hezbollah 'cancer', hopes Lebanese would 'cut it out'

Deputy U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Morgan Ortagus dubbed Tuesday Hezbollah a "cancer," after she ended a diplomatic visit to Lebanon where she met with President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

"The past ten years have been devastating for Lebanon, the financial crisis, the port explosion, and militias around the country, especially Hezbollah who has a state within a state," Ortagus said in an interview with al-Arabiya, blaming the Lebanese group and Iran for a devastating war with Israel with "catastrophic consequences."

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Western security source claims Hezbollah receiving arms and cash via Beirut port

Al-Arabiya television on Tuesday quoted a Western security source as saying that Hezbollah has “re-imposed its control over Beirut’s port,” following the 2020 catastrophic explosion at the facility that killed around 220 people and devastated swathes of the capital.

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Report: Aoun, Berri, Salam agree on state's monopoly on arms

President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam unanimously agree on the need for the state to be the sole bearer of arms in the country, without “any provocation resulting from the use of the term disarmament,” political sources said.

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Salam says Lebanon, Syria can 'turn over new page'

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam will visit Damascus soon with a ministerial delegation to meet with Syria's new president Ahmad al-Sharaa.

Salam told Annahar newspaper, in remarks published Tuesday, that Lebanon can turn over a new page with Syria after a "good" call he had with Sharaa.

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Higher Defense Council tasked with 'devising plans' for disarming Hezbollah

The former government tasked the Higher Defense Council with “devising plans for removing weapons with the least possible damage” and Nawaf Salam’s government is “still endorsing the same plan and will not back down,” Minister of the Displaced and State Minister for Technology Affairs and Artificial Intelligence, Kamal Shehadeh, said.

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US says Ortagus was 'encouraged by frank discussions' in Lebanon

U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for Middle East Morgan Ortagus was “excited to be back in Lebanon” to meet with President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Speaker Nabih Berri and Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, the U.S. Embassy said.

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UNIFIL chief says slow progress on more permanent ceasefire now possible

The head of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon says the balance of force in the country has now “significantly changed” which may finally enable slow progress toward a more permanent ceasefire, “but this may still take a long time.”

Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro Sáenz told the U.N. Security Council that an internal political process could be required to deal with key issues including dealing with Hezbollah fighters and other armed groups.

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Two Syrians killed in Israeli strike on Dardara – Khiam road

Israeli strikes Monday on southern Lebanon killed three people, according to the health ministry, with Israel's military saying it had "eliminated" a Hezbollah commander.

Israel has continued to strike Lebanon since the November 27 ceasefire that largely halted more than a year of hostilities with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, including two months of all-out war.

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Report: Lebanon vows to disarm Hezbollah, US to give army helicopters

Lebanon’s top leaders Joseph Aoun, Nabih Berri and Nawaf Salam pledged to U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus that arms would be limited to the state’s hands and withdrawn from Hezbollah as an obligatory gateway for the state to extend its authority across its territory, presidential sources said.

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