Lebanon
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Report: Hezbollah hasn't given state guarantees on staying out of war

President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have not received any “official guarantees” from Hezbollah regarding not engaging in a new war in support of Iran, an official source said.

Speaker Nabih Berri also has not received “any pledge of this kind," the source told the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper in remarks published Wednesday.

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Aoun calls for dialogue and moderation to resolve country's crises

President Joseph Aoun called on Wednesday for dialogue and moderation to resolve the country's crises.

"Lebanon's problems cannot be solved except by adopting the language of moderation and dialogue, away from confrontation," Aoun said, adding that "there is no place for despair."

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Erdogan's son to make key visit to Lebanon next month

Bilal Erdoğan, the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will visit Lebanon in mid-November, al-Akhbar newspaper quoted sources as saying.

While the visit’s agenda will be primarily humanitarian and social, the trip carries “strategic motives that extend far beyond charitable work,” the daily said.

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Israeli artillery shells Majdalzoun, al-Mansouri and Zawtar al-Sharqiyeh

Israeli artillery shelled Wednesday Majdalzoun, al-Mansouri and Zawtar al-Sharqiyeh, after forces carried out detonations overnight in the southern border towns of Khiam, Tallousa and Bani Hayyan.

Anxious Israelis were meanwhile watching election results take shape after the highest turnout in over a quarter-century.

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Jumblat defends views as Hezbollah MP slams blatant US 'interference'

Former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat told L'Orient-Le Jour that neither the Lebanese Parliament nor the Cabinet was consulted before the signing of a tripartite framework deal with Israel.

"I have the right to express my opinion," he said, in an interview on Tuesday.

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Report: ISF pursuing 3 men who escorted Hezbollah explosives truck

The Information Branch of the Internal Security Forces has identified three young men from Hezbollah who were escorting the Dahr al-Baidar explosives shipment aboard a Kia vehicle, MTV reported.

According to the report, the three men fled toward Beirut after the explosives vehicle was intercepted at the Dahr al-Baidar checkpoint.

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Rajji fears Hezbollah may be preparing for new war at Iran's request

Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji met Tuesday with Irish Foreign and Defense Minister Helen McEntee and thanked her for “her country's role in the UNIFIL forces and the sacrifices made by its soldiers.”

“We agreed on the necessity of maintaining an international presence in the South, and we discussed the role that the European Union, whose presidency her country currently holds, can play,” Rajji said in a post on X.

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Report: Hezbollah rebuilding defensive, not offensive, capabilities

A senior Lebanese security source has commented on the growing speculation that Hezbollah has begun restoring its military capabilities to offset the losses it had incurred while supporting Gaza and Iran.

The source told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that these claims are deliberately exaggerated. He explained that the party's current activities are strictly limited to fortifying its remaining defensive outposts, which would allow it to hold its ground should Israel choose to expand its security buffer by striking the highlands between Iqlim al-Tuffah and Jabal al-Rihan.

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Bassil hopes Hezbollah won't join new war, warns against civil strife

Free Patriotic Movement chief Gebran Bassil has cautioned that "the upcoming phase carries significant risks for Lebanon and the region," warning of the potential escalation of Israeli attacks and the repercussions of Hezbollah entering a new war.

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Aoun warns of security vacuum if UNIFIL departs without replacement

“There is fear that any vacuum in the South as a result of UNIFIL's departure could have negative repercussions on stability in the region

President Joseph Aoun on Tuesday told the visiting Irish Foreign and Defense Minister Helen McEntee that "Lebanon desires the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to continue its operational mission during the upcoming year designated for its withdrawal under the Security Council resolution.”

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