Israel Launches Operation to Destroy Tunnels Along Border with Lebanon
- Israeli forces began an operation to destroy tunnels between Lebanon and Israel allegedly built by Hezbollah (Al Jazeera)
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Latest News
Conflict With Hezbollah in Lebanon
No Reason for Syrians to Stay, Says Lebanon’s FM
- Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, during a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, said that many areas of Syria are now safe and that there is “no reason” for Syrian refugees to stay in Lebanon. Thousands of Syrians living in Lebanon have returned home in recent months (Al Jazeera)
Lebanon Holds First General Election in Nine Years
- Voters in Lebanon went to the polls to choose a new government for the first time since 2009. The election also marked the first time the country’s large diaspora was allowed to vote (Daily Star)
- Though official results are expected later on Monday, informal tallies in Lebanese media indicated a decline in support for the Western-backed Future Movement, led by Prime Minister Saad Hariri, and gains for Hezbollah and its allies (Associated Press)
Hundreds Leave Lebanon to Return to Syria
- Hundreds of Syrian who had left their country since the Syrian war began in 2011 left the Sheeba area in Lebanon yesterday for Beit Jinn district, southwest of Damascus, in a convoy organized by the Lebanese authorities (Reuters)
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Urges Lebanon to “Dissociate” Itself from Hezbollah
- Meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Lebanon to “dissociate” itself from Hezbollah, whose presence in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen has “fueled violence”, he says. Hezbollah is included in the current Lebanese coalition government and, supported by Iran, fights alongside the Lebanese Army against the Islamic State (Washington Post)
U.S. Creates New Team to Probe Hezbollah
- The U.S. Justice Department has created a new team to investigate individuals suspected of financing the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The team will use evidence collected in a decade-long Drug Enforcement Agency probe into Hezbollah (Wall Street Journal)
Lebanon’s Hariri Suspends Resignation
- Prime Minister Saad Hariri said he will put his resignation on hold after returning to Beirut and speaking with President Michel Aoun. Hariri announced the surprise resignation earlier this month while in Saudi Arabia, saying he feared for his life (Wall Street Journal)
Hariri to Return to Lebanon
- Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who announced a surprise resignation earlier in November and is now in France, said he will return to Lebanon for independence day celebrations (Al Jazeera)
Hezbollah Urges Calm After Resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister
- Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said he would resign in a televised address from Riyadh on Saturday, citing an alleged plot on his life and denouncing Hezbollah and its Iranian backers (BBC)
- Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, yesterday called for “patience and calm,” and accused Saudi Arabia of orchestrating the resignation (New York Times)
UN Renews Lebanon Peacekeeping Mandate
- The UN Security Council voted unanimously to renew the mandate for its peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, despite complaints from the United States and Israel that the force has not prevented weapons shipments to Hezbollah militants (Middle East Eye)
U.S. Calls on UN to Stem Hezbollah Arms Buildup
- U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley called on the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon to do more to stop illegal arms from reaching the “hands of Hezbollah terrorists.” The UN Security Council is expected to renew the force’s mandate later this month (Voice of America)
Series of Suicide Bombings Target Lebanese Troops
- Five suicide bombings and a hand grenade attack targeted Lebanese troops who were conducting a raid at a refugee camp near the Syrian border. Seven soldiers were wounded and a child was killed (BBC)
Lebanese Politicians Come to Agreement Over Electoral Law
- Cabinet members in Lebanon have agreed upon a new law governing the election of parliament, allowing the current parliament to continue its term until new elections are held in May 2018 (Reuters)
Gunmen Attack Military Installation in Northern Lebanon
- Gunmen attacked a military installation in northern Lebanon, killing one soldier and wounding another, the army reported (Reuters)
Parliament Elects Michael Aoun as President, Ending Two Year Stalemate
- Lebanon’s Parliament has elected former general Michael Aoun as president, ending a political stalemate that left the presidency open for more than two years (BBC)
U.S. Gives New Military Equipment to Lebanon
- The United States delivered up to $50 million in military aid to Lebanon’s army to help it fight against Muslim extremists near border with Syria (ABC)
Lebanon Raids Syrian Refugee Camp After Bombings
- Lebanese forces arrested more than a hundred people for not having appropriate legal papers in Syrian refugee camps following a series of bombings in the northeastern town of Qaa (WSJ)
Lebanon Struck by Wave of Suicide Bombings
Lebanon to Apply U.S. Law Targeting Hezbollah
- The Lebanese central bank said it would apply a U.S. law, passed in December, that threatens anyone who finances the militant group Hezbollah with sanctions and account closures (Al Jazeera)
- Also in Lebanon a judge sentenced 106 men to death over attacks in the town of Arsal near the border with Syria two years ago (Middle East Eye)
Top Hezbollah Military Commander Killed in Syria
- The top military commander for Hezbollah in Syria was killed in a “huge blast” near the Damascus airport . Mustafa Amine Badreddine oversaw Hezbollah’s forces in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad and was also being tried in absentia in Lebanon for the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri (Middle East Eye)
Widespread Israeli Strikes in Southern Lebanon
- The strikes hit weapons depots near several villages, following Israeli evacuation orders for civilians (Reuters)
- Israeli and Lebanese officials held their first-ever direct talks yesterday, which officials characterized as “positive;” reports suggested that another meeting exploring bilateral economic issues will be held later this month (Times of Israel)
- Iran has simultaneously pushed for stronger ties with Lebanon, extending an invitation for Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Raji to visit Tehran (Reuters)