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EU, Lebanon discuss Syrian refugee issue

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:09:14 +0300

Beirut, June 19 (IANS) Visiting EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton Tuesday held talks with the Lebanese officials over the plight of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, while calling for "a political solution to the conflict in Syria".

Deadly clashes erupt in south Lebanon

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:40:10 +0300

Two people killed in gunfight between pro-Hezbollah group and followers of Sunni cleric in Sidon, local media reports.

From boy scout musician to Syria 'martyr'

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:40:20 +0300

For years, Maher Sukkar, a Palestinian living in Lebanon, belonged to a boy scout troupe and played music. No one expected him to join the radical Al-Nusra Front and die fighting in Syria.

Lebanese minister accuses Syria of "ethnic cleansing"

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:23:04 +0300

* Minister says Syria driving refugees into Lebanon * U.N. refugee agency chief appeals for more aid for Lebanon (Adds Guterres quote, aid figures for Lebanon) By Erika Solomon BEIRUT, June 18 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces have begun ethnically cleansing Sunni Muslims and deliberately pushing refugees across the border into Lebanon, the Lebanese caretaker minister for social affairs said on Tuesday. Assad is battling a Sunni-led revolt in Syria, which he and his father before him have ruled for four decades. ...

Syria-related clashes in Lebanon's Sidon, one dead

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:21:39 +0300

BEIRUT, June 18 (Reuters) - Militants supporting opposing sides of Syria's civil war clashed in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon on Tuesday, killing one, a security source said, rocking a city where divisions have been simmering for months. Syria's war started with pro-democracy rallies but was suppressed by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Now majority Sunni Muslim rebels wage war against his armed forces, which are led by Alawites, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam. ...

Lebanese minister accuses Syria of "ethnic cleansing" of Sunnis

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:00:50 +0300

* Wael Abu Faour says Syria driving refugees into Lebanon * U.N. refugee agency chief appeals for more aid for Lebanon By Erika Solomon BEIRUT, June 18 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces have begun ethnically cleansing Sunni Muslims and deliberately pushing refugees across the border into Lebanon, the Lebanese caretaker minister for social affairs said on Tuesday. Assad is battling a Sunni-led revolt in Syria, which he and his father before him have ruled for four decades. He belongs to the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam. ...

Lebanese Sunni Muslim politician warns of state collapse

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:11:20 +0300

BEIRUT, June 18 (Reuters) - Lebanon's main Sunni Muslim political party pleaded with the presidency on Tuesday to prevent "state collapse", blaming the Shi'ite Hezbollah group for dragging the country into the war in neighbouring Syria. Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah militants are openly fighting for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as he battles a 27-month-old Sunni-led revolt. Inter-communal violence has spread to religiously-mixed Lebanese cities and border towns. "Hezbollah is serving Syria and Iran at the expense of the Lebanese," ex-Prime Minister Fouad Siniora told reporters. ...

Hamas calls on Hezbollah to pull fighters out of Syria

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:01:44 +0300

* Hamas says Hezbollah involvement inflames sectarian conflict * Hamas denies involvement in the fighting in Syria GAZA, June 17 (Reuters) - The Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement on Monday urged Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to withdraw its forces from Syria, where they are battling for President Bashar al-Assad, and focus on fighting Israel instead. Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, was once an Assad ally but last year endorsed the revolt against him in a shift that at the time deprived the Syrian leader of an important Sunni Muslim supporter in the Arab world. ...

Syrian war intensifies Lebanon's divisions

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:31:37 +0300

Threat of 'all-out war' between Sunni and Alawite neighbours in north Tripoli as Syrian conflict spills over the border.

Putin says West arming Syrian rebels who eat human flesh

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 06:17:47 +0300

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis and Alexei Anishchuk AMMAN/LONDON (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin, arriving in Britain before an international summit set to be dominated by disagreement over the U.S. decision to send weapons to Syria's rebels, said the West must not arm fighters who eat human flesh. In Syria, rebels fought back on Sunday against forces of President Bashar al-Assad and his Lebanese Hezbollah allies near Aleppo, where Assad has announced a campaign to recapture the rebel-held north after seizing a strategic town this month. ...

Gunmen kill four Shi'ite Lebanese in Bekaa Valley

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 18:14:47 +0300

BEIRUT, June 16 (Reuters) - Gunmen shot dead four Shi'ite Muslim men in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley in an ambush on Sunday, security sources said, in the latest sectarian violence close to the border with Syria. The civil war just a few miles across the border in Syria has inflamed tensions in the Bekaa Valley, where Sunni Muslims who support the uprising against Bashar al-Assad live close to Shi'ites who back the Syrian president. It was not clear who was responsible for Sunday's killings. A military source said residents of the nearby Sunni Muslim town of Arsal denied any involvement. ...

Gunmen kill four Lebanese Shiites

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 17:10:04 +0300

Unidentified gunmen killed four Shiites in the Bekaa region of eastern Lebanon on Sunday, a security source told AFP, as the conflict in Syria raised fresh tensions in its neighbour.

Iran's Rowhani 'beacon of hope': Hezbollah

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 13:09:16 +0300

Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah, a close ally of Tehran, welcomed the election of Hassan Rowhani as Iran's new president on Sunday, calling him a "beacon of hope".

Over 530,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 12:01:03 +0300

Beirut, June 16 (IANS) The UN Higher Council for Refugees said Sunday that the number of Syrians who have fled their war-torn country to Lebanon has exceeded 530,000.

Release of 9 Saudis in Lebanon sought

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:08:00 +0300

Abdul Rahman Al-Jareis, lawyer of the nine Saudis detained in Lebanon, said the Saudi Embassy in Lebanon has started taking steps to seek their release and has hired lawyers to follow up on the case.Al-Jareis said the judicial path will take too long and appealed to Lebanese President Michel Suleiman to intervene in the case.He urged the Lebanese authorities and security agencies to issue an amnesty to end the sufferings of the detainees by returning them to Saudi Arabia, where they can finish their sentences with their families during Ramadan. ...

Egypt's Mursi calls for Syria no-fly zone

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 22:28:22 +0300

CAIRO, June 15 (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi urged world powers not to hesitate to enforce a no-fly zone over Syria on Saturday, as he threw the backing of the most populous Arab state firmly behind the revolt against the Iranian-backed Damascus government. The Islamist head of state had previously appeared somewhat less confrontational toward President Bashar al-Assad than Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. But in a speech to Sunni Muslim clerics in Cairo he said he had cut all ties to Damascus and demanded Lebanon's Shi'ite Hezbollah movement quit Syria. ...

Lebanon’s Shi’ites divided over Hezbollah’s role in Syria

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 20:03:00 +0300

Riyadh—The Hezbollah movement and its controversial intervention in the conflict in neighboring Syria are not unanimously supported by Lebanon’s Shi’ite community, affirmed the head of Lebanon’s Free Shi’a Movement, Sheikh Mohammad Al-Hajj Hassan.Speaking exclusively to Asharq AL-Awsat, Sheikh Hassan claimed that more than 300,000 Lebanese Shi’ites oppose Hezbollah and its policies, adding that this figure is rising after the Shi’ite militia revealed itself to be nothing more than “a party of fighters and murderers following its intervention in the Syrian crisis. ...

Lebanon's Sunnis search for a saviour

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 17:30:35 +0300

As the Syrian conflict spills over, the Sunni community in Lebanon finds itself lacking leadership.

In Lebanon, traumatised Syrians struggle to survive

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 16:39:33 +0300

Sadness is written on the face of 45-year-old Jamila, living in the open-air municipal courtyard of Arsal in Lebanon and still traumatised by her escape from Syria's former rebel stronghold Qusayr.

Students’ success ‘sweetens’ cake business

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 03:03:00 +0300

Cake and confectionery shops here are reporting a hike in sales of between 15 and 20 percent because of the demand from graduating school and university students.Also being sold out quickly are related items such as disposable cups, spoons and decorations, according to workers and traders.Khaldoun, a Lebanese director of a fancy cake and chocolate shop in Al-Khaldiyah, told Arab News that they have been receiving orders for graduation cakes for around two weeks. Demand is usually steady for more than three weeks after students complete their examinations. ...

U.N. rights forum condemns Hezbollah role in Syria

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 22:08:16 +0300

* Resolution says foreign fighters exacerbating conflict * Stops short of calling for halt to arms flow * Heated debate held after U.S. says to arm rebels By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA, June 14 (Reuters) - The U.N. Human Rights Council on Friday condemned the use of all foreign fighters in Syria's civil war, including Lebanese Hezbollah militants backing the government, but stopped short of calling for a halt to the flow of arms. ...

Hezbollah will stay involved in Syria war: Nasrallah

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:34:39 +0300

Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah will stay involved in the Syrian conflict, after having helped government forces recapture the key town of Qusayr from rebels, its leader Hassan Nasrallah said Friday.

Hezbollah leader says will keep fighting in Syria

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 19:52:41 +0300

(Adds quote, details) BEIRUT, June 14 (Reuters) - Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah promised on Friday the Lebanese militant group would keep fighting for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after it spearheaded the recapture of the strategic town of Qusair last week. Echoing the determination of a speech three weeks ago, when he pledged to battle until victory, Nasrallah said Hezbollah was aware of the cost of military engagement in Syria's civil war and would not be deflected from its goal. "We will not change our position. After Qusair is the same as before Qusair ... ...

Kuwait parliament condemns sectarian rhetoric over Syria

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 00:00:47 +0300

KUWAIT, June 13 (Reuters) - Kuwait's parliament on Thursday condemned attempts to use the crisis in Syria to stoke sectarian tensions, calling for the government to crack down on "extremist behaviour" and rhetoric in the Gulf Arab state. The statement appeared to be a response to an anti-Hezbollah demonstration outside the Lebanese Embassy in Kuwait on Tuesday where a Sunni Muslim cleric gave a fiery speech against the involvement of the Lebanese Shi'ite group in Syria's civil war. ...

Opinion: Lebanon must pay the bill

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 21:23:07 +0300

The Gulf Cooperation Council needs to confront Hezbollah’s terrorist militias with a clear policy more than ever before. What is needed is something that that goes beyond merely “considering” or “thinking about” whether or not it should be classified as a terrorist faction. Today, the danger posed by Hezbollah cannot be overlooked. The mask has been removed, exposing the face of a sectarian, terrorist, criminal and traitorous organization that has conspired against an unarmed nation to the advantage of a bloodthirsty regime that has proven to be tyrannical and criminal par excellence. ...

Syrian helicopter fires on Lebanese town, two wounded

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 00:26:22 +0300

(Adds comment from Syrian state news agency) BEIRUT, June 12 (Reuters) - A Syrian helicopter opened fire on a Lebanese border town in the eastern Bekaa Valley on Wednesday, wounding two people, security sources said. The incident took place in the mainly Sunni Muslim town of Arsal, whose residents strongly support the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad in neighbouring Syria. Syrian state news agency SANA said the helicopter was chasing "terrorist groups" who were trying to escape to Lebanon. ...

Israeli pilots say training for Syria, Lebanon threats

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 23:00:19 +0300

Israeli air force pilots are training daily to meet threats posed by instability in neighbouring Syria and Lebanon, pilots at a base in the north of the Jewish state said on Wednesday.

Lebanon warns Syria over helicopter raid

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 20:14:40 +0300

Army vows to respond to any further cross-border attacks after Syrian helicopter gunship fires on Lebanese border town.

Iran nuclear push, flashpoints role has West in a bind

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:58:43 +0300

Iran's role in flashpoints like Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan is proving a headache for the West as it tries to normalise ties with Tehran without a trade-off on its contested nuclear drive.

Lebanon army warns will hit back against any new Syria raids

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 16:40:56 +0300

Lebanon's army said it will immediately respond to any further cross-border attacks by the Syrian military after a helicopter gunship attacked the eastern town of Arsal on Wednesday.

Syria helicopter hits Lebanon town, several hurt

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:44:04 +0300

A Syrian helicopter fired three missiles Wednesday on a Lebanese border town whose majority Sunni residents back the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, a security official said, adding several people were wounded.

Kuwaitis boycott Iran goods, protest against Hezbollah

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:41:54 +0300

Several Kuwaiti supermarket chains have begun boycotting products from Iran for its support of the Syrian regime, while activists staged a demonstration against the involvement of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement in the conflict.

Hezbollah tips Syria power balance, polarises Lebanon

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 09:00:00 +0300

(Repeats story from June 11) * Hezbollah intervention in Syria swings momentum toward Assad * Islamist group's role in Syria polarises region * Alarmed by Syria and Hezbollah's gains, U.S. might arm rebels By Samia Nakhoul BEIRUT, June 11 (Reuters) - Lebanese have long viewed the Hezbollah guerrilla army as a state-within-a-state. But having watched it launch a military adventure in Syria and brutality on the streets of Beirut, they feel ever more hostage to the Islamist group's regional agenda. ...

Saudi students told to leave Lebanon

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 03:28:00 +0300

The Kingdom has instructed Saudi students in Lebanon to leave the country next week when their exams are over as political tensions there are rising and the security situation is not satisfactory.It follows last week’s GCC’s advisory urging citizens to avoid traveling to Lebanon or staying there.Ali bin Awad Asiri, the Saudi ambassador in Beirut, said it is important for all Saudis currently in Lebanon to go home. The embassy is in contact with the Saudi students and residents in Lebanon, he added. ...

Hezbollah supporters to be thrown out of GCC countries

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 03:00:00 +0300

The GCC will take measures against members of Lebanon's Hezbollah over the Shiite movement's military role in Syria against freedom fighters.The measures will affect their “residency permits, and financial and commercial transactions,” said a GCC statement, citing a ministerial council decision.The statement urged the Lebanese government to “assume its responsibilities toward the behavior of Hezbollah and its illegal and inhumane practices in Syria and the region. ...

Top Egypt cleric condemns "sectarian" foes in Syria

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:15:28 +0300

CAIRO, June 11 (Reuters) - Egypt's most senior Muslim cleric, a leading voice of mainstream Sunni Islam across the Middle East, has condemned Shi'ites for engaging in "hateful sectarian strife" in Syria. In a statement that highlighted a deepening rift in the region since Hezbollah committed itself in the Syrian civil war, Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb also condemned the Lebanese Shi'ite militia for turning away from its struggle against Israel. ...

Bombers strike in central Damascus, killing 14

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:48:02 +0300

* Rebels on defensive as Assad's troops counter-attack * Rockets fired across border into Lebanon * Military said to be airlifting troops to Aleppo (Adds fighting in Raqqa and Aleppo, Lebanon rockets) BEIRUT, June 11 (Reuters) - Bombers attacked a Damascus police station on Tuesday, killing at least 14 people in the heart of the capital as President Bashar al-Assad's army fought rebels in their strongholds in the east and north of Syria. Syrian state media said two suicide bombers struck near a police building in Marjeh Square, on the edge of the old city of Damascus. ...

Rockets from Syria hit northern Lebanon

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:37:07 +0300

One person reportedly killed and several injured after 10 rockets hit northern border town of Hermel.

Lebanese referee jailed six months in Singapore

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:08:24 +0300

Singapore, June 11 (IANS) A Lebanese referee was sentenced to six months in jail here Tuesday for accepting free sex in return to fix an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup match involving Indian club East Bengal.

Gulf states to act against Hezbollah members

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:21:58 +0300

The Gulf Cooperation Council said it will take measures against members of Lebanon's Hezbollah over the Shiite movement's military intervention against Syrian rebels.