Army General Jean Qahwaji is almost certain to be named the army commander after Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir withdrew the name of General George Khoury and MP Walid Jumblatt dropped his reservations against Qahwaji according to al Akhbar newspaper and ministerial sources.
Friday
21:47 Information Minister Tarek Mitri said during a press conference after the cabinet meeting: Defense Minister Elias al Murr presented the latest relevant information on the helicopter shooting, and stressed the need to pursue the investigation until its conclusion.
20:41 The Cabinet announces the appointment of General Jean Kahwaji as the new Army Commander.
20:15 Minister of State Wael Abu Faour will address the issue of unauthorized Syrian wells on Lebanese territory during the cabinet’s session in Baabda.
20:00 LBC says Hezbollah has handed over suspects allegedly responsible for Thursday’s downing of a military helicopter.
19:11 Murr said before cabinet meeting that Gen. Jean Kahwaji met the criteria to be next army commander both as a military commander and as a leader. He also said the next army commander should be detached from politics and sectarian divisions
19:05 National unity government led by President Michel Sleiman meets at the presidential palace in Baabda.
18:26 Hezbollah announces , its gunmen are ready to give testimonies on Thursday’s helicopter shooting.
17:20 Armed clashes erupt in the Jabbanat Bab al-Ramel section of Tripoli, leaving three people wounded.
17:19 prayer for the slain martyr Samir Hanna has just begun in the Church of the Lady of the Assumption in Tanurin
17:02 Frankofone delegation will be in Beirut on Monday to meet with Suleiman, Siniora and several ministers
17:00 Sarkozy: My meeting with Assad yielded declaration of establishing diplomatic ties with Lebanon and we hope Lebanon will proceed into indirect talks with Israel
17:00 Representatives of the president, premier and parliament speaker attend the funeral mass of slain 1st Lieutenant Samer Hanna at his hometown of Tannourine .
16:16 Lebanon’s Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar: Underlined the importance of the investigations into Thursday’s helicopter shooting and urged the Lebanese not to rush to conclusions and maintain objectivity in pointing fingers at who was responsible for the shooting.
16:15 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas concludes his visit and leaves Beirut
15:32 former president Amine Gemayel after meeting with president Abbas: Described the visit of the Palestinian President to Beirut as "historic.”
Gemayel outlined the common issues between the Lebanese and Palestinian leaders. “We are fighting a battle together for peace and stability in the region,” Gemayel told reporters. Abbas told Gemayel " Palestine would stand by the Lebanese state in all its decisions."
15:12 NOW Lebanon: Hezbollah security official Wafik Safa is working on coordinating with the Defense Ministry and military leaders to uncover the facts and identify the gunmen behind the downing of a Lebanese army helicopter that killed Captain Samer Hanna on Thursday.
15:09 The Free Patriotic Movement calls on the army to investigate the military helicopter shooting to hold accountable those responsible and warns that the incident should not be exploited politically at this critical stage. ( in defense of its ally Hezbollah )
14:23 Prime Minister Fouad Siniora condemned the helicopter shooting that killed Lebanese officer Samer Hanna. He described the event as a “painful” and “sad” incident that “should strengthen our will to strengthen the state and its institutions.”. “The compass must be pointed to the state, and the investigation to know the truth and bring the perpetrators to justice must be completed,” the PM said.
14:08 Hariri condemns helicopter attack and reiterated his support to the Lebanese army and its general command in facing challenges, during a phone call with Defense Minister Elias al-Murr and Acting Army Commander General Shawki al- Masri
13:27 Hezbollah on Friday issued a press release announcing its willingness to cooperate with the Lebanese army and judicial authorities in revealing the truth behind Thursday's helicopter shooting.
12:35 former Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss : "The area where this distressing incident took place is, as everybody knows, under the control of the Resistance (Hezbollah),"
"Hezbollah must explain and not justify what happened, because the death of a brilliant officer cannot be justified whatever the circumstances of the incident," Hoss added in a statement.
12:15 Maj. Gen Shawki Masri and Maj. Gen. Saeed Eid informed PM Fouad Saniora about the ongoing investigation into the shooting on the army helicopter.
11:30 Free Patriotic Movement representative Alain Aoun defended Hezbollah during an interview with NTV : "Hezbollah is aware enough, and this is not its style. It is in full collaboration with the Lebanese army on both the technical and military levels." He said in defense of Hezbollah that shot an army Helicopter and killed Lebanese officer Samer Hanna
11:15 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Phalange party leader Amin Gemayel who stressed his rejection to naturalize Palestinians in Lebanon.
11:00 Media reports: The shooting attack in Tripoli targeted the home and office of former PM Omar Karami’s brother
10:25 MP Samir Franjiyeh told Future TV: A crime was committed yesterday and an important event took place . No doubt the judiciary will determine who is behind it . But this is very dangerous development and it is a lot more serious than what happened at Mar Michael church . He is talking about the Lebanese pilot Samer Hanna who was killed by Hezbollah yesterday when his Helicopter was attacked
9:48 Buildings housing apartments and offices belonging to politicians in Tripoli’s Maarad street came under fire.
09:40 The body of the slain Lebanese pilot Samer Hanna that killed by Hezbollah yesterday when his Helicopter was attacked was handed over to his relatives by the army after a memorial service at the military hospital . the motorcade carrying his body is heading to Batroun town for morning by a huge crowd and from there his body will be taken to his home town Tanoureen for burial
09:35 al - Hayat: Lebanese judiciary handed over 3 al Qaeda/ Fatah al Islam terrorists to Saudi Arabia. A private jet transported them to Saudi.
08:48 President Suleiman will visit Washington on September 25 to meet with president Bush
08:46 An Nahar : The army was able to put an end to the fighting that broke out Thursday night in the village of Sheikhlar and its surroundings in Dreib Akkar .The fighting lasted 4 hours and left 3 injured amongst them a soldier Jean Kassis
08:45 The VOL reports that buildings, including the apartments and offices of politicians, are being fired at on al-Maarad street in Tripoli on Friday morning.
08:05 Minister Shamsuddine told Kuwaiti newspaper al Rai al Aam : I am for tuning the issue of the missing Emam Moussa al Sadr to the International court in Holland . The Shiites of Lebanon are a part of the government project
07:45 al Akhbar newspaper : Army General Jean Qahwaji is almost certain to be named the army commander after Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir withdrew the name of General George Khoury and MP Walid Jumblatt dropped his reservations against Qahwaji
07:14 Al Hayat : The Democratic Gathering ministers will oppose the appointment of Qahwaji as thae army chief , because the decision to appoint him took place without consulting Jumblatt .
07:00 Marwan Hamade tol VOL: The minsters do not have to unanimously agree on the appointment of army chief for him to be appointed today , the most important is to have the support of the majority .. The killing of Samer Hanna reminded us of previous assassinations that targeted the army
06:56 sadaa al Balad : Hezbollah denied any relationship with the shooting of the army helicopter and the killing of Army pilot 1st Lt. Samer Hanna
06:34 al Akhbar : The renewal of the terms of the central bank vice presidents will be seriously discussed in the cabinet meeting
05:54 Jumblatt told As Safir : I listened to Palestinian president Mahomoud Abbas as he talked about the occupied territories and I felt that there is a positive atmosphere that could lead to a settlement .It reminded me of the atmosphere that prevailed during the Camp David talks of the past.
05:39 The cabinet will meet today to discuss the Hezbollah attack against in the Lebanese army helicopter that led to the killing of Army pilot 1st Lt. Samer Hanna and the appointment of army general . It is almost certain that the army chief will be appointed today
Thursday
21:40 MP Akram Chayeb said that many urgent regional issues had been discussed during the last few months, even as the country was caught between extremism and the possibility of another Syrian occupation, on one hand, and incessant threats from Israel on the other. He said that in the wake of the Doha agreement, dialogue was the best way to unite the people of Lebanon and avoid the many perils the country faced. Chayeb said that despite promises to the contrary, Syria was still intent on dominating to Lebanon. He also said that it was unacceptable for “the most important institution in the country” to not have a leader, and he called for a new army commander to be appointed as soon as possible.
21:33 Walid Jumblatt said that sectarian violence in the North could give Syria an excuse to intervene in Lebanese affairs. Jumblatt said that the Alawi community in Tripoli could request protection from Syria, just as the Christians did in 1976. “Why should we give the Syrians a pretext to intervene like in '76 when some Christian villages were surrounded ... and the Christians went to Damascus and asked for Syrian protection? It could happen again now with the Alawi," Jumblatt said. Jumblatt said that Lebanon suffered from “the cancer of confessionalism.” He said that if the nation was to overcome its sectarian divisions, the problems have “to be worked out step by step -- in every area, in every quarter of Beirut, in every village, in the media.”
21:31 Hezbollah and Amal supporters gather at the Zokak al-Blat.
21:09 Two people are wounded in a shooting on Tarik al - Jedidah.
20:20 Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel denounced the attack on a Lebanese Army helicopter in south Lebanon on Thursday as very serious" and urged the army command to be decisive. "I had repeatedly warned against such a serious development. Less than two weeks ago I warned that the situation in some southern areas is very serious, especially in the Jezzine region and its surroundings where there are security zones that we do not know who is in charge of them," Gemayel said in a radio interview. "The message has been received and the Army Command should be decisive in handling this issue … the government also should take the needed measures and should be frank to the Lebanese people," he added. He said it is "the Lebanese people's right to be informed of the situation in the south and the people has the right to know the truth about the situation in the south, the Bekaa, the north and Beirut. It is our right to know in which direction the nation is headed and who is responsible for its sovereignty and the people's security," Gemayel stressed.
Tags: army, Breaking News, Egypt, Elias al-Murr, Future Movement, Hezbollah, Lebanese Forces, Lebanon, Michel Aoun, Syria