Syria accuses Lebanon of “incubating” terrorists

Damascus has sent a letter to the United Nations accusing some Lebanese areas of helping al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood to take root along the Syrian border, adding to its criticism of Turkey and Libya for allegedly providing arms to Syrian rebels.

“Some Lebanese areas next to the Syrian border are incubating terrorist elements (more…)

Russia: Iran, Syria a chess game ‘not American football’

Leaders from the Group of Eight nations sought to smooth over disagreements about how to contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions and stem violence in Syria, as Russia warned Western powers that they should approach Middle East disputes with more delicacy. (more…)

U.S. Embassy ruled out the return of Syrian army to Lebanon

The U.S. Embassy ruled out on Thursday the return of the Syrian army to Lebanon, calling on Christians to open the doors of dialogue instead of focusing on fears.

This comes in response to Rifaat Eid, the head of the Arab Democratic Party, who called on Wednesday for the return of the Syrian army (more…)

13 year old boy killed in renewed Tripoli clashes

A 13-year-old boy was killed and at least four other people wounded by sniper fire in the Lebanese city of Tripoli in north Lebanon on Wednesday . (more…)

Pity the tiny nation

Woe, again, is Lebanon. Pity the tiny nation that seems condemned to be dragged into virtually every one of the region’s conflagrations. Such is the fate of a perennially divided country.

Right from the start of the uprising against Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, it was inevitable that similar tensions would echo inside the borders of Syria’s smaller, weaker, more subdivided neighbour ( (more…)

Charbel: Al-Qaeda doesn’t exist in Lebanon

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said Wednesday that there are individuals in Lebanon who sympathize with Al-Qaeda, but that the group as an organization does not exist in the country does not have any bases and does not receive any funding. (more…)

Renewed fighting rocks Lebanon’s Tripoli

Heavy fighting rocked Lebanon’s northern port of Tripoli for a fourth day on Wednesday, wounding
at least six people in a city where sectarian tensions have been growing over the revolt in neighbouring Syria, security sources said.

The fighting in Tripoli, 70 km (43 miles) from Beirut, has highlighted how violence in Syria can spill into Lebanon (more…)

Syria’s neighbors funding, arming rebels, report

Syrian rebels battling the regime of President Bashar al-Assad have begun receiving significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, an effort paid for by the Gulf nations and coordinated in part by the United States, according to opposition activists and U.S. and foreign officials. (more…)

Syrian opposition re-elects Ghalioun as its leader

Syria’s opposition umbrella group, the Syrian National Council, has re-elected its president Burhan Ghalioun to another three-month term.

Bassam Imadi, the council’s representative in Rome, said the vote was taken during a conference of council members here Tuesday. (more…)

Lebanese army deploys in Tripoli areas hit by fighting

The Lebanese army deployed Tuesday in sectors of Tripoli affected by clashes, calming the area after three days of sectarian fighting that killed nine people, an AFP correspondent said.

Troops entered Syria Street, the frontline of fighting between the districts of Bab el-Tebbaneh, and Jabal Mohsen, (more…)