Tag Archives: lebanon

Lebanese Hezbollah leader Nasrallah confirmed that Hezbollah was fighting in Syria, and vowed to continue the fight. He claimed that attacks by Sunni Islamists against Syria and Lebanon were part of an American plot to protect Israeli interests. Two rockets landed in the al-Shayyah area of Beirut, injuring at least five people, including three Syrians. […]

Army intelligence forces arrested four members of an al Qaeda cell in Ain el-Rummaneh and seized “a quantity of explosives and detonators in their possession.” The four are described as Lebanese and Syrian nationals; a search is on for the remaining cell members.

A senior Lebanese security official said the Al Nusrah Front has spread its influence in north Lebanon in recent months. President Sleiman accused Israel of threats and “daily aerial violations” after Israel criticized UN efforts to keep track of Hezbollah’s weapons; Israel estimates that Hezbollah has 60,000 rockets.

Lebanese Hezbollah downplayed the likelihood of unrest as the country’s political instability worsens following the resignation of the government last month. Gunmen fired at Syrian trucks in Tripoli. A Syrian helicopter fired two rockets at a town near Arsal, an area largely sympathetic to the Syrian rebels; no casualties were reported.

State-run media reported that Salafist cleric Sheikh Salem al-Rafehi escaped an assassination attempt as he was leaving al-Taqwa Mosque in Tripoli; an MP is urging his supporters not to be “dragged into strife” by the incident. Gunmen in Wadi Khaled kidnapped eight Syrian Alawites and are holding them for the release of Mohammed Hussein al-Ahmad, […]

Three days of fighting in Tripoli left 12 people dead. The fighting occurred between a Sunni neighborhood that supports Syrian rebels and an Alawite community that supports the Assad regime. The Lebanese army deployed to stop the fighting.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced the resignation of his government amid disputes over upcoming parliamentary elections. The resignations exacerbated sectarian tensions fueled by the fighting in Syria.