Lebanon
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Weak or not? Can and will Hezbollah join possible Iran war?

Western diplomats have reportedly failed to secure a firm promise from Hezbollah to stay out of a potential conflict between the U.S. and Iran.

A media report claimed that diplomats have sought guarantees from Hezbollah in recent weeks but only received a vague answer and no guarantees.

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US ambassador inspects AI-scanners at Beirut port

U.S. Ambassador Michel Issa visited Thursday the Beirut port to inspect new AI-powered scanners aimed at stopping smuggling.

"We love to help Lebanon," the ambassador told a journalist at the port.

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Jordan PM meets Aoun after signing 22 MoUs with Lebanon

Jordanian Prime Minister Jafar Hassan met Thursday with President Joseph Aoun at the Baabda Palace.

Hassan had arrived Wednesday in Beirut where he met with his Lebanese counterpart Nawaf Salam. The two countries signed at the Grand Serail twenty-two agreements and Memoranda of Understanding for industrial, educational, trade, media, investment, tourism, transport and energy cooperation.

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Lebanon arrests Syrian citizen suspected of funding pro-Assad fighters

Lebanese authorities have arrested a Syrian citizen who is suspected of sending money to fighters loyal to former Syrian President Bashar Assad in Syria, judicial officials said Wednesday.

Ahmad Dunia was detained in recent days in Lebanon's region of Byblos north of Beirut and is being questioned over alleged links to Assad's maternal cousin Rami Makhlouf as well as a former Syrian army general who left the country after Assad's fall in December 2024, the officials said.

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Le Drian also discussed Mechanism 'reinforcement', Hezbollah disarmament in Lebanon visit

French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian addressed in his visit to Lebanon "the reinforcement" of the committee monitoring the year-long ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which France is a part of, French foreign ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said.

The main aim of the visit was to discuss the details of a conference that France will host in March to raise funds for the Lebanese army.

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EU and Lebanon sign six new agreements on security, recovery and reforms

The European Union and the Government of Lebanon have signed six new Financing Agreements, totaling €110.5 million in grants, to support Lebanon’s security sector, recovery in conflict-affected areas, and key reform priorities. All agreements were signed with the Minister of Finance Yassine Jaber.

These grants are funded under the €1 billion support package announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during her visit to Beirut in May 2024. "They reaffirm the European Union’s strong commitment to Lebanon’s stability, sovereignty and security, and to strengthening state institutions at a critical moment for the country," the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon said in a statement Thursday.

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Military official says army evaluating situation between Awwali and Litani rivers

The Lebanese Army is “logistically assessing the situation between the Awali and Litani rivers," a Lebanese military source said, noting that "based on this assessment, the army will develop a vision for the second phase of arms monopolization."

The source emphasized to Al-Jazeera that "military efforts in phase 2 must coincide with political, social and economic efforts," pointing out that "Israeli attacks and a lack of cooperation from Hezbollah’s social environment could obstruct the implementation of the second phase."

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Rajji's remarks on 'Israel’s right' to attack draw condemnations

Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji’s latest remarks on Israel and the ceasefire agreement have drawn condemnations from Hezbollah officials.

"As long as weapons are not permanently restricted, Israel unfortunately has the right to continue its attacks according to the agreement," Rajji said in an interview.

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Hezbollah's Qmati rejects 2nd phase of disarmament, warns of civil war

Hezbollah political bureau member Mahmoud Qmati warned Wednesday against the government's approach to Hezbollah's disarmament, saying that it could lead to a civil war.

Qmati said there will be no talk or dialogue regarding the disarmament of Hezbollah north of the Litani river before Israel withdraws from all Lebanese territories.

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Berri reportedly deems Aoun remarks on Hezbollah 'appropriate'

Hezbollah was reportedly angered after President Joseph Aoun advised it, in a televised address, to return to "reason", arguing that in the current geopolitical climate, the group’s weapons have become unnecessary and a "burden" on both Lebanon and Hezbollah’s own support base.

A prominent source close to the Hezbollah-Amal alliance told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, in remarks published Wednesday, that Hezbollah was "hesitant" to voice its discontent before coordinating with Speaker and ally Nabih Berri, who has a different point of view.

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