Lebanon

10 March 2022; MEMO: Appeals judges at the Lebanon Tribunal, on Thursday, convicted another two men on charges of terrorism and murder for their role in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik Al-Hariri, reversing their earlier acquittal, Reuters reports.

"The Appeals Chamber had unanimously decided to reverse the acquittals (…) we unanimously find misters (Hassan Habib) Merhi and (Hussein Hassan) Oneissi guilty," presiding Judge, Ivana Hrdlickova, said in a summary of the judgement read out in court.

BEIRUT, Mar 10 (NNN-NNA) – The International Organisation of Migration (IOM), yesterday, launched a project to support the livelihood of Syrian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese communities in Lebanon.

The one-year project aimed to shore up 604 Lebanese and Syrian people, by fostering employment and income-generating opportunities, in the communities lacking public services in North and Akkar governorates, and Beqaa Valley, according to the UN agency.

09 March 2022; MEMO: Lebanese Minister of Economy and Trade Amin Salam has met with the ambassadors of Turkey and India and discussed ways to support Lebanon during the supply crisis resulting from the Russian military operation in Ukraine, Anadolu reported.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Economy quoted Salam as saying that the meetings aimed "to complement efforts to confront the repercussions of the crisis in Ukraine, and in the interest of food security."

03 March 2022; MEMO: The head of Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party yesterday slammed the international community for not imposing sanctions on Israel. Walid Jumblatt referred to the recent sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine when he made his comments.

BEIRUT, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Germany's KfW Development Bank and the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) have signed an agreement to rehabilitate the municipal facilities damaged by the Beirut Port explosion in the next three years, a UN press release said Wednesday.

The rehabilitation work by the UNOPS also aims to restore critical urban services including roads and wastewater networks and provide solar energy solutions, with the financial support of 20 million euros (22.2 million U.S. dollars) from the KfW bank, according to the UN press release.

BEIRUT, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)'s new chief, vowed on Monday to ensure the sustained cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel, and to foster the respect of the Blue Line by both parties.

BEIRUT (AP) — From a tent in the rebel-held pocket of Syria, Ahmad Rakan has closely followed news of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. More than two years ago, a Russian airstrike destroyed his house in a nearby village during a months-long Syrian government offensive backed by Moscow’s firepower that drove him and tens of thousands of others from their homes.

“We more than anyone else feel their pain,” he said of Ukrainian civilians currently under Russian bombardment.

28 Feb 2022; MEMO: Lebanese President Michel Aoun said isolating Hezbollah will lead to civil war in Lebanon.

In an interview with Asas news site, Aoun said: "Isolating Hezbollah means a civil war."

Regarding Hezbollah's handling of the indirect talks with Israel regarding maritime demarcation, Aoun explained that the group "was logical, leaving the government to deal with this file."

A senior Hamas delegation on Friday met with Hezbollah's official in charge of Palestinian relations, Hassan Hoballah, and his assistant Atallah Hammoud in Beirut.

In a statement, Hamas said that the delegation included Hamas's Head of Arab and Islamic Relations Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas's representative in Lebanon Ahmed Abdel Hadi, member of the Bureau on Arab and Islamic Relations Osama Hamdan and Hamas leader's media advisor, Taher Al-Nono.

BEIRUT (AP) — Canadian officials are working with Syrian Kurdish authorities and international organizations to gather information and help Canadian citizens being detained in Syria, a Canadian government spokesman said Thursday.

Sabrina Williams, spokesperson for Canada’s Ministry of Global Affairs, cautioned that her government’s ability to provide consular assistance in Syria is “extremely limited.”