Lebanon

2 Nov 2019; MEMO: A Lebanese court sentenced an Uber driver to death on Friday for the murder of British embassy worker Rebecca Dykes in December 2017, state news agency NNA said, Reuters reports.

The driver, Tariq Houshieh, confessed to raping and strangling 30-year-old Dykes, who worked at the embassy in Lebanon for Britain’s Department for International Development.

1 Nov 2019; MEMO: A Lebanese security source said a loud explosion was heard near the southern Lebanese village of Nabatieh around 14.00 yesterday which could be caused by the downing of an Israeli drone.

The source added that “information indicates that a surface-to-air missile was fired from Nabatieh targeting the Israeli drone which fell in the vicinity of the town of Kafr Ruman.”

BEIRUT (AP) — The Islamic State group declared a new leader Thursday after it confirmed the death of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi days earlier in a U.S raid in Syria.

In its audio release by the IS central media arm, al-Furqan Foundation, a new spokesman for IS identifies the successor as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi — tracing his lineage, like al-Baghdadi, to the Prophet Muhammad’s Quraysh tribe.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S. forces in armored vehicles conducted a patrol on the Syria-Turkey border on Thursday, the first such exercise since a U.S. decision to withdraw from northeast Syria, according to a Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) military source and a witness.

Armored vehicles carrying a U.S. flag were seen near the Syria-Turkey border, the witness said.

A military source from the Kurdish-led SDF said the patrols would “not be one-time” only.

31 Oct 2019; MEMO: Lebanese President Michel Aoun asked on Wednesday resigning Prime Minister Saad Hariri to continue managing the government until a new one is formed.

This came the day after Prime Minister Hariri submitted his resignation to Baabda Presidential Palace, after two weeks of the protests’ outbreak in Lebanon, demanding the departure of the entire political class.

30 Oct 2019; MEMO: Lebanese soldiers and security officials urged protesters to open blocked roads on Wednesday so life could return to normal after 13 days demonstrations paralysed the country and forced the prime minister to resign, reports Reuters.

Troops cleared one major route north of Beirut after briefly scuffling with demonstrators in the morning. A group of soldiers tried to pick up a vehicle blocking the highway before it drove off, al-Jadeed television footage showed.

Beirut, Oct 30; AFP/GANASHAKTI: Lebanon's prime minister submitted his government's resignation on Tuesday, bowing to nearly two weeks of unprecedented nationwide protests against corruption and sectarianism.

Saad Hariri's sombre televised address was met by cheers from crowds of protesters who have remained mobilised since October 17, crippling the country to press their demands.

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s prime minister resigned Tuesday, bowing to one of the central demands of anti-government demonstrators shortly after baton-wielding Hezbollah supporters rampaged through the main protest camp in Beirut, torching tents, smashing plastic chairs and chasing away protesters.

The demonstrators later returned to the camp in time to hear the news that Prime Minister Saad Hariri said he was stepping down after hitting a “dead end” in trying to resolve the crisis, which has paralyzed the country for nearly two weeks. The protesters erupted in cheers at the news.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The bodies of three men and three women were found at the scene of an attack targeting Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, whose body was taken away by attacking U.S. forces, a commander with a jihadist group in the area said.

The commander said a second body, believed to be that Baghdadi’s deputy, was also removed by the attacking forces in the northwestern Idlib region of Syria.

(This story corrects to show commander saying purported body of Baghdadi not found with others but believed to be taken away by attacking forces)

26 Oct 2019; MEMO: A Saudi newspaper revealed on Friday that the government of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who is allegedly affiliated with the kingdom, will resign within the next 48 hours.

Okaz reported unnamed sources claiming that Hariri will form a new 14-minister mini-government, which will not include any of the ministers of the current government.