LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – According to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the men killed were foreign fighters who had joined the insurgency but were caught trying to leave territory controlled by militants. These numbers were probably underestimates. "We believe that the real number of people that had been killed by ISIS is higher than the number documented," it said on its Web site.

Those who were killed for their attempted desertion were among at least 1,878 people executed in six months by the self-styled Islamic State, which enforces an extreme version of religious law on the areas it controls. The group says that of 930 of the civilians executed by ISIS were members of the Sheitaat. The Sheitaat is a Sunni Muslim tribe from eastern Syria, which fought Islamic State for control of two oilfields in August.

By Hugh Naylor, Washington Post

BEIRUT — Not so long ago, the historic downtown of Beirut was a wasteland of scorched buildings and rubble. Lebanon’s civil war, which ended in 1990, destroyed an area known for its picturesque Mediterranean vistas and Roman and Mamluk ruins.

Now, after a multibillion-dollar reconstruction project, the city center features plush apartments and posh cafes, refurbished Ottoman-era buildings and boutiques by Burberry and Versace. Yet one element seems to be lacking: people.

“Even the rich people don’t bother coming anymore,” Mohammed Younnes, 27, said

on a recent Saturday evening as he gazed at the empty tables of Grand Cafe, an eatery he manages in downtown Nejmeh Square. Businesses in the square, distinctive for an art deco clock tower with “Rolex” written on its dial, are relocating or going bankrupt.

Beirut’s shiny new downtown has struggled for various reasons. Despite the end of the civil war, violence has continued to batter the country. In 2006, war broke out with Israel, damaging Lebanon’s economy and leaving shops and restaurants empty. In addition, persistent sectarian feuds have erupted in bombings and demonstrations in central Beirut. Lately, fighters in Syria’s civil war have launched cross-border attacks into Lebanon.

  Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi lauded on Thursday the exerted efforts to launch dialogue between the political arch-foes to break the ice and reduce tension in Lebanon. “Dialogue between rival parties would end the ongoing dilemmas in the country,” al-Rahi said in his New Year’s Day sermon at Bkirki. The patriarch expressed hope that the […]

  BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army engaged in clashes with militants near the border with Syria Thursday, shelling gunmen positions along the northeastern region. The National News Agency said that the Army succeeded in halting the movement of militants on the outskirts of the northeastern town of Arsal after they shelled their positions. The report said […]

  BEIRUT: A group of bikers gathered in Downtown Beirut Thursday to protest the recent bike curfew in the country imposed by the Interior Ministry, arguing that such a decision impacted the lives of many residents. Dressed in their biker gear, the protesters gathered near Martyrs’ Square in protest of the nighttime ban on motorcycles […]

khazen.org offers its deepest condolences to the Karame Family for the passing of one of the founding fathers of modern Lebanon PM Omar Karame. It is a great loss for Lebanon. Our prayers are with his family.

Relatives and mourners carry the coffin of Lebanon’s former prime minister Omar Karami during his funeral in Tripoli, northern Lebanon January 2, 2015.  REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim (LEBANON – Tags: POLITICS OBITUARY)

Faisal Karami (2nd L), former minister and son of Lebanon’s former prime minister Omar Karami, holds the coffin of his father as people mourn his death during his funeral in Tripoli, northern Lebanon January 2, 2015. REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim (LEBANON – Tags: POLITICS OBITUARY)

Lebanese army soldiers and policemen stand near the coffin of Lebanon’s former prime minister Omar Karami during his funeral in Tripoli, northern Lebanon January 2, 2015.

PM Omar Karame with his Son Faysal Karame

PM Omar Karame with supporters during General Elections in 2009

PM Omar Karame with PM Selim Hoss, PM Fouad Senioura and PM Najib Mikati

Omar Karame and PM Hariri

A giant copy of the original Lebanese flag — drawn and approved by lawmakers during the declaration of independence in 1943 — hangs on the wall of a building in Beirut to commemorate Independence Day on November 21, 2014 (AFP Photo/Joseph Eid)

Tripoli (Lebanon) (AFP) – Omar Karame, Lebanon’s first post-war prime minister  has died at the age of 80, his family announced on Thursday.

"With great sadness… the Karame family announces the death of the great Omar Abdel Hamid Karame," they said in a statement.

Family sources said Karame had died of stomach cancer.

His health had been deteriorating for the past two years, and he was admitted to hospital a month ago, falling into a coma a few days before his death.

By Michael Young