BAALBEK, Lebanon: Lebanese security forces carried out a fresh set of raids in the northern Bekaa Valley for a third straight day Saturday, pressing on with a major operation to round of suspected thieves and drug lords. Security sources told The Daily Star that the security plan, launched on Thursday to restore law and […]

  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday stressed that there is no “justification” for the retention of arms by Hizbullah, as he urged Lebanon’s leaders to elect a new president through local efforts. “Make no mistake: there is no justification for the retention of arms by a militia or terrorist group that answers […]

  BEIRUT: Lebanon’s judiciary sentenced two people to life Friday for participating in attacks against the Lebanese Army in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in 2007. Syrian national Ahmad Qassem, 30, and Palestinian Ahmad al-Sheikh, 36, had been indicted for “assaulting the state’s internal security, committing terrorist attacks and funding them, murder and […]

  BEIRUT: Public Works Minister Ghazi Zeaiter revealed Friday that the Dbayyeh coastal road that collapsed during the storm Wednesday had not been maintained for years. In a press conference near the gaping hole that used to be a part of a popular scenic route for motorists north of Beirut, Zeaiter also lamented a lack […]

  The joint security force continued on Friday to implement a security plan established for the Bekaa Valley, detaining dozens of fugitives, the state-run National News Agency reported. Several areas were raided in search for outlaws, who are wanted on security and judicial warrants. Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq, General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim […]

By BASSEM MROUE and MIKE CORDER

BEIRUT (AP) — The public gallery at a Netherlands court was as deserted as the seats set aside for defendants on a recent day at the trial of five Hezbollah suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, one of the most prominent Sunni politicians in the Middle East.

The massive explosion that tore through his convoy on the Beirut seaside 10 years ago sent a tremor across the region and unleashed a popular uprising that briefly united the Lebanese and ejected Syrian troops from the country. But a decade later, and despite millions of dollars spent, justice remains elusive in a case that has been overshadowed by more recent turmoil. "The tribunal harks back to another era, and the latest developments have regrettably overtaken it," said Hilal Khashan, professor of political science at the American University of Beirut.

By Elise Harris

(CNA/EWTN News).- An Iraqi priest currently living in Rome said that those living the nightmare of ISIS are tired of hearing talk about dialogue and human rights, and are ready to see concrete action on the part of political leaders.“Like many other terms, dialogue is abused like the words democracy, peace, defending human rights and many other words. (They) are profaned because everybody talks about them, but in their heart they have other intentions, so who will do dialogue with whom?” Fr. Rebwar Basa told CNA Feb. 2.

“I do not want to hear more from the people or responsible authorities about dialogue and peace. I want to see that people are happy and living a normal life. But what we can see now is that the whole of Iraq is in misery,” he said.Each day that passes without changing the situation brings more destruction, suffering and complication to the situation, the priest explained, noting that those suffering the most are the poor, including Christians, Yazidis and other minorities who have no form of protection.

  BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai has pleaded with France and the Vatican to help in the election of a new Lebanese president, officials said Tuesday, in the latest attempt by the influential Maronite Church to end the 9-month-old vacuum in the country’s top Christian post. Rai made the plea during a two-hour meeting with […]

  Journalist Firas Hatoum and his colleague Rony Rmaity were temporarily detained by Turkish authorities on Tuesday for illegally entering the embattled Syrian town of Kobane, reported al-Akhbar daily. It said that the LBCI television journalist was seeking to film a report for the channel from Kobane, but the advances made by the Islamic State […]

  CAMP LEJEUNE, United States: A U.S. Marine who vanished from his post in Iraq a decade ago and later wound up in Lebanon chose Monday to have his case decided by a military judge instead of a jury. Opening statements were made Tuesday in Cpl. Wassef Hassoun’s trial on charges of desertion, larceny and […]