AP, Bassem Mroue

Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group mourned on Friday the killing in Syria of its top military commander, Mustafa Badreddine, who died in an explosion in Damascus — a death that is a major blow to the Shiite group, which has played a significant role in the conflict next door.

Badreddine, 55, had been the mastermind of the group's involvement in Syria's civil war since Hezbollah fighters joined the battle on the side of Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces against those trying to remove him from power, according to pro-Hezbollah media. Hezbollah, along with Iran, has been one of Assad's strongest backers.

But there was little information as to how he was killed. Hezbollah said the attack occurred near the Damascus airport without giving details. The airport is close to the Shiite shrine of Sayyida Zeinab where the group has wide presence and several military positions.

However, a man of Lebanese origin rising to presidency – even in faraway Brazil – was still a reason to celebrate for the twitterati. Temer’s family comes from the northern town of Btaaboura where his distant cousin Bassam Barbar is the mayor. Temer has visited his parents’ home country twice, once in 1997 and the second time in 2011 as vice-president.

Daily Star.com.lb, Several dozen people gathered outside a Future Movement office in Beirut's Al-Tariq al-Jadideh area Thursday to demand payments. A source told The Daily Star that the protesters were staff hired to campaign for the Future Movement's "Beirutis' List" in Sunday's municipal elections in the city. Protesters accused the party's general coordinator for Beirut Bachir Itani of receiving their payments and delaying their delivery, the source added, saying the demonstrators will hold a larger rally in the same area at 6:00 p.m.However, Al-Jadeed television broadcast hidden video recorded by one of its reporters alleging that the protesters were voters who were promised payments for backing the Future list.

The video showed about 30 or 40 people holding up papers and their identity cards to men on a balcony in the Qasqas neighborhood. Al-Jadeed said it will broadcast the video in full during its evening broadcast at 7:50 p.m. The "Beirutis’ List" swept the city’s local elections despite a strong showing by a rival secular group, Beirut Madinati (Beirut My City), on Sunday.

Gulf news  by Joseph A. Kechichian, Beirut: For nearly a century, academic works touted the analysis that Western powers “created artificial nations” in the Eastern Mediterranean, allegedly because Syria, Lebanon and Palestine were deprived of historical legacies.

For just as long, Arab nationalists and Islamists alike focused on the “Sykes-Picot order”, and argued that the time was long overdue to erase the 1916 accord among two leading colonial powers that divided the region to serve their narrow interests.

Beyond simplified analyses, critical assessments of the agreement overlooked the notion that Lebanon (as well as Syria and Palestine) were not “artificial creations” but, on the contrary, benefited from the deal to join the nation-state system, still the most successful business model that functioned, protected citizens, and allowed for the creation of wealth even if the major powers sought to protect oil resources and communication lines.