By Najia Houssari -- arabnews.com -- BEIRUT: Hezbollah is experiencing political confusion, writer and political analyst Sana Aljak said on Wednesday, amid reports of a disagreement between the party and the Amal Movement headed by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on their earlier call to remove Judge Tarek Bitar from his investigation into last year's Beirut port blast. The government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati has been stuck over how to respond to calls for Bitar's removal, and the positive atmosphere that prevailed in a meeting on Monday between Berri, Mikati and President Michel Aoun had not materialized into concrete steps by the middle of the week. There were also claims of a dispute between Berri and Hezbollah on the solutions proposed for resuming Cabinet meetings. The two allies have boycotted the meetings since Oct. 12, against the backdrop of the port blast investigation, and the government turmoil has been aggravated by a provocative statement from Information Minister George Kordahi about the war in Yemen.

The meeting on Lebanon’s Independence Day produced, according to the information that followed, “flexibility, positivity, and openness to resolving outstanding problems.” There has been an increasing level of conversation about solutions related to Kordahi. There are also reports that Aoun promised to facilitate understanding on solutions provided that the prime minister, after his Vatican visit to meet Pope Francis, invited a Cabinet session that conveyed to the international community the government’s seriousness about implementing commitments to save Lebanon from collapse. The information circulated said the way out regarding Hezbollah’s demand to suspend Bitar was to limit his powers. Accordingly, out of respect for the provisions of the constitution, Bitar should not be allowed to investigate accused officials, including ministers, MPs and a former prime minister, and try these officials before the Supreme Council for the trial of presidents and ministers.

by Reuters — BEIRUT: Lebanon’s president told Gov. Riad Salameh on Wednesday to provide data for a forensic audit of the central …

BEIRUT, Lebanon (UPI) by Dalai Saoud -- Lebanon's emerging crisis with Saudi Arabia and some Gulf countries is deepening, with not enough internal efforts being exerted or Arab mediation in sight to help resolve it, diplomatic and political sources said. The Saudi decision Oct. 29 to expel Lebanon's ambassador and ban its imports stays in place while more punitive measures are feared. The measures came as an angry reaction to critical comments by Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi concerning Saudi military intervention in Yemen.

Three Arab Gulf countries -- Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates-- quickly sided with Riyadh, recalling their ambassadors from Beirut and asking Lebanon's envoys to leave. The diplomatic row came at the worse time for Lebanon, which has been grappling with one of most terrible economic crises in the world and is counting on its traditional rich Gulf supporters for rescue. By describing Yemen's seven-year war as "futile" and supporting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in defending themselves against "external aggression," Kordahi unleashed Saudi growing anger over its onetime protégé. At the heart of the problem is the rising influence and dominance of Iran's proxy in Lebanon, the heavily armed Hezbollah.

by al-monitor.com — An increasing number of children in Lebanon are not getting enough food as a result of the economic crisis, …