BY MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS AND ABBY SEWELL NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The United Nations refugee agency said Friday it was “extremely concerned” over the return of more than 100 Syrian nationals from Cyprus to Lebanon without being screened to determine whether they need legal protection and who may be deported back to their war-wracked homeland. The UNHCR office in Cyprus said deportations and transfers between states “without legal and procedural safeguards for persons who may be in need of international protection” are against international and European law. Such transfers could result in people sent back to a country where “they may face the risk of persecution, torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and other irreparable harm,” the agency told the Associated Press. The Cyprus government said such returns are being lawfully carried out in line with a bilateral agreement the island nation and neighboring Lebanon signed in 2004.

According to senior Interior Ministry official Loizos Hadjivasiliou, the agreement obligates Lebanon to prevent and stop illegal border crossings and illegal migration of individuals who depart from Lebanon. Hadjivasiliou told the Associated Press these individuals are returned to Lebanon, which is deemed safe and where they enjoy benefits afforded to the hundreds of thousands of refugees in the country. “Under these circumstances, we believe that they don’t face any danger and their choice to set sail toward a European Union member country is being made for clearly economic reasons.”

by Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN -- Authorities in Lebanon moved to ban the “Barbie” movie from cinemas on Wednesday, saying it promotes homosexuality and violates the nation’s values. Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada banned the film from cinemas after delaying its release date to late August, saying it contradicts the “moral and religious values as well as the principles of Lebanon,” state-run media reported Wednesday. The minister said the movie also “promotes sexual deviance and transsexuality,” by Lebanese state-run media on Wednesday. “Sexual deviance” is a term commonly used in the Middle East to refer to homosexuals. The ban comes amid heightened anti-LGBTQ rhetoric by some politicians and government officials in Lebanon and the wider Middle East.

How Barbie made a surprising comeback Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon’s Shiite Islamist Hezbollah movement, launched a tirade against homosexuals in late July during a speech marking Ashura, which commemorates the killing of the Hussain bin Ali, Prophet Mohammed’s grandson, in the 7th century. He referred to homosexuality as “sexual perversion” and identified same-sex relations as a “threat” to Lebanon. Days earlier, Nasrallah threatened the LGBTQ community in a video message, encouraging the use of derogatory terms and for them to be punished.

By Najia Houssari -- arabnews.com -- BEIRUT: At least two people were killed on Wednesday in clashes between armed Hezbollah fighters and Christian residents of Kahale, after a militia truck overturned on the road between Damascus and Beirut. Shots were fired after Hezbollah operatives who were escorting the vehicle surrounded the truck, which crashed on a downhill turn near Kahaleh, about 15km from the Lebanese capital. Security sources said one of the dead was a Hezbollah member and the other was villager Fadi Bejjani, 60. TV footage showed men in plainclothes firing rifles in the street. A third person was reportedly injured in the shootout, and bullets damaged nearby buildings.

Lebanese army troops were deployed around the lorry at nightfall while a crane was used to remove wooden crates from it. Witnesses said the boxes appeared to be ammunition crates, but there was no official confirmation. The truck was plain white in color with no military markings. Hezbollah later confirmed the truck belonged to them and one of their members had been killed while securing it. Church bells rang in the village to call people to gather. There were confrontations between villagers and the army as soldiers tried to prevent civilians from approaching the truck. The vehicle overturned at a notorious accident spot on the treacherous, winding road, which has many dangerous curves. Witnesses said the driver was injured when it overturned and fled the scene. A village spokesperson said they would not allow the vehicle to be moved, and urged “the Lebanese state to carry out its duties.” He added: “The army personnel who are present do nothing.”

by Dario Sabaghi -- newarab.com -- The Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh in Sidon, Lebanon, became the centre of intense fighting between rival armed groups last week. Between 29 July and 2 August, explosions, rockets, and gunshots shook the camp, resulting in at least 12 deaths, dozens of injuries, and the displacement of 2,000 people. The camp, housing nearly 50,000 registered Palestinian refugees, is now under a fragile ceasefire. The clashes reportedly started with an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Islamist militant Mahmoud Khalil, nicknamed Abu Qatada, resulting in the death of one of his associates by a Fatah-affiliated gunman named Muhammad Zubaidat. Later, Islamist militants ambushed and killed Abu Ahmed al-Armoushi, a Palestinian security official linked to Fatah, along with his three associates. Full-blown fighting then erupted across the camp. "Between 29 July and 2 August, explosions, rockets, and gunshots shook the camp, resulting in at least 12 deaths, dozens of injuries, and the displacement of 2,000 people" A preliminary ceasefire was established on 2 August. However, clashes resumed later that evening, prompting a renewed, although fragile, ceasefire a day later.

Numerous political figures have called for calm, including Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Palestinian Authority President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, Shia political party Hezbollah, Iran, and Hamas. Meanwhile, representative committees of the political factions are mediating to enforce the ceasefire. To grasp the extensive involvement of both domestic and foreign actors in managing the infighting, and the reasons behind the violence, it's essential to understand what the Ain al-Hilweh camp is and why it is important. Located near Sidon, a coastal city 44 km south of Beirut, Ain al-Hilweh is the largest among Lebanon's 12 Palestinian refugee camps. The camp is enclosed by a wall with guarded entrances and checkpoints monitored by the Lebanese Army. The 1969 Cairo Accord prohibits the army from entering the camp, a provision still in technical effect despite its annulment by Lebanon in 1987. This explains why Lebanon's Army didn't intervene and halt the hostilities. While the camp remains under Lebanon's sovereignty, its practical governance lies with Palestinians. This means that security and administration within the camp fall under the jurisdiction of popular committees and Palestinian factions and it serves as a hub for numerous rival armed groups.