By Youssef Diab – english.aawsat.com

Beirut – Secretary-General of Lebanese Hezbollah Hasan Nasrallah made recent statements hinting towards opening borders for foreign fighters in case of new war with Israel. These statements were a blatant defiance for the Lebanese government risking transforming Lebanon into a war zone similar to the case of Syria. Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Geagea condemned Nasrallah’s remarks reiterating that opening the Lebanese border is not up to anyone. “It is not up to anybody to open Lebanese borders, even the Lebanese Cabinet,” he said. Geagea questioned “if we want to defend our country in case of an Israeli aggression, do we open the border and recruit thousands of strangers as fighters, from unknown whereabouts, for them to occupy the country? “In case of an Israeli aggression against Lebanon, it is clearly logical for the Lebanese Army to face it aided with the other Lebanese armed forces and backed by the Lebanese people,” Geagea stated.

On Friday on the occasion of al-Quds Day, Nasrallah warned Israel against attacking Lebanon or Syria, saying “hundreds of thousands” of Arab and Muslim fighters would be ready to strike back. “I’m not saying countries would intervene directly, but it would open the door for hundreds of thousands of fighters from all around the Arab and Islamic world to participate in this fight, from Iraq, Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan,” Nasrallah said. Director of Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs (LISA) Sami Nader said that Iran is trying to expand its presence in response to the US-Russian agreement spoken about in Syria. He stated that since the Syrian crisis, Iran is trying to infiltrate into Golan Heights and enforce Israel into clashes. Nader stressed that violating UN Resolution 1701 will cost Lebanon highly, and that is why Hezbollah is trying to enforce a new plan against Israel over the Syrian border.

The Daily Star BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun Sunday extended Eid al-Fitr greetings to Lebanon. “Every eid has joy, and joy carries hope,” Aoun said in a post on Twitter. “We ask God for a Eid al-Ftir that will give the Lebanese their hope…” The president also wished for security and peace. A statement from Aoun’s press […]

by english.aawsat.com – Lebanon’s Mustaqbal Movement, headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri, condemned on Saturday the latest speech of “Hezbollah” chief Hassan Nasrallah during which he attacked Saudi Arabia. The Movement stressed in a statement that the “Lebanese people will not allow Lebanon to remain an Iranian platform to target Saudi Arabia and Arab countries.” […]

by english.aawsat.com – Lebanon’s Mustaqbal Movement, headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri, condemned on Saturday the latest speech of “Hezbollah” chief Hassan Nasrallah during which he attacked Saudi Arabia. The Movement stressed in a statement that the “Lebanese people will not allow Lebanon to remain an Iranian platform to target Saudi Arabia and Arab countries.” […]

by daily star.com.lb BEIRUT: Mecca’s Friday Grand Mosque attack Saturday drew condemnations from political leaders and parties in Lebanon. Prime Minister Saad Hariri Saturday condemned Friday’s extremist plot against the Grand Mosque in Mecca. “The diabolical mind that has planned for this operation sets evident proof of an evil mob that has reached an point […]

by thenationonlineng.net

It is rather customary to say that a simple encounter can change the course of your life. Nothing holds more true for Zeina Saab. In 2009, the Lebanese-American took her first humanitarian journey with USAID to the isolated Lebanese village of Chmestar. There, in a maze of alleyways, she met Nadeen Ghosn. The unabashed 14-year-old spontaneously presented Zeina with a collection of her drawings.  What Saab saw were not clumsy children’s pictures, but a series of elaborate dress sketches that would easily be at home in a sewing atelier. Nadeen, however, had never even learned the basics of fashion design.

Zeina was blown away. Upon returning home, the young woman with an Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from MIT, had one idea in mind: to help Nadeen. “When I met her, I knew that she could one day become the next great fashion designer. Nadeen, however, had no support. Without means or resources, her talent would never be cultivated”, says Saab, now 33 years old. The idea continued to germinate in Zeina’s mind until 2012, when she founded “The Nawaya Project”, an innovative NGO that helps marginalised youth develop their talent so that they can integrate into the workforce.

During the three years following her initial meeting with Nadeen, Zeina took the necessary steps to launch the “Talent Program”, in which she and the 10 members of the Nawaya team connect youth from underprivileged backgrounds with mentors and professionals. There have been over 300 beneficiaries since the beginning of the project, their main  objective: to develop and cultivate their passions and talents in various fields, such as design, music, athletics, writing, performing arts and even coding and robotics. Though she is currently focused on Lebanon, Zeina Saab has her sights on growth. “We want to expand our platform to the entire Middle East. If it works, we will create a globally connected community engaged in the development and empowerment of disenfranchised youth around the world”, she says with conviction.

BEIRUT, June 23 (Xinhua) — China advocates more actions to curb the deterioration of a refugee crisis in the Middle East and find a solution as soon as possible, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday. Wang made the remarks at a press conference after meeting with his Lebanese counterpart Gebran Bassil in Beirut during an one-day visit to Lebanon. He noted that refugees are not migrants, and the international community should strive to create appropriate conditions, through seeking a more swift solution to hot-button issues, for the refugees to return to their homes. Bassil said Lebanon is under huge pressure in hosting refugees, mostly from Syria, adding that the world should understand and support Lebanon’s legal requests on the refugee problem.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Lebanon is currently hosting 1.03 million Syrian refugees who fled their war-torn country since the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad started in March 2011. Earlier in the day, the Chinese top diplomat held a meeting with Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun, during which both expressed willingness to expand the bilateral cooperation. Aoun praised the Belt and Road Initiative by China, adding that Lebanon expects to see the revival of the ancient Silk Road. He said Lebanon is ready to actively participate in the initiative in a bid to boost economic and cultural exchanges. The president also hailed what China has done for the stability of Lebanon and the Middle East, and welcomed China, Lebanon’s largest trade partner, to invest more in the region. Wang said he believed all parties and religions in Lebanon would continue dialogue and negotiations to keep national unity and maintain security and stability, thus providing useful experiences in how different civilizations could coexist peacefully. Wang said, in light of the good momentum in Sino-Lebanese economic and trade relations, China is willing to enhance the bilateral cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

by catholicherald.co.uk The head of the Maronite Church is to consecrate Lebanon and the whole of the Middle East to the Immaculate Heart of Mary during a pilgrimage to Fatima. The act of consecration by Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai will take place during a Eucharistic liturgy on Sunday, according to Fides news agency. It will […]

by naharnet – Political parties represented in the government convened in a consultative meeting on Thursday at the Presidential Palace in Baabda at the invitation of President Michel Aoun. A closing statement said the conferees agreed on “continuing the implementation of the Document of National Accord (Taef Accord), especially in terms of harmonizing between preserving our […]

by naharnet – Qatar on Thursday added Lebanon to its list of countries whose citizens are exempt from visa requirement to enter the Gulf country, Lebanon’s National News Agency said. A memo issued by Qatar’s Airport Passports Department said “the Lebanese nationality has been added to the list of nationalities that are granted instant tourist visas […]