BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanese soldiers killed two gunmen trying to infiltrate with others from the border zone between Lebanon and Syria, the Lebanese army said in a statement on Monday. A security source said they had been identified as members of Islamic State.

The army confronted the group as it tried to move towards army positions in the border region near the Lebanese town of Arsal, the statement said. The remaining members of the group fled during the incident on Sunday night.

theguardian.com

Lebanon is an incredible tourist destination with its fascinating historical landmarks, pristine beaches, delicious cuisine, stellar night life and picturesque mountains. The country truly offers something for everyone’s taste.

Unfortunately, a lot of tourists miss out on some of the most interesting and unique sites and activities Lebanon has to offer, sticking to a relatively routine travel plan. Visitors get stuck in Beirut and maybe take a day trip south or north, just to say they left the city.

Well, Lebanon definitely has a lot more to offer. Here are 14 of the coolest places to visit in Lebanon that are a bit off the beaten path.

iloubnan.info

The Banker indicated that it changed its methodology this year and started to use the disclosed Tier One capital for banks that began implementing the Basel III framework. It noted that Basel III has clarified the rules about capital calculations, which previously varied widely across banks and jurisdictions.

The aggregate Tier One capital of the nine Lebanese banks totaled $12.69bn at the end of 2014, constituting a rise of 12.1% from $11.3bn end-2013. In comparison, the Tier One capital of the Top 1000 banks grew by 4.3% year-on-year, while that of the banks in the Middle East rose by 7.2%. Byblos Bank’s Tier One capital-to-assets ratio reached

By Laila Bassam

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanese authorities detained a hardline Sunni Islamist cleric wanted for attacks on the Lebanese army as he tried to flee the country on Saturday, security officials said.

Sheikh Ahmed al-Assir, a Lebanese citizen, was arrested at Beirut airport as he tried to depart using a forged passport, the officials said. The National News Agency said he wanted to travel to Egypt.

Assir rose to prominence with the onset of the civil war in neighboring Syria that has triggered instability in Lebanon by exacerbating sectarian tensions between its Sunni and Shi’ite communities.

catholicherald.co.uk

Church bells will be rung on the Feast of the Assumption to show solidarity with the persecuted Christians in the Middle East. So far six French bishops have decided the bells will ring out in all churches in their diocese on Saturday, August 15, the Feast of the Assumption.

Launched by Archbishop Dominique Rey of Fréjus-Toulon, the initiative calls on parishes to gather at noon to show their support for persecuted Christians in the Middle East. It is hoped more churches will also take part, with Switzerland confirming Fribourg, Lausanne and Geneva will also ring their church bells tomorrow.

By Elise Harris and Angela Ambrogetti

Al-Hasakah, Syria, Aug 14, 2015 / 12:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After Islamic State militants on Tuesday freed 22 Christians they have held captive since February, a Syrian archbishop cautioned that while the news is good, it could be a distraction ahead of another major assault.“Perhaps we can do an analysis on why (the Islamic State) returned them, because one month ago they attacked Hassake to take it, (and) they couldn’t,” Jacques Hindo, Syriac Archbishop of Hassake-Nisibi, told CNA Aug. 12.

“Maybe, maybe, they are giving a signal that we are expecting another attack. It’s a little like a drug for us, to reassure us so that we aren’t vigilant, and then they’ll make a new, large attack.”Archbishop Hindo’s diocese is centered in Syria’s northeastern-most province, Al-Hasakah, which borders Turkey and Iraq. The archbishop collaborates closely with the city’s bishop from the Assyrian Church of the East (historically associated with Nestorianism), whose people were those abducted in February.

Source : Mehr

Iran’s top MP Ali Larijani congratulated the Lebanese nation and Hezbollah on the anniversary of their victory over Israel in 2006.  In two congratulatory messages to Lebanese nation and resistance movement Hezbollah, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani hailed the victory of the Lebanese over the Israeli regime in the 33-day war of 2006.

The messages were delivered to Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah and Lebanese parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.  In part of his message to Nasrallah it reads “this great victory, undoubtedly, achieved by the Islamic resistance, people’s persistence and the unity of all groups and factions will pave the ground for greater victories.”

By: Joseph A. Kechichian,Senior Writer

Beirut: A few thousand Lebanese supporters of presidential hopeful Michel Aoun gathered Wednesday night in Martyrs’ Square in downtoan Beirut following his call on Saturday to protest against the extension of terms of top security posts.

However, conspicuously missing from the rally were Hezbollah supporters, traditional allies of the FPM.

Their lack of presence could be explained by a recent meeting between Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Zarif with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, of which the details were not revealed.

However during a meeting with Lebanese foreign minister Gebran Bassil (also Aoun’s son-in-law), Zarif stressed his support for the current government, in a move that signaled a possible change in tactics by Iran from instagator to mediator.

A survey conducted  by the U.S.-based opinion polling think tank Pew Research Center found that 53 percent of Lebanese consider the current economic situation in Lebanon “very bad” and 36 percent see it as “bad,’ compared to 9 percent who believe it is “good” and 1 percent who say it is “very good.” The responses indicate an improvement since 2014, when 56 percent of Lebanese respondents believed that the economic situation was “very bad,” and 2013, when 57 percent of respondents said the economy was “very bad.”

The survey was conducted between April 7 and May 5, 2015, through face-to-face interviews with 1,000 Lebanese residents who are 18 years or older.