Thursday

21:40 MP Akram Chayeb said that many urgent regional issues had been discussed during the last few months, even as the country was caught between extremism and the possibility of another Syrian occupation, on one hand, and incessant threats from Israel on the other. He said that in the wake of the Doha agreement, dialogue was the best way to unite the people of Lebanon and avoid the many perils the country faced. Chayeb said that despite promises to the contrary, Syria was still intent on dominating to Lebanon. He also said that it was unacceptable for “the most important institution in the country” to not have a leader, and he called for a new army commander to be appointed as soon as possible.

21:33 Walid Jumblatt said that sectarian violence in the North could give Syria an excuse to intervene in Lebanese affairs. Jumblatt said that the Alawi community in Tripoli could request protection from Syria, just as the Christians did in 1976. “Why should we give the Syrians a pretext to intervene like in '76 when some Christian villages were surrounded ... and the Christians went to Damascus and asked for Syrian protection? It could happen again now with the Alawi," Jumblatt said. Jumblatt said that Lebanon suffered from “the cancer of confessionalism.” He said that if the nation was to overcome its sectarian divisions, the problems have “to be worked out step by step -- in every area, in every quarter of Beirut, in every village, in the media.”

21:31 Hezbollah and Amal supporters gather at the Zokak al-Blat.

21:09 Two people are wounded in a shooting on Tarik al - Jedidah.

20:20 Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel denounced the attack on a Lebanese Army helicopter in south Lebanon on Thursday as very serious" and urged the army command to be decisive. "I had repeatedly warned against such a serious development. Less than two weeks ago I warned that the situation in some southern areas is very serious, especially in the Jezzine region and its surroundings where there are security zones that we do not know who is in charge of them," Gemayel said in a radio interview. "The message has been received and the Army Command should be decisive in handling this issue … the government also should take the needed measures and should be frank to the Lebanese people," he added. He said it is "the Lebanese people's right to be informed of the situation in the south and the people has the right to know the truth about the situation in the south, the Bekaa, the north and Beirut. It is our right to know in which direction the nation is headed and who is responsible for its sovereignty and the people's security," Gemayel stressed.

20:15 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora in the Grand Serail.

19:50 After meeting with Speaker Berri, Palestinian President Abbas says he regrets the conflict in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp, and calls for handling the issue in a firm but calm manner, so as to avoid repeating what happened in Nahr al Bared.

19:03 Reports say clashes in the Sheikh Lor area in Akkar break out, leaving one injured.

19:00 March 14 coordinator Faris Souaid on Thursday said the Lebanese Army should not be in a position to ask for permission to carry out any assignment on Lebanese territory. "I find it strange that the Lebanese Army is in a position to ask for permission if it wanted to carry out any assignment on Lebanese territory," he said. "Do we now have no-fly zones like the off limits security zones?" he asked. "Is it true that the attack was carried out against the helicopter from a short distance while taking off and is it true that the officers were held and interrogated?" he added.

18:33 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrives in Ain al-Tineh to meet with Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri.

17:56 MP Butros Harb denounced the "ugly attack" on a Lebanese Army helicopter that was flying over south Lebanon on Thursday and the killing of its pilot. Harb, in a statement distributed by the state-run National News Agency, said the attack that was carried out north of the Litani River "fuels doubts and raises questions." He called for "speedy investigation in the attack, especially that preliminary information spark concern and raise so many questions about the targets of this attack," he added. "Attacks against the Lebanese Army should not go unpunished," he stressed.

17:32 French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told reporters in Paris on Thursday that he was concerned about the situation in Lebanon. Kouchner said that he was particularly worried by Hezbollah’s speeches and the recent violence in Tripoli. However, Kouchner said that change cannot occur immediately, and that, in general, things were improving. Kouchner said that he was told by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad that diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria would be established by 2009. He said that until evidence to the contrary was shown, France would trust Syria’s promises on the matter.

17:30 Grand Serail officially announces that the 2009 Francophone Games will be held in Beirut.

16:05 In response to an Israeli accusation of arms smuggling despite the presence of UNIFIL troops, the spokesperson said the troops and Lebanese army had found some ammunition in the area, which was confirmed as having only been used in the July War.

16:02 NOW Lebanon: Hezbollah fighters shot at army helicopter “to warn and not to kill”

15:17 Sison presents letter of credentials for appointment as US ambassador to Lebanon

14:56 New TV: Speaker Nabih Berri meets with President Michel Sleiman in Baabda.

13:45 Jamil Sayyed, the former head of the general security department, sues Detlev Mehlis. Sayyed is among four officers, who are believed to be close to Syria, who are in custody in Lebanon over the February 2005 assassination of Hariri in a massive Beirut car bombing.

13:32 Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas holds a press conference after meeting with President Michel Sleiman: "We talked about internal Palestinian conditions, the economic and social situation of the Palestinians, and the negotiations with Israel with the participation of the US. We are against the nationalization of Palestinians in Lebanon. We will find an end to all the incidents occurring inside the Palestinian refugee camps."

12:42 Hezbollah issues a statement denying any involvement in the helicopter shooting and confirms that it was aware the Lebanese army was conducting a three-day maneuver in southern Lebanon.

12:40 Sources say that the helicopter made an emergency landing after being hit by gunfire.

12:30 Lebanese authorities on Thursday foiled an attempt to smuggle a huge quantity of cocaine through Beirut airport Airport security arrested a Brazilian woman after finding a haul of three kilograms and 20 grams of cocaine in her possession. The woman was identified as Gladisse Alexandra Molar.

12:26 Witnesses heard machinegun fire in the Bir al-Kilab area near Armatta in the Jezzine caza before the military helicopter was hit.

12:21 Sources tell NOW Lebanon that First Lieutenant Samer Hanna was killed by the gunfire that targeted a military helicopter in South Lebanon.

12:09 Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas arrives at the Baabda presidential palace.

12:06 Army official confirms officer killed by gunfire targeting military helicopter in South Lebanon.

12:06 Al-Jazeera: The Lebanese army controls the area in which a military helicopter hit by gunfire fell. Sources say the helicopter may have fallen near the area in which military and UNIFIL troops are conducting maneuvers in South Lebanon.

11:48 Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas lands at the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut and is welcomed by President Michel Sleiman, who arrived at the airport in his private helicopter.

11:47 Lebanese military helicopter is hit by gunfire in the South. LBC reports that a military helicopter was fired upon in Tilal-Soujoud, in South Lebanon. Future News reports that the helicopter crew received injuries in the attack.

10:47 National News Agency employee Raif Toufeily is injured after a stun grenade is thrown at his house in Deir al-Zahrani in Nabatiyeh on Wednesday night.

08:47 NOW Lebanon: The cabinet plans to meet on Friday at 6:00 p.m. at the presidential palace in Baabda.

Wednesday

20:34 US State Department official David Hill conveys support for Lebanon, announcing that the United States was looking forward to closer economic, political, security and military cooperation with Lebanon.

19:44 A rapid intervention unit from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) conducted a military exercise with a Lebanese army artillery regiment on Wednesday, one kilometer South of the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura. Soldiers shot155-mm shells at targets in the Mediterranean Sea, during the maneuver, which is the second of its kind.

19:05 President, defense minister and acting army commander meet with US delegation. The US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict, Michael Vickers; Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Affairs, Mary Beth Long; and Director of Strategy, Plans and Policy for U.S. Central Command, Major General Robert R. Allardice visited Lebanon on Wednesday accompanied by the newly-appointed US Ambassador to Lebanon, Michele J. Sison. The delegation met with President Michel Sleiman, acting Army Commander Major General Shawki al-Masri, and Defense Minister Elias Murr. “Since 2006, the United States has committed over $410 million to the Lebanese Armed Forces. The United States is committed to building the capabilities of the LAF and it will continue to support the government of Lebanon and the LAF as they continue their efforts to safeguard the peace, unity and sovereignty of Lebanon,” a press release issued by the US Embassy in Beirut read.

18:08 President Michel Sleiman warned of the danger posed by Israel’s recent threats. Discussing recent statements from Israeli officials that Lebanon would be attacked if Hezbollah was allowed to gain too much power, Sleiman said “Israel does not have the right to issue such threats, which are in violation of UNSCR 1701, at a time when Lebanon has respected the resolution.”

18:01 French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Wednesday he would go to Syria on September 3, the latest step in the two states' bid to normalize ties cut after the 2005 murder of Lebanon's ex-Premier Rafik Hariri. Sarkozy made the announcement during a speech to France's ambassadors gathered in Paris for their annual meeting on the country's foreign policy. He said he rejected the idea of isolating Syria, preferring to take "another route, more risky it is true, but more promising: open dialogue leading to tangible progress."

17:57 Administration and Parliamentary Committee unanimously approves caza-based electoral districting, in accordance with the 1960 caza-based distribution of parliamentary seats by a simple majority of votes.

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