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Report: US-French-Saudi plan gives Lebanon 16-month grace period

A U.S.-French-Saudi plan presented by French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian to Lebanese officials calls for supporting the army and extending the grace period given to Lebanon to 16 months that end with the termination of UNIFIL’s mission in Lebanon, the PSP’s al-Anbaa news portal reported on Friday.

“This means that the government’s welcoming of the Lebanese Army’s plan in the Sep. 5 session was not a retreat nor a compromise, but rather confirmation of the decisions of the Aug. 5 and 7 sessions with international support and embracement and a more diplomatic language,” al-Anbaa added.

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Salam condemns Adraee 'provocative' tour in Khiam

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has condemned a "provocative" tour by the Israeli army's spokesperson Avichay Adraee in the southern town of al-Khiam.

In a statement, Salam described the tour in occupied Lebanese territories as an "aggressive behavior", calling on the international community to "exert maximum pressure on Israel to completely withdraw from the Lebanese territories it still occupies and to stop its land, sea, and air violations."

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Disarmament begins Saturday at Ain al-Hilweh and al-Beddawi camps

The handover of Palestinian weapons at the Ain al-Hilweh and al-Beddawi refugee camps will begin Saturday and continue for three days, the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee announced on Friday.

“Dialogue with Hamas is ongoing for the handover of its weapons,” Committee sources told Al-Arabiya’s Al-Hadath channel, adding that they expect the file to be finalized at the end of the month.

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Cabinet names regulatory authorities for electricity and telecom sectors

The government has named regulatory authorities for the country's electricity and telecommunications sectors, Information Minister Paul Morcos said late Thursday after a cabinet session.

Naming a regulatory authority for Lebanon's corruption-plagued electricity sector has been a key demand by international organizations.

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Lebanon licenses Elon Musk's Starlink for satellite internet services

Lebanon has granted a license to Elon Musk's Starlink to provide satellite internet services in the crisis-hit country known for its crumbling infrastructure.

The announcement was made late Thursday by Information Minister Paul Morcos who said Starlink will provide internet services throughout Lebanon via satellites operated by Musk's SpaceX.

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Two people wounded in Israeli drone strike on Aita al-Jabal

Two people were wounded Friday in an Israeli drone strike on a car in the southern town of Aita al-Jabal, as Israel seemed to intensify its strikes on Lebanon despite a ceasefire reached in late November.

Israeli soldiers also detonated a house Friday in the outskirts of the border town of Aitaroun.

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Senior politician says Hezbollah 'only asking for two guarantees'

A senior political source has told MTV that “Hezbollah is in depth only asking for two guarantees to endorse the arms monopoly plan, which are halting the Israeli aggression and the start of Israel's withdrawal.”

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US announces Lebanese Army aid for disposing of Hezbollah arms caches  

The U.S. Department of War has approved a Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) package for Lebanon with an estimated value of $14.2 million.

“The PDA package will build the capability and capacity of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to dismantle weapons caches and military infrastructure of non-state groups, including Hezbollah,” the Department said in a statement. 

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Aoun says Israel preventing army from implementing disarmament plan

President Joseph Aoun said Thursday, after a meeting with French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, that the Israeli violations of the ceasefire deal are preventing the army from completing its deployment in south Lebanon, urging France and the U.S. to put more pressure on Israel.

Le Drian had told Aoun during the meeting that Lebanon's plan to disarm Hezbollah is a positive development that would lead to increased international support.

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Second group of Syrian refugees returns home from Lebanon under UN plan

A second group of Syrian refugees returned home from Lebanon on Thursday under a plan the United Nations developed with the Lebanese government following the downfall of Bashar Assad’s rule in December.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that over 300 Syrian individuals returned home with transportation provided from Beirut, crossing through Masnaa border, to drop-off points in Hama, Homs and Idlib governorates in Syria.

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