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Govt. tasks ministerial panel with submitting report on electoral law

Cabinet on Wednesday tasked a specialized ministerial committee with submitting, within a week, a report about the electoral law amendments that have been suggested by the foreign and interior ministries.

The aforementioned compromise convinced the Lebanese Forces’ ministers not to walk out of the session, Al-Jadeed TV said.

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Ortagus in Mechanism meeting: LAF must now fully implement its plan

The U.S.-led ceasefire monitoring committee, known as the Mechanism, met Wednesday in Naqoura to “review the Lebanese Armed Forces’ (LAF) progress on maintaining the cessation of hostilities arrangements, and the advancing of disarmament efforts in Lebanon,” the U.S. embassy said.

“The session, hosted by UNIFIL, included Lt. Gen. Joseph Clearfield, chairman of the Mechanism, Counselor Morgan Ortagus, and senior representatives from each of the delegations. All members reaffirmed their shared commitment to stability in Lebanon and agreed to a more structured meeting occurrence, announcing that the 13th through 16th iterations of the Pentalateral will occur prior to the end of the year,” the embassy said in a statement.

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Arab League chief rules out Israeli war on Lebanon

Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit has held talks in Baabda with President Joseph Aoun.

“The meeting with the president involved an analysis of the regional, international and Lebanese situations and I sensed that President Aoun is confident that things in Lebanon are going in the right direction. He also has confidence in the country’s future,” Abul Gheit said.

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Berri says 'there will be no war' amid fears of flare-up

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri is confident that "there will be no war" on Lebanon.

He told al-Joumhouria newspaper, in remarks published Wednesday, that he is not worried about the possibility of an Israeli all-out war against Lebanon. "There won't be a war, the atmosphere is positive, and I'm reassured at this stage," he said.

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Berri: Legislative session boycott 'not an achievement'

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri considered that the boycott of a legislative session on Tuesday was not an achievement but an "illusion of victory" as the laws that were to be discussed in the session were not "for his personal interest" but for the public benefit.

"If they don't want to pass the laws, then so much the worse for them," the Speaker told local al-Joumhouria newspaper.

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Boycott over expat voting forces adjournment of legislative session

Speaker Nabih Berri on Tuesday adjourned a legislative session due to lack of quorum, after the Lebanese Forces, the Kataeb Party and their allies boycotted in rejection of Berri’s refusal to put on the agenda a bill allowing expats to vote for all 128 seas in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The LF had said that participation in the session it would reflect “submission to Speaker Nabih Berri’s hegemony over parliament.”

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Egypt spy chief meets Aoun and Berri, reportedly seeking Gaza-like deal

Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Mahmoud Rashad met Tuesday in Lebanon with President Joseph Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri.

The Presidency said Aoun and Egypt’s intelligence head discussed “how to leverage the atmosphere of the Gaza deal and the Sharm el-Sheikh summit to expand it to include Lebanon.”

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Ortagus meets Aoun and Berri, reportedly proposes indirect talks involving 'civilians'

U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus on Tuesday held meetings with President Joseph Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri and was scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

A Presidency statement said Aoun emphasized the need to activate the work of the Mechanism ceasefire monitoring committee, especially in terms of “halting the continuous Israeli attacks on Lebanon and implementing Resolution 1701 in the South to enable the Lebanese Army to complete its deployment up to the southern international border.”

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Syria says seized 11 million captagon pills coming from Lebanon

The Syrian interior ministry said Tuesday it seized about 11 million captagon pills in the southern countryside of Homs.

The pills were smuggled in a car coming from Lebanon, Syria's national news agency said.

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European Union condemns Israeli strikes on UNIFIL

The European Union condemned Tuesday an Israeli attack that targeted Sunday a UNIFIL detachment, "the latest in a series of similar incidents in recent weeks."

In a statement, the EU recalled that the safety and security of U.N. personnel and premises must be ensured in accordance with international law and U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.

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