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Syria and Lebanon establish first full diplomatic relations

The agreement was made during an official visit to Syria by President Michel Suleiman, the first by a Lebanese head of state since Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon in 2005 under international pressure.

Lebanon on brink of civil war

Lebanon stands on the brink of all-out civil war. A general strike by the leading trade union to protest rising prices and demand an increase in the minimum wage has led to armed conflict between the pro-Western Sunni and Druze-based government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and the Shia-based Hezbollah and its ally, Amal.

Blacksmiths of Lebanon: Breaking Explosion in Beirut - Updated!

A massive explosion is being reported in the Horsh Tabet neighborhood of Beirut, near the Metropolitan Hotel and the Librarie Antoine.

Living And Loving In Lebanon

I ve been living in Lebanon for 22 years now, my whole life. I was born during war, so all the memories and sound clashes of this horrible experience still flow in my head nowadays. I hold visions of power and resistance against all major disturbances in our society from our well-built civilization. All these years living amidst political tension prevents us from living a normal life, but we love Lebanon.

Tense siege continues at Lebanon's Nahr al-Bared refugee camp

The Lebanese army siege of the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp outside of the northern city of Tripoli is now in its tenth day. Thousands of Palestinian refugees have flooded out of the camp after a shaky ceasefire was negotiated last Tuesday between the military and the Al Qaeda-linked Fatah al-Islam fighters entrenched inside the camp. Many residents, however, have refused to leave, despite the danger of a bloody showdown.

Lebanese army gets U.S. aid

The United States and Arab allies sent military aid to Lebanon on Friday and the Lebanese army deployed extra troops to a Palestinian camp where it has been battling Islamist militants this week.

Protesters Jam Beirut to Urge Government’s Ouster

A banner that hung down the side of a building, showing a picture of the prime minister hugging Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Thanks Condy, it said just beneath another image of dead children, referring to Lebanese civilian casualties during Israel s war with the militant Shiite group Hezbollah during the summer.

Greenpeace Warns of Toxic Risks to Two Million in Lebanon

Two million residents of Lebanon, about half the population, could face health risks posed by toxic releases from Israeli bombing in the July-August war, Greenpeace warned. "Chemical traces and dust from buildings that were destroyed have heavily contaminated the air and land," said the environmental pressure group Greenpeace in a report presented in Beirut on its flagship Rainbow Warrior. "In addition, bombed out factories have caused chemical releases that could potentially affect two million inhabitants in the country," it said, noting 30,000 homes, some 80 bridges and nine industrial facilities were destroyed.

Israeli troop pullout from Lebanon

Crossing the frontier without fanfare before sunrise, Israeli troops padlocked the border gate at Zarit, close to where Iranian-backed Hizbollah fighters seized two soldiers on July 12, triggering the war. "The IDF (Israeli army) have withdrawn their troops from the south, except from the area around the village of Ghajar," Major General Alain Pellegrini, commander of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), said in a statement.

Seymour Hersh in Seattle: Asks What Kind of People Are We?

I went to see Seymour Hersh at Town Hall in Seattle. He gave a 90 minute lecture with 30 minute Q&A which was energetic, fast-paced – sometimes in its weak points rambling. But overall, it was a powerful overview of the corruption of the Abu Ghraib scandal and Bush and Rumsfeld’s policies of covert torture. An audience member asked at the end – what’s the story? Hersh responded that he guessed the story was Who Are We? What kind of a people sit back as their democracy crumbles at the whim of an idealogue like George W. Bush and do nothing?

Hersh also made some powerful points about Lebanon and Israel:

Israel to lift Lebanon blockade

Israel said on Wednesday it would lift an eight-week-old air and sea blockade against Lebanon on Thursday, handing over control to international forces. Shortly after the announcement, Lebanon said it had formally asked U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan -- who brokered the end of the blockade -- to authorize the deployment of German naval ships to monitor the Lebanese coast.

But How Do the Lebanese Really Feel About Condi?

A Hezbollah protest banner depicting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice holding two dead children with the words 'the terrorist' written in Arabic, is seen placed on the windscreen of a damaged ambulance beside the rubble of a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut,

Olmert firm on Lebanon blockade

Speaking after talks with UN chief Kofi Annan, Mr Olmert said the seven-week siege would only be lifted once the ceasefire terms were fully implemented. Mr Olmert said that one of the key conditions was the release of two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah.

key Democrat seeks to deny aid to the children, women and homeless of Lebanon after the war

top ranking Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives International Relations Committee said over the weekend that he would work to deny the $230 million in aid for Lebanon that has been proposed. However, there appears no opposition to the $9 billion loan program to Israel, which began in 2003 and was set to expire in 2008. Will Lebanon, with its democratically elected government, find the financial means needed to rebuild and cleanup the WMDs and illegal weapons deposited by the U.S./Israeli coalition?

An Interview with Noam Chomsky: "The Strong Do as They Can"

Noam Chomsky, in an interview with Al-Ahram's Nermeen Al-Mufti, takes stock of the month-long US-Israeli onslaught on Lebanon and reflects on the fallout.