Lebanon

BEIRUT (AP) — Israel carried out airstrikes on areas near the central Syrian city of Homs early Sunday causing material damage but no casualties, the Syrian military said in a statement.

A Syrian anti-aircraft missile exploded over Israeli territory, the Israeli military said, prompting another round of strikes.

Syrian state media quoted an unnamed military official as saying the air defenses shot down some of the missiles fired by Israeli warplanes flying over neighboring Lebanon.

01 July 2023; MEMO: Israeli media reported that the Israeli army is concerned about what it describes as "a significant change in the concept of air defence by Hezbollah in Lebanon, following the party's doubling of the number of air defence systems in its possession, in an attempt to restrict the freedom of action of the Israeli Air Force in Lebanon."

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group said its fighters shot down an Israeli drone Monday that was flying near the border and over southern Lebanon.

The group gave no further details about the type of drone that it claimed was downed near the village of Zibqine just north of the border with Israel.

An Israeli military spokesman said in a tweet that a drone crashed in Lebanon as an Israeli force was performing routine activities. The spokesman, Avichay Adraee, added in Arabic that there were no concerns of information being leaked.

BEIRUT, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Hassan Salloum, a Lebanese citizen, spends hours walking among the herds of livestock in the al-Marj market in eastern Lebanon, looking for an affordable sheep to sacrifice, as the Eid al-Adha is only a few days away.

However, he balked at the "shocking and insane prices" of a sheep, knowing it was nearly impossible for an average household to buy one to perform the yearly ritual of slaughtering livestock for the Eid festival, the man told Xinhua.

BEIRUT, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) has allocated 3.7 million euros (4 million U.S. dollars) to fund 2Circular, a project implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to support the green and circular economy in Lebanon.

A statement released by UNIDO on Friday said that "the 2Circular project aims to partner with over 50 food and beverage companies to create momentum for green and circular production in Lebanon."

BEIRUT (AP) — Carlos Ghosn said Friday that the $1 billion lawsuit he recently filed against Nissan and others is just the beginning of his fight.

The former Nissan CEO said during an interview with The Associated Press in Beirut that had he been an American citizen filing a lawsuit in the United States, “I would not be asking for $1 billion, but for much more,” given his suffering.

BEIRUT, Jun 22 (NNN-NNA) – The Port of Tripoli in Lebanon and the Port of Dunkerque in France, have signed a two-year cooperation agreement, to enhance economic and trade exchanges, it was reported today.

The agreement includes cooperation in infrastructure, port service, information exchange, personnel training, and others between the two ports.

The agreement extends over two years and can be renewed later, on condition both parties cooperate “sincerely and actively” in implementing the deal in their interest, the report added.

BEIRUT (AP) — The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said Tuesday that without a new injection of funding, it is “likely or highly likely” that the agency will not be able to deliver some services or pay salaries by the fall.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said at a press conference in Beirut that the agency responsible for services to Palestinian refugees has been facing a shortfall of $150 million to $200 million annually in recent years.

14 June 2023; MEMO: Lebanese lawmakers failed, on Wednesday, for the 12th time to elect a new president, Anadolu Agency reports.

Lawmakers cast ballots to elect between Hezbollah-backed candidate, Suleiman Frangieh, and his competitors, Jihad Azour and Ziad Baroud.

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese lawmakers failed Wednesday in yet another attempt to elect a president and break a seven-month power vacuum that has roiled the tiny Mediterranean country. The ongoing political chaos has blocked progress on a solution to an intensifying economic crisis.

The session — the twelfth try to pick a president — broke down after the bloc led by the powerful political party and militant group Hezbollah withdrew following the first round of voting, breaking the quorum in the 128-member house. All lawmakers attended the session.