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Saad Hariri steps down as Lebanon’s political crisis continues

Lebanon entered a new chapter of political vacuum yesterday as prime minister designate Saad Hariri stepped down after his proposed cabinet line up was rejected out of hand by the Hezbollah-led opposition.
“I hope that this decision will be in the interests of Lebanon and will permit a re-launch of dialogue," Hariri said after informing the president he had abandoned current efforts to form a government, three months after his Western-backed coalition won convincing re-election over the Syrian and Iranian-backed opposition.

Lebanon's ruling coalition claims election victory over Hezbollah

In a boost to Western policy in one of the region’s strategically vital countries Lebanon’s US-backed ruling coalition claimed a decisive election victory last night in a dramatic reversal of fortunes after polls showed it losing its slim majority to a Hezbollah-led coalition, backed by Syria and Iran.

Lebanon military weak despite gift of MiG 29s

In Lebanon’s most significant military upgrade since the end of the Civil War two decades ago, Russia has said it will supply the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) with ten MiG-29 fighter jets, trumping faltering American efforts to bolster the LAF and challenging Israel’s air dominance over the country for the first time.

New president calls for unity in Lebanon

Lebanon's new president, striving to heal two years of violent rifts centered on the status of Hezbollah's arms that recently tipped the country to the brink of civil war, yesterday called for a new national defence strategy to include the Iranian-backed militant group.

Lebanese declaration threatens civil war

Lebanon’s crisis deepened yesterday as the Western-backed government, facing collapse after Shia opposition fighters loyal to the Iranian and Syrian-backed Hezbollah routed their Sunni counterparts and laid siege to Muslim areas of Beirut, vowed to confront the militant group over the issue of its arms.