August 2014 Highlights -Clashes in Ersal, return of Hariri, election of Mufti, students’ pass certificates
August 1
- Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji addresses the graduating Military Academy officers on national Army Day assuring that the Lebanese Army is the guarantee for Lebanese security and that Lebanon has nothing to fear as long as its army is united.
- Minister of Justice Ashraf Rifi and MP Yassin Jaber representing Speaker Nabih Berri give speeches at the ceremony held by World House of Lebanon on national Army Day.
- Following his meeting with the Union Coordination Committee, Minister of Finance Ali Hassan Khalil reports that the salary scale approval has become a matter of choice and the UCC assures that it has returned to scratch.
- Maronite Patriarch al-Rai receives former PM Fouad Seniora accompanied with a Future Movement delegation and Bishop Awdi announces that there are attempts to prevent the presidential elections from happening, stressing objection to the events unfolding in Iraq and Syria.
- The Lebanese Army arrests a woman wearing a belt of explosives in the Airouniyi town of Akkar. The woman’s husband had been arrested on terrorist charges.
- The Military Public Prosecution releases Sheikh Hussein Atwi arrested for launching rockets towards Israel two weeks ago.
August 2
- Following the Lebanese Army’s arrest of the An-Nusra Front leader, Syrian national Imad Ahmad Joum’a in the outskirts of Ersal, Islamists attack the brigade of gendarmeries in Ersal and detain the sixteen men at the residence of Sheikh Mostafa Al-Houjairy and footage shows the detainees announcing their defection from the Lebanese Army and Hezbollah. An-Nusra Front also abducts a number of Lebanese Army soldiers triggering clashes in Ersal.
- Tension flares up in Tripoli and the army comes under fire as a result of the clashes.
- PM Tamam Salam calls on the Islamic Council to convene at Dar El-Fatwa on Sunday, August 10, 2014 at 10 am to elect a new Grand Mufti. Egypt’s Consul in Lebanon Sharif Bahrawi is highly credited for resolving the long-standing Islamic council row.
- Saudi King Abdullah receives former Prime Minister Saad Hariri in his Jeddah Palace along with a number of emirs and religious figures who congratulate him on Eid al-Fitr.
- Hezbollah lays its member Mostafa Hussein Al-Muqaddam to rest in Zebdine. Al-Muqaddam who was accused of opening fire on a Lebanese Army helicopter causing the death of Captain Samer Hanna in 2008 died while fighting in Syria.
- The delegation tasked with handling the Air Algerie plane crash case returns to Lebanon and Director General Haitham Jomaa reveals that the identification of victims will take time.
- Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah receives MP Suleiman Frangieh and his son Tony.
August 3
- Armed confrontations continue in Ersal and the Army manages to recover some of its posts. The Lebanese Army’s death toll rises to 10 including Colonel Noreddine Al-Jamal, brother of the Future Movement’s Brigadier General Mahmoud Al-Jamal. 25 people were injured and 13 others missing.
- Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji announces during a press conference that clashes in Erzal were pre-planned, adding that Jomaa confessed that he had been arranging attacks on military centers. Qahwaji urges political and religious authorities to watch out for the scheme woven for Lebanon, emphasizing the Army’s readiness to face up to the Hezbollah’s Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and the need to address the Syrian refugee crisis so that their places of stay do not become pockets of terrorist activity.
- The security meeting held at the Grand Serail on Ersal urges exceptional Cabinet session to discuss the situation and the Minister of Defense stresses unity against the terrorist threat in Ersal.
- Former Minister and MP Michel Sassine dies at the age of 87.
During his tour of Choueifat and Deir Qoubil, MP Walid Jumblat brands the Islamic State as a ‘plague’ urging cooperation between the moderate Sunnis represented by Saad Hariri and the Amal Movement and Hezbollah. Jumblat challenges the recurrent mantra that Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria has brought terrorism upon Lebanon.
- MP Abdul Latif Kabbara assures during the Islamic National Gathering’s press conference in Tripoli that what is happening in Ersal is a conspiracy woven by Iran, Hezbollah and Syria on the Sunni.
- Hezbollah vows to support the Lebanese Army against terrorist threats and the Future Movement, Saad Hariri, Fouad Seniora and Amine Gemayel take similar supporting stances.
- Committee of Muslim Scholars negotiates a truce in Ersal in order to solve the crisis and the Lebanese Army insists on the withdrawal of all militants from the town and the release of the abductees before talking about any compromise.
August 4
- Clashes in Ersal show no signs of stopping, leaving 14 soldiers dead, 86 wounded, 22 captured and 16 missing amid heavy displacement of residents from the town.
- Committee of Muslim Scholars comes under fire during its mediation attempt in Ersal. The incident results in some of its members being wounded including Sheikh Salem Rafei and the Committee’s statement deplores the bombing of the town and calls for a safe exit for residents.
- PM Tamam Salam announces at the end of the Cabinet meeting that there will be no room for dialogue, negotiations or political solutions with takfiris and that the Lebanese Army will have all the support it needs in its war against them.
- Saudi Ambassador Ali Awad Assiri kicks off a series of farewell visits to Lebanese officials including former President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Tamam Salam.
- Future TV calls for a media gathering that underlines full support of the Army and commitment not to broadcast any statements that jeopardize its standing.
- An-Nusra Front broadcast a video featuring two Lebanese soldiers allegedly defecting from the Lebanese Army.
- Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Gibran Bassil holds talks with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani during his visit in Tehran to attend the meeting of the Palestine Committee of the Non-Aligned Movement.
- The Union Coordination Committee postpones its strike scheduled for Wednesday due to security reasons and refuses to moderate its position regarding marking of exams, stressing its objection to the Minister of Education’s decision to grant pass certificates.
August 5
- Cease fire to take effect in Ersal starting at 7:00 pm and militants release three ISF abductees.
- Former PM Saad Hariri announces a Saudi donation worth one billion dollars to assist Lebanon in fighting terrorism and promote the role of the Army and the Internal Security Forces.
- MP Walid Jumblat receives Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon, the former Minister Wiam Wahhab.
- General Michel Aoun expresses, after the Change and Reform Bloc weekly meeting, opposition to any kind of negotiations with or tolerance to terrorists, stressing that, if anything, negotiations should be held between Lebanon and Syria to fight terrorism. He adds that the calls to expand Resolution 1701 are delusional.
- Minister of the Interior and the Municipalities Nouhad Mashnouq assures Al-Akhbar that the government refuses cooperation between the Lebanese and Syrian armies.
- The Future Parliamentary Bloc issues a statement reiterating support of the Army in ensuring the security of Lebanon, noting that the clashes in Ersal are the end product of Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria.
- PM Tamam Salam holds discussions on Ersal with the Minister of the Interior and Municipalities, the Minister of Justice and the Committee of Muslim Scholars.
- Former President of the Republic Michel Suleiman receives a Saudi letter in support of the Lebanese Army and visits Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji to discuss the latest developments.
- Head of the Municipality of Ersal, Ali Al-Houjeiry, announces that Ersal supports the Army and the state, noting that the town has offered 8 martyrs in defense of the gendarmerie.
- Following its meeting at Beit Al-Wasat, the March 14 Forces launches an urgent plan to shield Lebanon from evils, renewing calls on Hezbollah to pull out of Syria and rally around the Army and urging the election of a President of the Republic and the expansion of Resolution 1701 to cover Syrian-Lebanese borders.
- Minister of the Interior and the Municipalities Nouhad Mashnouq signs the decree calling on electoral bodies to participate in parliamentary elections and Speaker Nabih Berri renews opposition to the extension of Parliament’s term.
- Explosives blown up in Tripoli leave one dead and ten injured. Conflicting news circulate on whether the Lebanese Army was the intended target of the attack or Sheikh Malek Jdeideh, Head of the Committee of Muslim Scholars.
- The truce continues in Ersal amid ceasefire extension until 7:00 pm and the Committee of Muslim Scholars’ persistent efforts yield the release of three soldiers.
- Labwi residents block the roads to prevent Qatari aid from reaching Ersal, claiming that the supplies are designated for the militants, not the residents. In response, counter roadblocks are staged in Saadiyat, Saadnayel and Majdal Anjar.
- MP Walid Jumblat visits General Michel Aoun in Rabieh and a joint statement reveals that the meeting addressed the Lebanese Army’s confrontation with terrorists and the presidential vacuum.
- Former PM Saad Hariri holds a press conference in Jeddah to discuss the Saudi one-billion-dollar donation, stressing that he is assigned the implementation of the donation and holding Hezbollah once again accountable for the violence in Ersal.
- Minister of Education and Higher Education announces in a press conference that he has backtracked on his previous decision not to grant all candidates who took official exams pass certificates and suspends the implementation of his decision by 48 hours to wait for the teachers’ response. The Union Coordination Committee rejects the minister’s decision and brands it as detrimental to both education and students.
- Former President of the Republic Michel Suleiman hosts meeting for PM Tamam Salam, former PM Fouad Seniora, MP Walid Jumblat and Patriarch al-Rai at his residence.
- The Constitutional Council accepts appeal against three articles of the Rent Act, thereby rendering it ineffective.
- US Embassy in Beirut denies alleged involvement in the creation and support of ISIS.
- In their monthly statement, Maronite Bishops call on neighboring countries to assist the Army and urge speedy elections of a President of the Republic.
August 7
- Relative calm returns to Ersal after the Islamist militants withdrew from the town and redeployed themselves along the border with Syria. A Red Cross convoy enters the town and evacuates 42 wounded people and negotiations continue to release the members of the Army and security forces kidnapped by the Islamists.
- An-Nusra Front issues a statement announcing its withdrawal from Ersal and warning of any offence against the Sunni.
- The Cabinet convenes in the presence of senior security officers and approves an increase in the number of security forces recruits by 12,000, including 5000 in the Lebanese Army. It also tasks Minister of Education and Higher Education Elias Bou Saab to follow up on the official exam grading and make the right decision regarding pass certificates and takes note of the decree inviting electoral bodies to participate in the elections scheduled for November 16, 2014.
- As part of his farewell tour, Saudi Ambassador Ali Awad Assiri visits General Michel Aoun and MP Wali Jumblat who holds a banquet in his honor.
- Oriental bishops hold a meeting in Diman and call on Islamic leaders to issue fatwas banning attacks against Christians.
-The Amal Movement governing bodies under the leadership of Speaker Nabih Berri call after their meeting for organizing the presence of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. It also urges speedy election of a President of the Republic and proceeds to express surprise at the delay of France’s military assistance to the Lebanese Army.
- In his statement, MP Abdul Latif Kabbara emphasizes that he has not assaulted the Army and that he abides by the state and its institutions.
- Former MP Ahmad Habboush dies two weeks after sustaining an injury.
August 8
- Former PM Saad Hariri returns from Saudi Arabia to Beirut after a three-year absence and visits the grave of his father. He later moves to the Grand Serail to meet PM Tamam Salam, announcing that he has returned to implement the Saudi one-billion-dollar donation assigned for the armament of the Lebanese Army and security forces. Hariri resumes his activities by attending a security meeting at the Grand Serail and afterwards meeting the US and Saudi ambassadors at Beit Al-Wasat. Speaking to the gathering of March 14 Forces, Hariri says ‘if Hezbollah makes mistakes, that does not mean we should respond with similar ones.’ Residents of Beirut and other regions stage celebrations and cheer Hariri’s return.
- Saad Hariri receives phone calls from Speaker Nabih Berri and other political figures who congratulate him on his safe return to Lebanon. Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea says that ‘with the return of Hariri, the real bond of the March 14 Forces will become complete. His return will promote moderation.”
- Saudi King calls PM Tamam Salam to reiterate the kingdom’s support of Lebanon’s sovereignty and stability.
- Minister of Education and Higher Education Elias Bou Saab holds a press conference announcing the readiness of his ministry to grant pass certificates starting next week should teachers fail to start grading by Tuesday.
- Army Commander Jean Qahwaji believes that the members of the Army and security forces abducted by Islamist militants are no longer in Ersal and sources report that the kidnappers demand the release of the Islamist inmates held in Roumieh Prison in exchange for the hostages.
- Minister of Energy and Water Arthur Nazarian announces that the deadline to submit bids for the first licensing round for offshore gas exploration has been postponed until February 14, 2015.
August 9
- The Lebanese Army reinforces its deployment in Ersal.
- PM Tamam Salam announces that Saudi Arabia has tasked Saad Hariri to make decisions about the use of the Saudi grant offered to support the Army.
- Electricité du Liban contract workers burn tires outside the company’s headquarters in protest of the number of workers chosen to become full-timers. The company is planning to employ just 891 out of over 2000 contract workers.
- Following his visit to Speaker Nabih Berri, Minister of the Interior and the Municipalities Nouhad Mashnouq announces that the current security situation does not allow for the holding of parliamentary elections at this stage.
August 10
- Gaining 74 votes during the election session chaired by PM Tamam Salam, Sheikh Abdel-Latif Deryan was unanimously elected by the Higher Islamic Council as the new Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic. His rival, Sheikh Ahmad Darwish Al-Kurdi who was nominated by the Islamic Jama’a obtained 9 votes and there were 8 blank ballots and 2 were declared void. Sheikh Deryan who is expected to assume office on September 15 urges moderation and alienation from extremism and assures that he will work towards preventing any rift between the Mufti and the Higher Islamic Council and mitigating Sunni-Shia’a divisions. During the vote, the Muslim Scholars Committee held a protest facing the Dar al-Fatwa building, to reject the ongoing elections and condemn political interference in the matters of the religious institution. Sheikh Deryan pays a visit to his predecessor Sheikh Mohamamd Rashid Qabbani.
- Former PM Saad Hariri holds a banquet in honor of the new Grand Mufti in the presence of Mufti Qabbani and a number of ambassadors and politicians including US and Egypt’s ambassadors to Lebanon and former PMs Fouad Seniora and Najib Mikati. Hariri addresses the attendees saying ‘we won’t allow a bunch of extremists to drag Muslims into confrontations with their partners in the country.”
- Prime Minister’s guards attack a number of journalists during the process of electing the Grand Mufti.
- Speaker Nabih Berri receives former PM Saad Hariri at his residence in Ain Teeneh and Hariri leaves without giving a statement.
- MP Walid Jumblat voices from Aley his rejection to any call for self-security.
- Families of kidnapped soldiers protest in Beqa’a demanding the release of their sons.
August 11
- In his interview with As-Safir, Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji reveals that the terrorists’ plan was to progress across Beqa’a towards Akkar and the coastline in order to establish an emirate.
- In an interview with As-Safir, Speaker Nabih Berri reiterates his rejection to the Parliament’s term extension, voicing concerns about a vacuum in both Parliament and the Cabinet.
- Minister of the Interior and the Municipalities Nouhad Mashnouq tells An-Nahar that the Syrian regime is not allowing the repatriation of Syrian refugees from Lebanon.
- The Union Coordination Committee stands firm in its boycott of grading official exams and Minister Bou Saab sets Friday noon as the last chance for striking teachers to stop their action. Otherwise, pass certificates will be issued to all students.
- PM Saad Hariri receives a Democratic Gathering delegation headed by MP Walid Jumblat who renews his support for Henry Helou as presidential candidate and warns from slipping into a situation similar to that in Iraq.
- PM Saad Haariri receives a delegation of Ersal’s residents headed by Mayor Ali Al-Houjeiry and donates USD 150 million for the construction of schools and hospitals in Ersal.
- Electricité du Liban contract workers protest at the company’s decision to grant only 900 workers out of 2000 full-time status by closing the doors of the company.
- A Higher Relief Committee delegation headed by Major General Mohammad Khair surveys Ersal to gauge the damage it sustained and to initiate compensation payments.
August 12
- The Spokesman for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Martin Youssef, announces his resignation from his post and Marianne El-Hajj will be the acting spokeswoman until the court appoints a replacement.
- Parliament adjourns its tenth session scheduled to elect a new President of the Republic until September 2 due to lack of quorum.
- MP Nicolas Fattoush puts forward a draft law proposing the extension of Parliament’s term of office for two years and seven months.
- Former PM Fouad Seniora reports that the extension of Parliament’s term is inescapable.
- Minister of Education and Higher Education Elias Bou Saab suspends issuance of pass certificates after skirmishes break out between striking teachers and those who crossed the picket line to mark exams.
- Electricité du Liban contract workers block roads and once again close the entrance to the company’s premises; EDL’s administration warns of the serious implications of contract workers’ actions over power supply.
- PM Tamam Salam holds a banquet in honor of the outgoing Saudi ambassador Ali Awad Assiri who urges unity, dialogue and reconciliation among all Lebanese.
- Former PM Saad Hariri meets an Economic Committees delegation and emphasizes the need to hold presidential elections first without ruling out the likelihood of extending the Parliament’s term.
- Future Movement MPs visit Ersal.
- Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji addresses the families of the soldiers captured by militants, saying that the Army has changed the course of history by striking ISIS and stressing that the attempts to instigate strife have not stopped.
- Speaker Nabih Berri renews during Wednesday’s parliamentary gathering his objection to prolonging the term of Parliament because the chamber is not legislating.
- Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji makes an inspection tour in Ersal and Labwi to examine the Army units and asserts in his speech that the great acts of bravery performed by the Lebanese army have protected Lebanon and prevented its descent in the control of terrorists.
- Former PM Saad Hariri heads for Jeddah to follow-up the matter of the Saudi grant with Saudi officials.
- After meeting MP Bahiya Hariri and Minister Elias Bou Saab in Parliament, the Union Coordination Committee and the Association of State Employees stage a protest at Riyadh Solh Square to demand salary scale approval and insist on boycotting the marking of official exams.
- New Grand Mufti Abdul Latif Deryan receives a Democratic Gathering delegation headed by MP Walid Jumblat.
- Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Gibran Bassil meets King Abdullah during his visit to Jordan and highlights the need for security cooperation among neighboring countries to confront extremism. King Abdullah emphasizes support for Lebanon’s safety and unity.
August 14
- The Cabinet accepts the grant offered by Saudi Arabia to fortify Lebanon’s Army and reassigns Minister of Education and Higher Education Elias Bou Saab to issue pass certificates. The session also allocates LBP 30 billion to the Public Housing Institute and urges the media not to distort the image of Lebanon.
- Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah asserts to Al-Akhbar that by fighting in Al-Qousayr and Al-Qalamoun, Hezbollah has prevented ISIS from reaching Beirut and the coast.
- Saudi Arabia decides to delay the departure of Saudi ambassador Ali Awad Assiri from Lebanon who had already made farewell visits to Lebanese officials.
- Media outlets deny the reported meeting between former PM Saad Hariri and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Gibran Bassil in Jeddah.
- Electricté du Liban contract workers renew their protest in front of the company building and EDL’s Director General holds a press conference at EDL’s power plant in Zouq saying that the law prohibits him from granting every worker permanent status and reporting that the company premises are currently unprotected.
- Speaker Nabih Berri receives Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji who asserts to a delegation of the family of martyred officer Dany Harb that the Army’s dignity shall never be compromised.
- US Ambassador David Hale reports after meeting PM Tamam Salam that the US will supply the Lebanese Army with weapons and ammunition.
- Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch arrests a 19-year-old Lebanese in Baalbeck on charges of operating the Baalbeck-based Ahrar al-Sunna Brigade’s Twitter account.
August 15
- During a televised speech broadcast on Al-Manar TV, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah calls for unified action to confront ISIS, noting that the Lebanese Army, the resistance and the people protect Lebanon, not Resolution 1701. Nasrallah proceeds to say that UNIFIL can’t even protect itself and that the future of Erzal is linked to its neighboring towns and not beyond the borders.
- Investigations into Hussein Shaman Al-Hussein, operator of the Baalbeck-based Ahrar al-Sunna Brigade’s Twitter account, conclude that Al-Hussein is not affiliated with any organization and was working on his own. Al-Hussein’s father points out that the family is close to Hezbollah and the ISF Information bureau posts the Lebanese flag on the Twitter account and shares a tweet saying that the account’s operator was arrested.
- The March 14 Forces report that the exposure of the Ahrar al-Sunna Brigade’s Twitter account has thwarted one of the schemes aimed at falsifying facts and threatening internal order and stability.
- New Grand Mufti Abdul Latif Deryan performs Friday prayers at Mohammad Al-Amin’s Mosque, then recites Al-Fatiha upon Rafik Hariri’s grave in the presence of former PM Fouad Seniora.
- During a sermon marking the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rai salutes the Lebanese Army martyrs and calls on MPs to take them as role models in sacrifice for the sake of the country and its constitutional institutions. Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji participates in the mass.
August 16
- PM Tamam Salam receives delegation of the families of kidnapped soldiers and policemen and emphasizes the government’s concern about the case.
- Minister of Education and Higher Education Elias Bou Saab slams the Union Coordination Committee during a press conference and issues pass statements to all the students who took official exams that would allow their entry into colleges. The identification cards students used to enter exam rooms and take the exams will be used as an affidavit as proof of completion and additional official certificates will be issued at a later stage.
- Syrian troops urge the residents of the eastern border village of Tufail to evacuate it before Sunday morning because the town is a zone of military operations but Hezbollah denies the claims, branding them as fabricated.
- Minister of the Interior and Municipalities Nouhad Mashnouq visits Muslim Scholars’ Committee member, Sheikh Salem Rafei at his residence in Tripoli to check on his health condition after the injury he sustained during the clashes in Ersal.
- In a talk with Sky News Arabia, MP Walid Jumblat holds onto Henry Helo as the PSP’s presidential candidate, reiterating calls for a consensual president and noting that he has not heard about the candidacy of Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji.
August 17
- An-Nusra Front releases two of the ISF members it kidnapped in Ersal during the clashes and the Muslim Scholars’ Committee promises further releases if the Lebanese Army vows not to carry out crackdowns and assault Syrian refugees in Ersal.
- General Michel Aoun admitted into Serhal Hospital after breaking his shoulder.
August 18
- Accompanied with his son Taimour, MP Walid Jumblat visits MP Suleiman Frangieh in Bnachei in the presence of the latter’s son, Tony, and states that the visit is part of his meetings with different Lebanese leaderships, pointing out that he has a historical relation with the Frangieh family.
- The Syndicate of Private School Teachers backs down on its decision to boycott exam grading and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education states that the pass certificates have entered into effect and that the law relating to them shall be issued later.
- Minister of Telecommunications, Boutros Harb, announces an initiative to solve the presidential crisis suggesting a quorum of at least 50% deputies plus one deputy after the first round.
- Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Gibran Bassil heads for Iraq and holds meetings with Iraq’s new PM Haidar al-Ibadi, Interim Minister of Foreign Affairs Hussein Shahristani and President of Iraqi Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani stressing that ISIS poses a threat to everyone.
August 19
- The Cabinet convenes at the Grand Serail in the absence of Minister of the Interior and Municipalities Nouad Mashnouq and approves a decree calling on electoral committees to begin preparing for the parliamentary elections despite the expiry of the constitutional deadline two days earlier. Separately, the Cabinet defers discussion over garbage dossier and over licenses to establish new universities until future sessions. The session approves the establishment of 13 new branches and faculties to existing universities and issues a license allowing the establishment of an anti-violence and human rights faculty headed by Ogarit Younan.
- ISIL commander Abou Abdullah Al-Iraqi who was in charge of training suicide bombers and rigging vehicles with explosives has been reportedly killed in Syria’s Qalamoun region.
- Parliamentary Education Committee approves the validation of official exams candidacy cards and recommends the initiation of entrance exams to the Lebanese University.
- The Union Coordination Committee schedules a general strike for Thursday and considers the possibility of appealing against the Minister’s decision to issue pass certificates to all official exam applicants.
- Tareq Shandab, attorney of terrorist suspect Ahmad Jomaa, submits pleas before the Military Court, noting that the terrorist acts attributed to his defendant occurred after he was arrested.
August 20
- Following Wednesday’s meetings presided over by Speaker Nabih Berri, MPs quote him as saying that he will no longer accept to remain inactive about the current situation.
- MP Walid Jumblat supports a technical extension of Parliament’s term for no more than a year.
- Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rai arrives with Levant Patriarchs’ delegation in Erbil on board of a private plane to inspect the conditions of Christian refugees. Al-Rai states that he hasn’t called for dialogue with ISIS adding that the takfiri mindset must be countered and that the minorities protected by the international community.
- Minister of Public Health Wael Bou Faour opines that the call for parliamentary elections will not reach its intended objective.
August 21
- Change and Reform Bloc MPs propose a draft law stipulating a constitutional amendment whereby the President of the Republic is elected by the people.
- The Union Coordination Committee stages a protest to deplore the issuance of pass certificates and to demand the approval of the salary scale.
- The Cabinet approves for the departing Syrian refugees the exemption from fines incurred by not paying residency fees in order to facilitate their return to Syria. The session also decides to devise a plan for solid waste management.
- In an interview with LBC, Minister of Justice, General Ashraf Rifi, likens ISIS to Hezbollah.
- Abou Taimour Dandashi, a militia leader detained for involvement in clashes in Tripoli, is released from Roumieh prison.
- Minister of Public Health Wael Bou Faour busts a medical supervisor accused of signing fake bills allowing Al-Assi Hospital in Hermel to exploit public insurance funds.
- PM Tamam Salam receives a delegation of the Muslim Scholars’ Committee and the delegation’s spokesperson Sheikh Adnan Imama announces that the Committee will suspend its mediation over captives so as to give chance for other mediation efforts.
- An-Nussra Front features nine soldiers and policemen on video pleading Hezbollah to withdraw from Syria.
Lebanese Army Commander announces to An-Nahar that he refuses to let any single drop of blood be shed in pursuit of the presidential seat.
- Lebanese Forces MP Fadi Karam describes ISIS and Michel Aoun’s bloc as being two sides of the same coin.
- Former President of the Republic Amine Gemayel visits Patriarch al-Rai and states that the proposition to let the people choose the president is not new and he was the first to put it forward but the circumstances are no longer suitable now.
August 23
- During a speech marking the anniversary of the twin explosions that hit Al-Taqwa and Al-Salam mosques in Tripoli, Minister of Justice Ashraf Rifi assures that Tripoli wants justice.
- Israel responds to a rocket launched from the border town of Al-Dhaira by firing to the area.
August 24
- During his Mount Lebanon tour, MP Walid Jumblat passes by Kaifoun and meets its residents and officials from Hezbollah. Jumblat brands Minister Ashraf Rifi’s likening of Hezbollah to ISIS as political heresy and criticizes those who compared the Free Patriotic Movement to ISIS as well. He also attends the Baisour festival along with Druze MP Talal Arslan.
- A new video footage shows seven soldiers captured by ISIS.
- MP Nadim Gemayel urges the election of a president who is not emboldened by foreign powers during the ceremony held in Bekfaya on the 23rd anniversary of the election of
Bashir Gemayel.
August 25
- New Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Deryan receives a number of well-wishers including US ambassador to Lebanon David Hale.
- Patriarch al-Rai renews calls for electing a new President of the Republic before heading to the Vatican.
- Terrorist suspect Ahmad Jomaa confesses that the objective of the battle in Ersal was to establish an Islamic emirate in North Lebanon.
- The Special Tribunal for Lebanon resumes its hearing sessions after the end of the summer recess.
August 26
- Speaker Nabih Berri pleads with the ambassadors of the Big Five powers for an airlift to provide the Lebanese Army with military assistance.
- The Future Parliamentary Bloc cautions after its weekly meeting against involving the Lebanese Army on behalf of Hezbollah.
- The Change and Reform Bloc announces that it is awaiting rational responses to its proposition to elect a president directly by the people instead of worthless attacks.
- ISIS makes a statement threatening to kill the first soldier in 24 hours.
- Israel responds to a rocket launched from the Al-Jarmaq town by shelling the area.
August 27
- PM Tamam Salam visits Speaker Nabih Berri reiterating the need to address the dossier of the kidnapped Lebanese soldiers responsibly.
- Following their meeting in Bkerki, the Levant Bishops call for the issuance of a fatwa that prohibits attacks on Christians and for the dissociation of presidential elections from regional conflicts.
- The Special Tribunal for Lebanon hears the testimony of Conrad Shlatter, a Swiss chemist and explosives expert who assisted the investigation into the Hariri assassination attack.
- Minister of Telecommunications Boutros Harb calls Army Commander Jean Qahwaji to inform him that the SMS campaign launched by Lebanon’s two mobile operators to support the Army has collected USD 237,000.
- The Lebanese Army seizes a car loaded with RPG grenades in Hermel and arrests the driver Ahmad Mohammad Al-Houjeiry and another passenger named Ashraf Ezzedine.
- The Cabinet convenes at the Grand Serail and approves the decree granting pass certificates to all official exam candidates. The discussion also covers the issue of the kidnapped soldiers and security personnel.
- “Preparations are under way to establish the Baabda Declaration Front,” says former President of the Republic Michel Suleiman to Al-Liwaa.
- Minister of the Interior and Municipalities Nouhad Mashnouq issues a memo detailing the documents needed for those planning to run in the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 16, 2014. Nominations are to be accepted starting August 28, 2014.
- Clashes erupt between the Lebanese Army and militants in the outskirts of Ersal after the latter ambushed an army patrol.
- The Lebanese Army arrests Khaled Saadeddine, brother of the defected soldier Atef Saadeddine, in the Akkar town of Kherbet Daoud.
- Photos and a video are posted online purportedly showing an ISIS militant beheading a blindfolded man who is identified as Sergeant Ahmad al-Sayed (from Fanideq).
- Military Investigative Judge Imad Zein issues arrest warrants against Imad and Ahmad Jomaa in the presence of their lawyer Tarek Shandab.
- The Lebanese Army arrests Syrians during their attempt to infiltrate into Lebanon from Ain Ata. One Syrian was killed during exchange of fire.
August 29
- Families of the kidnapped soldiers and security personnel block the road to Halba calling for the release of the captives.
- Minister of Interior and Municipalities Nouhad Mashnouq announces that his visit to General Michel was to discuss the clashes in Ersal, stressing that Ersal is a time bomb.
- The US delivers a shipment of weapons to bolster the Lebanese Army and pledges to send more in the future.
- The captives held by ISIS appear in a new video appealing to the government to meet the demands of the group by freeing the Islamists in Roumieh prison or the captives will be beheaded within three days.
- New Grand Mufti Abdul Latif Deryan visits PM Tamam Salam and thanks him for his efforts in ending the crisis of Dar el-Fatwa.
- Minister of Social Affairs Rashid Derbas says that closing the borders between Lebanon and Syria for security reason is not unlikely.
August 30
- An-Nusra Front releases five Sunni troops and hands them over to Sheikh Mustafa Houjeiry who announces that the burning of ISIS flag in Ashrafieh has delayed the release of Christian captives. An-Nusra Front adds that Shia’a captives will be killed if Hezbollah continues fighting in AL-Qalamoun.
- New Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdullah Deryan receives Sayyid Ali Fadlallah.
- Senior security officials attend a security meeting at the Grand Serail in the presence of Judge Sakr Sakr to discuss the situation in Ersal and the detention of the soldiers and security personnel by ISIS.
August 31
- On the 36th anniversary of the disappearance of Imam Moussa Sadr, Speaker Nabih Berri announces that countering terrorism is a collective responsibility and that the election of a President of the Republic is a glimmer of hope and should take precedence.
- Lebanese television channels air united news segment on Imam Moussa Sadr.
- Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji addresses the graduating Military Academy officers on national Army Day assuring that the Lebanese Army is the guarantee for Lebanese security and that Lebanon has nothing to fear as long as its army is united.
- Minister of Justice Ashraf Rifi and MP Yassin Jaber representing Speaker Nabih Berri give speeches at the ceremony held by World House of Lebanon on national Army Day.
- Following his meeting with the Union Coordination Committee, Minister of Finance Ali Hassan Khalil reports that the salary scale approval has become a matter of choice and the UCC assures that it has returned to scratch.
- Maronite Patriarch al-Rai receives former PM Fouad Seniora accompanied with a Future Movement delegation and Bishop Awdi announces that there are attempts to prevent the presidential elections from happening, stressing objection to the events unfolding in Iraq and Syria.
- The Lebanese Army arrests a woman wearing a belt of explosives in the Airouniyi town of Akkar. The woman’s husband had been arrested on terrorist charges.
- The Military Public Prosecution releases Sheikh Hussein Atwi arrested for launching rockets towards Israel two weeks ago.
August 2
- Following the Lebanese Army’s arrest of the An-Nusra Front leader, Syrian national Imad Ahmad Joum’a in the outskirts of Ersal, Islamists attack the brigade of gendarmeries in Ersal and detain the sixteen men at the residence of Sheikh Mostafa Al-Houjairy and footage shows the detainees announcing their defection from the Lebanese Army and Hezbollah. An-Nusra Front also abducts a number of Lebanese Army soldiers triggering clashes in Ersal.
- Tension flares up in Tripoli and the army comes under fire as a result of the clashes.
- PM Tamam Salam calls on the Islamic Council to convene at Dar El-Fatwa on Sunday, August 10, 2014 at 10 am to elect a new Grand Mufti. Egypt’s Consul in Lebanon Sharif Bahrawi is highly credited for resolving the long-standing Islamic council row.
- Saudi King Abdullah receives former Prime Minister Saad Hariri in his Jeddah Palace along with a number of emirs and religious figures who congratulate him on Eid al-Fitr.
- Hezbollah lays its member Mostafa Hussein Al-Muqaddam to rest in Zebdine. Al-Muqaddam who was accused of opening fire on a Lebanese Army helicopter causing the death of Captain Samer Hanna in 2008 died while fighting in Syria.
- The delegation tasked with handling the Air Algerie plane crash case returns to Lebanon and Director General Haitham Jomaa reveals that the identification of victims will take time.
- Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah receives MP Suleiman Frangieh and his son Tony.
August 3
- Armed confrontations continue in Ersal and the Army manages to recover some of its posts. The Lebanese Army’s death toll rises to 10 including Colonel Noreddine Al-Jamal, brother of the Future Movement’s Brigadier General Mahmoud Al-Jamal. 25 people were injured and 13 others missing.
- Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji announces during a press conference that clashes in Erzal were pre-planned, adding that Jomaa confessed that he had been arranging attacks on military centers. Qahwaji urges political and religious authorities to watch out for the scheme woven for Lebanon, emphasizing the Army’s readiness to face up to the Hezbollah’s Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and the need to address the Syrian refugee crisis so that their places of stay do not become pockets of terrorist activity.
- The security meeting held at the Grand Serail on Ersal urges exceptional Cabinet session to discuss the situation and the Minister of Defense stresses unity against the terrorist threat in Ersal.
- Former Minister and MP Michel Sassine dies at the age of 87.
During his tour of Choueifat and Deir Qoubil, MP Walid Jumblat brands the Islamic State as a ‘plague’ urging cooperation between the moderate Sunnis represented by Saad Hariri and the Amal Movement and Hezbollah. Jumblat challenges the recurrent mantra that Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria has brought terrorism upon Lebanon.
- MP Abdul Latif Kabbara assures during the Islamic National Gathering’s press conference in Tripoli that what is happening in Ersal is a conspiracy woven by Iran, Hezbollah and Syria on the Sunni.
- Hezbollah vows to support the Lebanese Army against terrorist threats and the Future Movement, Saad Hariri, Fouad Seniora and Amine Gemayel take similar supporting stances.
- Committee of Muslim Scholars negotiates a truce in Ersal in order to solve the crisis and the Lebanese Army insists on the withdrawal of all militants from the town and the release of the abductees before talking about any compromise.
August 4
- Clashes in Ersal show no signs of stopping, leaving 14 soldiers dead, 86 wounded, 22 captured and 16 missing amid heavy displacement of residents from the town.
- Committee of Muslim Scholars comes under fire during its mediation attempt in Ersal. The incident results in some of its members being wounded including Sheikh Salem Rafei and the Committee’s statement deplores the bombing of the town and calls for a safe exit for residents.
- PM Tamam Salam announces at the end of the Cabinet meeting that there will be no room for dialogue, negotiations or political solutions with takfiris and that the Lebanese Army will have all the support it needs in its war against them.
- Saudi Ambassador Ali Awad Assiri kicks off a series of farewell visits to Lebanese officials including former President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Tamam Salam.
- Future TV calls for a media gathering that underlines full support of the Army and commitment not to broadcast any statements that jeopardize its standing.
- An-Nusra Front broadcast a video featuring two Lebanese soldiers allegedly defecting from the Lebanese Army.
- Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Gibran Bassil holds talks with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani during his visit in Tehran to attend the meeting of the Palestine Committee of the Non-Aligned Movement.
- The Union Coordination Committee postpones its strike scheduled for Wednesday due to security reasons and refuses to moderate its position regarding marking of exams, stressing its objection to the Minister of Education’s decision to grant pass certificates.
August 5
- Cease fire to take effect in Ersal starting at 7:00 pm and militants release three ISF abductees.
- Former PM Saad Hariri announces a Saudi donation worth one billion dollars to assist Lebanon in fighting terrorism and promote the role of the Army and the Internal Security Forces.
- MP Walid Jumblat receives Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon, the former Minister Wiam Wahhab.
- General Michel Aoun expresses, after the Change and Reform Bloc weekly meeting, opposition to any kind of negotiations with or tolerance to terrorists, stressing that, if anything, negotiations should be held between Lebanon and Syria to fight terrorism. He adds that the calls to expand Resolution 1701 are delusional.
- Minister of the Interior and the Municipalities Nouhad Mashnouq assures Al-Akhbar that the government refuses cooperation between the Lebanese and Syrian armies.
- The Future Parliamentary Bloc issues a statement reiterating support of the Army in ensuring the security of Lebanon, noting that the clashes in Ersal are the end product of Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria.
- PM Tamam Salam holds discussions on Ersal with the Minister of the Interior and Municipalities, the Minister of Justice and the Committee of Muslim Scholars.
- Former President of the Republic Michel Suleiman receives a Saudi letter in support of the Lebanese Army and visits Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji to discuss the latest developments.
- Head of the Municipality of Ersal, Ali Al-Houjeiry, announces that Ersal supports the Army and the state, noting that the town has offered 8 martyrs in defense of the gendarmerie.
- Following its meeting at Beit Al-Wasat, the March 14 Forces launches an urgent plan to shield Lebanon from evils, renewing calls on Hezbollah to pull out of Syria and rally around the Army and urging the election of a President of the Republic and the expansion of Resolution 1701 to cover Syrian-Lebanese borders.
- Minister of the Interior and the Municipalities Nouhad Mashnouq signs the decree calling on electoral bodies to participate in parliamentary elections and Speaker Nabih Berri renews opposition to the extension of Parliament’s term.
- Explosives blown up in Tripoli leave one dead and ten injured. Conflicting news circulate on whether the Lebanese Army was the intended target of the attack or Sheikh Malek Jdeideh, Head of the Committee of Muslim Scholars.
- The truce continues in Ersal amid ceasefire extension until 7:00 pm and the Committee of Muslim Scholars’ persistent efforts yield the release of three soldiers.
- Labwi residents block the roads to prevent Qatari aid from reaching Ersal, claiming that the supplies are designated for the militants, not the residents. In response, counter roadblocks are staged in Saadiyat, Saadnayel and Majdal Anjar.
- MP Walid Jumblat visits General Michel Aoun in Rabieh and a joint statement reveals that the meeting addressed the Lebanese Army’s confrontation with terrorists and the presidential vacuum.
- Former PM Saad Hariri holds a press conference in Jeddah to discuss the Saudi one-billion-dollar donation, stressing that he is assigned the implementation of the donation and holding Hezbollah once again accountable for the violence in Ersal.
- Minister of Education and Higher Education announces in a press conference that he has backtracked on his previous decision not to grant all candidates who took official exams pass certificates and suspends the implementation of his decision by 48 hours to wait for the teachers’ response. The Union Coordination Committee rejects the minister’s decision and brands it as detrimental to both education and students.
- Former President of the Republic Michel Suleiman hosts meeting for PM Tamam Salam, former PM Fouad Seniora, MP Walid Jumblat and Patriarch al-Rai at his residence.
- The Constitutional Council accepts appeal against three articles of the Rent Act, thereby rendering it ineffective.
- US Embassy in Beirut denies alleged involvement in the creation and support of ISIS.
- In their monthly statement, Maronite Bishops call on neighboring countries to assist the Army and urge speedy elections of a President of the Republic.
August 7
- Relative calm returns to Ersal after the Islamist militants withdrew from the town and redeployed themselves along the border with Syria. A Red Cross convoy enters the town and evacuates 42 wounded people and negotiations continue to release the members of the Army and security forces kidnapped by the Islamists.
- An-Nusra Front issues a statement announcing its withdrawal from Ersal and warning of any offence against the Sunni.
- The Cabinet convenes in the presence of senior security officers and approves an increase in the number of security forces recruits by 12,000, including 5000 in the Lebanese Army. It also tasks Minister of Education and Higher Education Elias Bou Saab to follow up on the official exam grading and make the right decision regarding pass certificates and takes note of the decree inviting electoral bodies to participate in the elections scheduled for November 16, 2014.
- As part of his farewell tour, Saudi Ambassador Ali Awad Assiri visits General Michel Aoun and MP Wali Jumblat who holds a banquet in his honor.
- Oriental bishops hold a meeting in Diman and call on Islamic leaders to issue fatwas banning attacks against Christians.
-The Amal Movement governing bodies under the leadership of Speaker Nabih Berri call after their meeting for organizing the presence of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. It also urges speedy election of a President of the Republic and proceeds to express surprise at the delay of France’s military assistance to the Lebanese Army.
- In his statement, MP Abdul Latif Kabbara emphasizes that he has not assaulted the Army and that he abides by the state and its institutions.
- Former MP Ahmad Habboush dies two weeks after sustaining an injury.
August 8
- Former PM Saad Hariri returns from Saudi Arabia to Beirut after a three-year absence and visits the grave of his father. He later moves to the Grand Serail to meet PM Tamam Salam, announcing that he has returned to implement the Saudi one-billion-dollar donation assigned for the armament of the Lebanese Army and security forces. Hariri resumes his activities by attending a security meeting at the Grand Serail and afterwards meeting the US and Saudi ambassadors at Beit Al-Wasat. Speaking to the gathering of March 14 Forces, Hariri says ‘if Hezbollah makes mistakes, that does not mean we should respond with similar ones.’ Residents of Beirut and other regions stage celebrations and cheer Hariri’s return.
- Saad Hariri receives phone calls from Speaker Nabih Berri and other political figures who congratulate him on his safe return to Lebanon. Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea says that ‘with the return of Hariri, the real bond of the March 14 Forces will become complete. His return will promote moderation.”
- Saudi King calls PM Tamam Salam to reiterate the kingdom’s support of Lebanon’s sovereignty and stability.
- Minister of Education and Higher Education Elias Bou Saab holds a press conference announcing the readiness of his ministry to grant pass certificates starting next week should teachers fail to start grading by Tuesday.
- Army Commander Jean Qahwaji believes that the members of the Army and security forces abducted by Islamist militants are no longer in Ersal and sources report that the kidnappers demand the release of the Islamist inmates held in Roumieh Prison in exchange for the hostages.
- Minister of Energy and Water Arthur Nazarian announces that the deadline to submit bids for the first licensing round for offshore gas exploration has been postponed until February 14, 2015.
August 9
- The Lebanese Army reinforces its deployment in Ersal.
- PM Tamam Salam announces that Saudi Arabia has tasked Saad Hariri to make decisions about the use of the Saudi grant offered to support the Army.
- Electricité du Liban contract workers burn tires outside the company’s headquarters in protest of the number of workers chosen to become full-timers. The company is planning to employ just 891 out of over 2000 contract workers.
- Following his visit to Speaker Nabih Berri, Minister of the Interior and the Municipalities Nouhad Mashnouq announces that the current security situation does not allow for the holding of parliamentary elections at this stage.
August 10
- Gaining 74 votes during the election session chaired by PM Tamam Salam, Sheikh Abdel-Latif Deryan was unanimously elected by the Higher Islamic Council as the new Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic. His rival, Sheikh Ahmad Darwish Al-Kurdi who was nominated by the Islamic Jama’a obtained 9 votes and there were 8 blank ballots and 2 were declared void. Sheikh Deryan who is expected to assume office on September 15 urges moderation and alienation from extremism and assures that he will work towards preventing any rift between the Mufti and the Higher Islamic Council and mitigating Sunni-Shia’a divisions. During the vote, the Muslim Scholars Committee held a protest facing the Dar al-Fatwa building, to reject the ongoing elections and condemn political interference in the matters of the religious institution. Sheikh Deryan pays a visit to his predecessor Sheikh Mohamamd Rashid Qabbani.
- Former PM Saad Hariri holds a banquet in honor of the new Grand Mufti in the presence of Mufti Qabbani and a number of ambassadors and politicians including US and Egypt’s ambassadors to Lebanon and former PMs Fouad Seniora and Najib Mikati. Hariri addresses the attendees saying ‘we won’t allow a bunch of extremists to drag Muslims into confrontations with their partners in the country.”
- Prime Minister’s guards attack a number of journalists during the process of electing the Grand Mufti.
- Speaker Nabih Berri receives former PM Saad Hariri at his residence in Ain Teeneh and Hariri leaves without giving a statement.
- MP Walid Jumblat voices from Aley his rejection to any call for self-security.
- Families of kidnapped soldiers protest in Beqa’a demanding the release of their sons.
August 11
- In his interview with As-Safir, Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji reveals that the terrorists’ plan was to progress across Beqa’a towards Akkar and the coastline in order to establish an emirate.
- In an interview with As-Safir, Speaker Nabih Berri reiterates his rejection to the Parliament’s term extension, voicing concerns about a vacuum in both Parliament and the Cabinet.
- Minister of the Interior and the Municipalities Nouhad Mashnouq tells An-Nahar that the Syrian regime is not allowing the repatriation of Syrian refugees from Lebanon.
- The Union Coordination Committee stands firm in its boycott of grading official exams and Minister Bou Saab sets Friday noon as the last chance for striking teachers to stop their action. Otherwise, pass certificates will be issued to all students.
- PM Saad Hariri receives a Democratic Gathering delegation headed by MP Walid Jumblat who renews his support for Henry Helou as presidential candidate and warns from slipping into a situation similar to that in Iraq.
- PM Saad Haariri receives a delegation of Ersal’s residents headed by Mayor Ali Al-Houjeiry and donates USD 150 million for the construction of schools and hospitals in Ersal.
- Electricité du Liban contract workers protest at the company’s decision to grant only 900 workers out of 2000 full-time status by closing the doors of the company.
- A Higher Relief Committee delegation headed by Major General Mohammad Khair surveys Ersal to gauge the damage it sustained and to initiate compensation payments.
August 12
- The Spokesman for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Martin Youssef, announces his resignation from his post and Marianne El-Hajj will be the acting spokeswoman until the court appoints a replacement.
- Parliament adjourns its tenth session scheduled to elect a new President of the Republic until September 2 due to lack of quorum.
- MP Nicolas Fattoush puts forward a draft law proposing the extension of Parliament’s term of office for two years and seven months.
- Former PM Fouad Seniora reports that the extension of Parliament’s term is inescapable.
- Minister of Education and Higher Education Elias Bou Saab suspends issuance of pass certificates after skirmishes break out between striking teachers and those who crossed the picket line to mark exams.
- Electricité du Liban contract workers block roads and once again close the entrance to the company’s premises; EDL’s administration warns of the serious implications of contract workers’ actions over power supply.
- PM Tamam Salam holds a banquet in honor of the outgoing Saudi ambassador Ali Awad Assiri who urges unity, dialogue and reconciliation among all Lebanese.
- Former PM Saad Hariri meets an Economic Committees delegation and emphasizes the need to hold presidential elections first without ruling out the likelihood of extending the Parliament’s term.
- Future Movement MPs visit Ersal.
- Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji addresses the families of the soldiers captured by militants, saying that the Army has changed the course of history by striking ISIS and stressing that the attempts to instigate strife have not stopped.
- Speaker Nabih Berri renews during Wednesday’s parliamentary gathering his objection to prolonging the term of Parliament because the chamber is not legislating.
- Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji makes an inspection tour in Ersal and Labwi to examine the Army units and asserts in his speech that the great acts of bravery performed by the Lebanese army have protected Lebanon and prevented its descent in the control of terrorists.
- Former PM Saad Hariri heads for Jeddah to follow-up the matter of the Saudi grant with Saudi officials.
- After meeting MP Bahiya Hariri and Minister Elias Bou Saab in Parliament, the Union Coordination Committee and the Association of State Employees stage a protest at Riyadh Solh Square to demand salary scale approval and insist on boycotting the marking of official exams.
- New Grand Mufti Abdul Latif Deryan receives a Democratic Gathering delegation headed by MP Walid Jumblat.
- Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Gibran Bassil meets King Abdullah during his visit to Jordan and highlights the need for security cooperation among neighboring countries to confront extremism. King Abdullah emphasizes support for Lebanon’s safety and unity.
August 14
- The Cabinet accepts the grant offered by Saudi Arabia to fortify Lebanon’s Army and reassigns Minister of Education and Higher Education Elias Bou Saab to issue pass certificates. The session also allocates LBP 30 billion to the Public Housing Institute and urges the media not to distort the image of Lebanon.
- Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah asserts to Al-Akhbar that by fighting in Al-Qousayr and Al-Qalamoun, Hezbollah has prevented ISIS from reaching Beirut and the coast.
- Saudi Arabia decides to delay the departure of Saudi ambassador Ali Awad Assiri from Lebanon who had already made farewell visits to Lebanese officials.
- Media outlets deny the reported meeting between former PM Saad Hariri and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Gibran Bassil in Jeddah.
- Electricté du Liban contract workers renew their protest in front of the company building and EDL’s Director General holds a press conference at EDL’s power plant in Zouq saying that the law prohibits him from granting every worker permanent status and reporting that the company premises are currently unprotected.
- Speaker Nabih Berri receives Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji who asserts to a delegation of the family of martyred officer Dany Harb that the Army’s dignity shall never be compromised.
- US Ambassador David Hale reports after meeting PM Tamam Salam that the US will supply the Lebanese Army with weapons and ammunition.
- Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch arrests a 19-year-old Lebanese in Baalbeck on charges of operating the Baalbeck-based Ahrar al-Sunna Brigade’s Twitter account.
August 15
- During a televised speech broadcast on Al-Manar TV, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah calls for unified action to confront ISIS, noting that the Lebanese Army, the resistance and the people protect Lebanon, not Resolution 1701. Nasrallah proceeds to say that UNIFIL can’t even protect itself and that the future of Erzal is linked to its neighboring towns and not beyond the borders.
- Investigations into Hussein Shaman Al-Hussein, operator of the Baalbeck-based Ahrar al-Sunna Brigade’s Twitter account, conclude that Al-Hussein is not affiliated with any organization and was working on his own. Al-Hussein’s father points out that the family is close to Hezbollah and the ISF Information bureau posts the Lebanese flag on the Twitter account and shares a tweet saying that the account’s operator was arrested.
- The March 14 Forces report that the exposure of the Ahrar al-Sunna Brigade’s Twitter account has thwarted one of the schemes aimed at falsifying facts and threatening internal order and stability.
- New Grand Mufti Abdul Latif Deryan performs Friday prayers at Mohammad Al-Amin’s Mosque, then recites Al-Fatiha upon Rafik Hariri’s grave in the presence of former PM Fouad Seniora.
- During a sermon marking the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rai salutes the Lebanese Army martyrs and calls on MPs to take them as role models in sacrifice for the sake of the country and its constitutional institutions. Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji participates in the mass.
August 16
- PM Tamam Salam receives delegation of the families of kidnapped soldiers and policemen and emphasizes the government’s concern about the case.
- Minister of Education and Higher Education Elias Bou Saab slams the Union Coordination Committee during a press conference and issues pass statements to all the students who took official exams that would allow their entry into colleges. The identification cards students used to enter exam rooms and take the exams will be used as an affidavit as proof of completion and additional official certificates will be issued at a later stage.
- Syrian troops urge the residents of the eastern border village of Tufail to evacuate it before Sunday morning because the town is a zone of military operations but Hezbollah denies the claims, branding them as fabricated.
- Minister of the Interior and Municipalities Nouhad Mashnouq visits Muslim Scholars’ Committee member, Sheikh Salem Rafei at his residence in Tripoli to check on his health condition after the injury he sustained during the clashes in Ersal.
- In a talk with Sky News Arabia, MP Walid Jumblat holds onto Henry Helo as the PSP’s presidential candidate, reiterating calls for a consensual president and noting that he has not heard about the candidacy of Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji.
August 17
- An-Nusra Front releases two of the ISF members it kidnapped in Ersal during the clashes and the Muslim Scholars’ Committee promises further releases if the Lebanese Army vows not to carry out crackdowns and assault Syrian refugees in Ersal.
- General Michel Aoun admitted into Serhal Hospital after breaking his shoulder.
August 18
- Accompanied with his son Taimour, MP Walid Jumblat visits MP Suleiman Frangieh in Bnachei in the presence of the latter’s son, Tony, and states that the visit is part of his meetings with different Lebanese leaderships, pointing out that he has a historical relation with the Frangieh family.
- The Syndicate of Private School Teachers backs down on its decision to boycott exam grading and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education states that the pass certificates have entered into effect and that the law relating to them shall be issued later.
- Minister of Telecommunications, Boutros Harb, announces an initiative to solve the presidential crisis suggesting a quorum of at least 50% deputies plus one deputy after the first round.
- Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Gibran Bassil heads for Iraq and holds meetings with Iraq’s new PM Haidar al-Ibadi, Interim Minister of Foreign Affairs Hussein Shahristani and President of Iraqi Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani stressing that ISIS poses a threat to everyone.
August 19
- The Cabinet convenes at the Grand Serail in the absence of Minister of the Interior and Municipalities Nouad Mashnouq and approves a decree calling on electoral committees to begin preparing for the parliamentary elections despite the expiry of the constitutional deadline two days earlier. Separately, the Cabinet defers discussion over garbage dossier and over licenses to establish new universities until future sessions. The session approves the establishment of 13 new branches and faculties to existing universities and issues a license allowing the establishment of an anti-violence and human rights faculty headed by Ogarit Younan.
- ISIL commander Abou Abdullah Al-Iraqi who was in charge of training suicide bombers and rigging vehicles with explosives has been reportedly killed in Syria’s Qalamoun region.
- Parliamentary Education Committee approves the validation of official exams candidacy cards and recommends the initiation of entrance exams to the Lebanese University.
- The Union Coordination Committee schedules a general strike for Thursday and considers the possibility of appealing against the Minister’s decision to issue pass certificates to all official exam applicants.
- Tareq Shandab, attorney of terrorist suspect Ahmad Jomaa, submits pleas before the Military Court, noting that the terrorist acts attributed to his defendant occurred after he was arrested.
August 20
- Following Wednesday’s meetings presided over by Speaker Nabih Berri, MPs quote him as saying that he will no longer accept to remain inactive about the current situation.
- MP Walid Jumblat supports a technical extension of Parliament’s term for no more than a year.
- Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rai arrives with Levant Patriarchs’ delegation in Erbil on board of a private plane to inspect the conditions of Christian refugees. Al-Rai states that he hasn’t called for dialogue with ISIS adding that the takfiri mindset must be countered and that the minorities protected by the international community.
- Minister of Public Health Wael Bou Faour opines that the call for parliamentary elections will not reach its intended objective.
August 21
- Change and Reform Bloc MPs propose a draft law stipulating a constitutional amendment whereby the President of the Republic is elected by the people.
- The Union Coordination Committee stages a protest to deplore the issuance of pass certificates and to demand the approval of the salary scale.
- The Cabinet approves for the departing Syrian refugees the exemption from fines incurred by not paying residency fees in order to facilitate their return to Syria. The session also decides to devise a plan for solid waste management.
- In an interview with LBC, Minister of Justice, General Ashraf Rifi, likens ISIS to Hezbollah.
- Abou Taimour Dandashi, a militia leader detained for involvement in clashes in Tripoli, is released from Roumieh prison.
- Minister of Public Health Wael Bou Faour busts a medical supervisor accused of signing fake bills allowing Al-Assi Hospital in Hermel to exploit public insurance funds.
- PM Tamam Salam receives a delegation of the Muslim Scholars’ Committee and the delegation’s spokesperson Sheikh Adnan Imama announces that the Committee will suspend its mediation over captives so as to give chance for other mediation efforts.
- An-Nussra Front features nine soldiers and policemen on video pleading Hezbollah to withdraw from Syria.
Lebanese Army Commander announces to An-Nahar that he refuses to let any single drop of blood be shed in pursuit of the presidential seat.
- Lebanese Forces MP Fadi Karam describes ISIS and Michel Aoun’s bloc as being two sides of the same coin.
- Former President of the Republic Amine Gemayel visits Patriarch al-Rai and states that the proposition to let the people choose the president is not new and he was the first to put it forward but the circumstances are no longer suitable now.
August 23
- During a speech marking the anniversary of the twin explosions that hit Al-Taqwa and Al-Salam mosques in Tripoli, Minister of Justice Ashraf Rifi assures that Tripoli wants justice.
- Israel responds to a rocket launched from the border town of Al-Dhaira by firing to the area.
August 24
- During his Mount Lebanon tour, MP Walid Jumblat passes by Kaifoun and meets its residents and officials from Hezbollah. Jumblat brands Minister Ashraf Rifi’s likening of Hezbollah to ISIS as political heresy and criticizes those who compared the Free Patriotic Movement to ISIS as well. He also attends the Baisour festival along with Druze MP Talal Arslan.
- A new video footage shows seven soldiers captured by ISIS.
- MP Nadim Gemayel urges the election of a president who is not emboldened by foreign powers during the ceremony held in Bekfaya on the 23rd anniversary of the election of
Bashir Gemayel.
August 25
- New Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Deryan receives a number of well-wishers including US ambassador to Lebanon David Hale.
- Patriarch al-Rai renews calls for electing a new President of the Republic before heading to the Vatican.
- Terrorist suspect Ahmad Jomaa confesses that the objective of the battle in Ersal was to establish an Islamic emirate in North Lebanon.
- The Special Tribunal for Lebanon resumes its hearing sessions after the end of the summer recess.
August 26
- Speaker Nabih Berri pleads with the ambassadors of the Big Five powers for an airlift to provide the Lebanese Army with military assistance.
- The Future Parliamentary Bloc cautions after its weekly meeting against involving the Lebanese Army on behalf of Hezbollah.
- The Change and Reform Bloc announces that it is awaiting rational responses to its proposition to elect a president directly by the people instead of worthless attacks.
- ISIS makes a statement threatening to kill the first soldier in 24 hours.
- Israel responds to a rocket launched from the Al-Jarmaq town by shelling the area.
August 27
- PM Tamam Salam visits Speaker Nabih Berri reiterating the need to address the dossier of the kidnapped Lebanese soldiers responsibly.
- Following their meeting in Bkerki, the Levant Bishops call for the issuance of a fatwa that prohibits attacks on Christians and for the dissociation of presidential elections from regional conflicts.
- The Special Tribunal for Lebanon hears the testimony of Conrad Shlatter, a Swiss chemist and explosives expert who assisted the investigation into the Hariri assassination attack.
- Minister of Telecommunications Boutros Harb calls Army Commander Jean Qahwaji to inform him that the SMS campaign launched by Lebanon’s two mobile operators to support the Army has collected USD 237,000.
- The Lebanese Army seizes a car loaded with RPG grenades in Hermel and arrests the driver Ahmad Mohammad Al-Houjeiry and another passenger named Ashraf Ezzedine.
- The Cabinet convenes at the Grand Serail and approves the decree granting pass certificates to all official exam candidates. The discussion also covers the issue of the kidnapped soldiers and security personnel.
- “Preparations are under way to establish the Baabda Declaration Front,” says former President of the Republic Michel Suleiman to Al-Liwaa.
- Minister of the Interior and Municipalities Nouhad Mashnouq issues a memo detailing the documents needed for those planning to run in the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 16, 2014. Nominations are to be accepted starting August 28, 2014.
- Clashes erupt between the Lebanese Army and militants in the outskirts of Ersal after the latter ambushed an army patrol.
- The Lebanese Army arrests Khaled Saadeddine, brother of the defected soldier Atef Saadeddine, in the Akkar town of Kherbet Daoud.
- Photos and a video are posted online purportedly showing an ISIS militant beheading a blindfolded man who is identified as Sergeant Ahmad al-Sayed (from Fanideq).
- Military Investigative Judge Imad Zein issues arrest warrants against Imad and Ahmad Jomaa in the presence of their lawyer Tarek Shandab.
- The Lebanese Army arrests Syrians during their attempt to infiltrate into Lebanon from Ain Ata. One Syrian was killed during exchange of fire.
August 29
- Families of the kidnapped soldiers and security personnel block the road to Halba calling for the release of the captives.
- Minister of Interior and Municipalities Nouhad Mashnouq announces that his visit to General Michel was to discuss the clashes in Ersal, stressing that Ersal is a time bomb.
- The US delivers a shipment of weapons to bolster the Lebanese Army and pledges to send more in the future.
- The captives held by ISIS appear in a new video appealing to the government to meet the demands of the group by freeing the Islamists in Roumieh prison or the captives will be beheaded within three days.
- New Grand Mufti Abdul Latif Deryan visits PM Tamam Salam and thanks him for his efforts in ending the crisis of Dar el-Fatwa.
- Minister of Social Affairs Rashid Derbas says that closing the borders between Lebanon and Syria for security reason is not unlikely.
August 30
- An-Nusra Front releases five Sunni troops and hands them over to Sheikh Mustafa Houjeiry who announces that the burning of ISIS flag in Ashrafieh has delayed the release of Christian captives. An-Nusra Front adds that Shia’a captives will be killed if Hezbollah continues fighting in AL-Qalamoun.
- New Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdullah Deryan receives Sayyid Ali Fadlallah.
- Senior security officials attend a security meeting at the Grand Serail in the presence of Judge Sakr Sakr to discuss the situation in Ersal and the detention of the soldiers and security personnel by ISIS.
August 31
- On the 36th anniversary of the disappearance of Imam Moussa Sadr, Speaker Nabih Berri announces that countering terrorism is a collective responsibility and that the election of a President of the Republic is a glimmer of hope and should take precedence.
- Lebanese television channels air united news segment on Imam Moussa Sadr.
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