October 2014 Highlights
October 1
Parliament’s session adjourns the approval of the salary scale and Speaker Nabih Berri sends it back to the joint committees because of its mismatches, particularly over the Bill’s injustice towards the military.
A Hezbollah delegation headed by MP Mohammad Raad visits MP Walid Jumblat at his residence in Clemenceau affirming communication, emphasizing the priority of electing a president and stressing that extending the Parliament’s term of office is a necessary evil.
The monthly meeting of the Maronite bishops emphasizes support for the Army and urges speedy presidential elections, calling on Islamic leaderships to repudiate fanaticism.
The Lebanese Forces leader, Samir Geagea, calls for linking the operations room of the Lebanese Army to that of the international coalition to fight ISIS during his meeting with Defense Minister Samir Moqbel at his residence; and Moqbel welcomes Geagea’s proposal.
October 2
The Cabinet session convened to discuss the issue of the abducted soldiers and police officers urges the withdrawal of the case from media and assigns PM Tamam Salam to follow it up. The Cabinet also adjourns the deliberations over the Syrian refugee camps.
Minister of Interior and Municipalities Nouhad Mashnouq emphasizes during his talk to Kalam El- Nass that the parliamentary elections are difficult to hold and that he supports the extension of Parliament’s term by two years and seven months.
The An-Nusra Front denies in a statement having pledged not to kill any of the captives throughout negotiations and urges the Army to resolve the situation in Ersal before it is too late.
Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji tells Sky News that he expects a new battle in the outskirts of Ersal, stressing that the Army has strengthened its deployment there.
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon Appeals Panel confirms that investigating the Al-Jadeed case falls within the court’s mandate.
State’s Commissioner to the Military Court, Judge Sakr Sakr, files charges against a detained suspect and ten other fugitives including Chadi Mawlawi and Osama Mansour for belonging to armed terrorist groups and attacking citizens.
October 3
Former PM Saad Hariri calls for keeping Lebanon away from the game of political axes.
The Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections demands the resignation of Interior Minister Nouhad Mahnouq following his comments that he supports Parliament’s term extension by two years and seven months.
October 4
Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Lateef Deryan conducts prayers at the Mohamad Al-Amin Mosque in the presence of PM Tamam Salam, urging reforms in politics and religious institutions.
Minister of Justice Ashraf Rifi visits the demonstrators in Qalamoun and stresses that the case of the captives is a black mark on the record of the Syrian revolution.
October 5
The clashes between An-Nusra Front and Hezbollah in the outskirts of Brital result in the deaths of ten members from Hezbollah and in scores of killings among the militants.
Sally Jreige elected Miss Lebanon 2014.
Vice Head of the Higher Islamic Council conducts prayers and urges support for the Army.
October 6
The death of four-year-old Celine Rakan after being vaccinated prompts Minister of Public Health Wael Bou Faour to order the questioning of the physician who administered the vaccine.
Former MP Elie Skaf meets former Minister Issam Abou Jamra.
Former President Michel Suleiman visits former PM Salim El-Hoss.
October 7
Former PM Saad Hariri stresses the need to fight ISIS during his meeting with French President Francois Hollande at the Elysée Palace in Paris. The discussion covers the Saudi donation to the Lebanese Army and Hariri reiterates that Lebanon should hold the presidential elections first and afterwards the parliamentary elections or else the latter will be held without the Future Movement. Speaker Nabih Berri reports that he won’t support holding [parliamentary] elections in the absence of a major Lebanese component.
The Islamic Resistance detonates an explosive device against an Israeli patrol that was passing in the Shebaa Farms and Israel retaliates by firing 23 artillery shells at the Shebaa and Kafarshouba Hills. The UN considers the incident a violation of the 1701 Resolution.
The Change and Reform Bloc is surprised that the Iranian donation for the army was turned down simply because it came from Iran.
The Maronite Patriarchate denies the claims attributing the words ‘If it weren’t for Hezbollah, ISIS would have been in Ashrafieh’ to Patriarch Al-Rai.
October 8
Upon the mediation of Health Minister Wael Bou Faour, the families of the abducted soldiers and police officers accept to reopen the Dahr El-Baydar Road after blocking it for 16 days and decide to move their demonstration to the Riad Solh Square in Downtown, Beirut.
In reference to Hezbollah’s operation in the Shebaa Farms, former PM Saad Hariri posts on Twitter that the use of the borders to send messages is an adventure into the unknown and that the basics of partnership require ending the involvement of Lebanon in the wars of others.
France to begin supplying the Lebanese Army with weapons paid for by the Saudi-financed three-billion donation.
The US embassy deplores Hezbollah’s operation in the Shebaa Frams.
October 9
Speaker Nabih Berri adjourns the 13th session dedicated to elect a president until Wednesday, October 29, due to a lack of quorum.
The Cabinet deliberates the issue of the captives and the swap mechanism.
A gunman on a motorcycle opens fire at two Lebanese Army soldiers, killing one and injuring the other.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Lateef Deryan pays his first visit to the Grand Serail since his election and meets PM Tamam Salam.
Investigation into the case of a four-year-old girl Celine Rakan reveals that the vaccine did not kill the child as previously reported but a domestic worker choked her to death.
First Military Investigative Judge Riad Abou Ghaida accuses Sheikh Omar Bakri Festuq of terrorism.
October 10
The Future Parliamentary Bloc disassociates itself from the statement of MP Khaled Daher against MP Walid Jumblat and Minister Wael Bou Faour. Daher has asked Jumblat to ‘tame his mules’.
Soldier Mohammad Antar, a resident of the Zahiriyi town of Tripoli, defects from the Lebanese Army and joins the ranks of An-Nusra Front.
Britain donates USD 50 million to help public schools address the burden of accommodating Syrian refugees.
In his interview in Le Figaro, Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji cautions from the presence of dormant ISIS pockets in Tripoli that gain the support of some Sunni, noting that the Syrian opposition seeks to establish a safe passage to the sea through the North and that ISIS wishes to ignite a Sunni-Shia’a war.
October 11
Lebanese intellectual and politician Monah As-Solh dies at the age of 87.
Speaker Nabih Berri arrives in Geneva to participate in the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva.
A third soldier named Abdullah Chehadeh announces his defection from the Lebanese Army and joins ISIS.
October 12
The National Liberal Party commemorates the assassination of Dani Chamoun at the Antonine University and Minister Ashraf Rifi delivers a speech during the occasion.
A security compromise in Tripoli yields the withdrawal of Chadi Mawlawi and Osama Mansour from the Abdullah Bin Massoud Mosque in Bab el-Tebbaneh and their relocation elsewhere.
Kurdish demonstrators rally in Beirut deploring Turkey and urging the protection of Syria’s Kurds.
October 13
Former PM Saad Hariri meets Patriarch Al-Rai at the Maronite patriarchate in Rome and reports after the meeting that the extension of the Parliament’s term is a must to prevent a leap into the unknown and adding that the presidential elections are a top priority and that there is no veto for any candidate.
During the Free Patriotic Movement’s commemoration of October 13, General Michel Aoun says ‘the majority that once extended its own term is now promising us another extension’, urging the election of a president who can create consensus, not a president they agree on so they can divide Lebanon. Aoun reiterates that proportionality should be adopted in the parliamentary elections.
Hezbollah’s Secretary General meets the party’s cadres in Beqa’a and emphasizes Hezbollah’s readiness to fight Israel and its ability to defeat the takfiris.
October 14
During his talk to OTV, MP Walid Jumblat emphasizes that the An-Nusra Front and the Free Syrian Army are not enemies; rather, they are Syrian nationals and must be dealt with on this basis.
Abdul Meneem Khaled, a soldier from the Akkarian town of Doueir Adawiya, defects from the army and joins ISIS, thus becoming the fifth soldier to abandon the army.
Iranian ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Fathali announces from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after meeting Minister Gebran Bassil that the Iranian military donation to Lebanon is unconditional and will be provided from state to state without any mediation.
The Free Patriotic Movement reiterates after its weekly meeting that it rejects the extension of the Parliament’s term.
Former PM Saad Hariri meets Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense in Italy and announces that the Sunni community does no incubate terrorism and that the Future Movement will confront those who fight against the Army even if they were from among its own ranks.
The Future Parliamentary Bloc rejects the depiction of Tripoli as a lawless area and brands the attacks against the Army as a suspicious act.
Military Investigative Judge Fadi Sawan files a lawsuit against Sheikh Moustafa Al-Houjairy on charges of belonging to a terrorist group and issues an arrest warrant against him.
October 15
Sheikh Moustafa Al-Houjairy holds a press conference in Ersal stating that he will turn himself in when justice is served and that the judicial order against him aims to thwart the efforts geared towards liberating the military members.
The civil society protests the extension of Parliament’s term at the Riad As-Sulh Square and rejects the lawsuit filed against the activists who slammed MPs as thieves.
Lebanese Forces leader, Samir Geagea, reveals that the kidnappers of Toufic Wehbi are identified and the state should take action starting with the person who received the USD 50,000 ransom. Geagea adds that the situation in Ersal is no longer acceptable.
October 16
The Cabinet convenes at the Grand Serail to discuss the issue of the abducted soldiers and police officers.
Minister of Justice, Ashraf Rifi, voices support for the proposition to abolish the military court put forward by MP Elie Kairouz.
UN envoy to Syria, Staffan De Mistura, visits Lebanon and meets PM Tamam Salam, Hezbollah’s leadership and MP Walid Jumblat.
Lebanese Forces leader, Samir Geagea, rejects the election of a president for two years, noting that the withdrawal of his candidacy would enhance the position of Michel Aoun and complicate things.
An-Nusra Front releases a video footage featuring defected soldier Abdullah Shehadeh standing in front of an Army Humvee filled with weapons and ammunitions.
Hezbollah and the Future Movement trade accusations of the attacks targeting ISIS in Tripoli.
Speaker Nabih Berri returns from Geneva to Beirut.
October 17
A delegation chaired by MP Walid Jumblat visits Lebanese Forces leader, Samir Geagea, in Meerab. Jumblat reiterates his nomination of MP Henery Helou for the presidential elections and Geagea reports that the discussion covered issues beyond the presidential race.
A shooting involving a Lebanese army truck in Al-Bireh in Akkar results in the death of a soldier from Qoubayyat.
The An-Nusra Front-linked suspect Ibrahim Bohluk confesses to a killing of Lieutenant Colonel Noureddine al-Jamal during the battles in Ersal.
UN envoy to Syria, Staffan De Mistura, continues his round of visits to Lebanese officials and meets Speaker Nabih Berri and former PM Fouad Seniora.
Former President Amine Gemayel says during his speech at the Phalanges symposium held in Dbayeh under the title ‘Municipalities: Guarantee for Stability’ that the constitutions should not be used to abort the presidential elections, calling for an organized refugee deployment and reiterating that Lebanon has ceased accepting additional refugees. Gemayel says that the lack of consensus over the formation of refugee camps has prevented this possibility from coming true.
Grand Mufti Abdul Lateef Deryan visits the Shrine of Imam al-Ouzai and the Grave of Riad As-Solh in the presence of Minister Layla As-Solh.
October 18
During the second annual commemoration of the death of Major General Wissam al-Hassan, Minister of the Interior and Municipalities Nouhad Mashnouq reveals that the investigation is heading closer towards the identification of the perpetrators. Mashnouq insinuates that Hezbollah and the Lebanese Army Intelligence are responsible for the failure of the security plan in Western Beqa’a and lauds the Hezbollah fighters killed during the clashes in Brital as martyrs.
Heavy rains cause flooding in a number of towns in Akkar and Dennieh.
October 19
During a ceremony held to lay the cornerstone for the Mayfouq governmental hospital, former President of the Republic Michel Suleiman wonders who could benefit from the annulment of the Baabda Declaration, pointing out that defending the country does not happen from outside its borders.
Palestinian PM Rami Hamdallah meets his Lebanese counterpart and Speaker Nabih Berri during his trip to Lebanon.
MP Walid Jumblat meets with the Arab clans of Khaldeh and Aramoun during his visit to the area. In response to the statement of the Interior Minister, Jumblat calls for an intellectual awakening and cautions from backstabbing the Army.
Minister of Social Affairs, Rashid Derbas, announces during a talk aired by Voix du Liban that roughly 100,000 Syrians obtained military training before coming to Lebanon.
“We do not cover up any the perpetrators in the area, neither in theory nor in practice,” says the Minister of State for Parliament Affairs Mohammad Fneish in response to the statement made by Interior Minister Nouhad Mashnouq.
Minister of National Defense Samir Moqbel kicks off an official visit to Iran to discuss the military donation for the Lebanese Army and meets Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Speaker Nabih Berri comments on the speech of the Interior Minister by calling him “Mashnouq Al-Khattab”.
October 20
PM Tamam Salam chairs a meeting for the committee tasked with following up on refugee affairs and the Minister of Social Affairs reiterates the government’s decision to stop receiving Syrian refugees.
MP Nicolas Fattoush punches Manal Daou, a female administrative officer at the Office of the General Prosecutor in Baabda and Judge Claude Karam reconciles between the two.
Families of the two abducted Houjairy members in Taalbaya block the road between Taalbaya and Saadnayel to protest against the ongoing abduction of their sons.
Minister of Public Health announces in a press conference the stringent measures to be taken at the airport to screen for Ebola.
The An-Nusra Front announces that Omar Khaled Shomtiyeh, a Lebanese soldier from Tebbaneh and the brother of one of the army’s martyrs killed during the Nahr El-Bared’s clashes in 2007, has defected from the Lebanese Army and joined its ranks. His defection is the fifth in the ranks of the army. Lama, check the number!
October 21
Minister of Justice Ashraf Rifi listens to the testimony of employee Manal Daou at the Justice Palace in Baabda and promises her to take the appropriate legal measures.
The abducted members from the Houjairy family are set free in Beqa’a.
Former PM Fouad Seniora announces that the extension of the Parliament’s term is a higher priority than the approval of the salary scale.
Parliament convenes and re-elects Parliament’s bureau members and members of the parliamentary committees. Speaker Nabih Berri, former PM Fouad Seniora, MP Farid Makari, Nader Hariri and Minister Ali Hassan Khalil hold a closed meeting in Parliament after the regular session.
Minister of National Defense Samir Moqbel visits Lebanese officials to brief them on the outcome of his trip to Iran.
Patriarch al-Rai considers upon his return from Vatican that the extension of Parliament’s term is a usurpation of power, noting that no one has legitimacy in the absence of a President of the Republic.
The Lebanese Forces Information Service puts Geagea’s visit to Saudi Arabia in the context of periodic consultations.
October 22
Families of the abducted soldiers and police officers escalate their protest and block the Beirut-Tripoli highway as well as the Saifi road.
Minister of Finance Ali Hassan Khalil drops by the Real Estate Department and announces the referral of a number of the keepers of cadastral records to the prosecution office for deliberately lowering the value of the estates they appraise, thus depriving the state of roughly LBP 39 billion. The Finance Ministry manages to retrieve the amount.
Minister of Justice Ashraf Rifi announces that Tripoli is not an emirate, opining that the Iranian military will not pass in the Cabinet.
A Cypriot aircraft crashes in the sea en route to Beirut and no information is available on the fate of the Cypriot pilot and the Lebanese businessman George Obagi.
October 23
The Cabinet approves the plan to stop receiving Syrian refugees and extends the contracts signed with the mobile operators by six months.
Minister of Public Health Wael Bou Faour holds a press conference, revealing the presence of violations and inflated bills at a number of hospitals under contracts with the ministry and refers the violators to the public prosecution.
MP Nicolas Fattoush holds a press conference explaining that he did not punch the Justice Palace employee Manal Daou and slams Minister Ashraf Rifi for visiting her. Rifi hits back saying that what he did was accordant with the law and that the problem with Fattoush is primarily with the public. People take to the streets to voice solidarity with Manal.
The Lebanese Army raids several localities in the town of Assoun in Dennieh and succeeds in arresting Ahmad Salim Miqati. The crack-down leaves two dead and results in the burning of a body that could be that of the defected soldier Abdul Qader Akkoumi.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Gebran Bassil deems the presence of an army commander unconstitutional during an interview with Kalam el-Nas.
October 24
Clashes between the Army and Islamist militants in the neighborhoods of Tripoli result in the wounding of 20 people including five army members.
The Beirut Bar Association expels lawyer and MP Nicolas Fattoush for attacking Justice Palace employee, Manal Daou, violating several protocols agreed upon by the bar association and slamming the bar and its president.
Judge Philippe Khairallah, former President of the Higher Judiciary Council, dies at the age of 86. Khairallah chaired the five-judge court that convicted Samir Geagea of crimes.
October 25
Armed clashes continue between the Army and Islamist militants in the neighborhoods of Tripoli and expand towards Dennieh and Mhammara. Death toll rises to six and the number of injured to 50.
North Mufti Sheikh Malek Chaar hosts a number of dignitaries at his residence including first and foremost the former PM Najib Mikati. The meeting held in the absence of Minister Ashraf Rifi urges support for the Army.
The An-Nusra Front threatens to execute soldier Ali Bazzal, then adjourns its decision.
Minister of Justice Ashraf Rifi holds a meeting at his residence to discuss the status quo.
In his Ashura speech, Hezbollah’s Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah brands what is happening in Tripoli as an attempt to trigger sedition.
October 26
Confrontations intensify in Tripoli increasing fatalities to 18 and injuries to 90. The number of Lebanese Army martyrs stand at 11 including three officers.
MP Abdul Lateef Kabbara hosts an expanded meeting at his residence in Tripoli calling for the implementation of the security plan and for keeping the use of force within bounds. The meeting urges support for the Army.
MP Khaled Daher views that the events in Tripoli target the Sunni and denies having any form of communication with the arrested suspect Ahmad Salim Taha.
The Muslim Scholars Committee deplores the Army’s excessive use of force and the siege of Tripoli’s neighborhoods.
The An-Nusra Front threatens to execute one of its captives if the Army does not lift the siege of Tripoli.
October 27
Clashes come to halt in Tripoli and the army enters Bab el-Tebbaneh’s neighborhoods following political interventions that yielded the withdrawal of militants from the city. The reported casualties include 20 dead and 120 injured.
Former PM Tamam Salam arrives in Berlin to attend a conference on the Syrian refugee situation and seek support for Lebanon.
Hezbollah’s Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah holds Saudi Arabia responsible for fighting off terrorism, which, according to him, stems primarily from Wahhabism.
Former PM Saad Hariri reports that the calls for a Sunni revolution in Lebanon fall outside his aspirations. Hariri condemns the instigations designed to encourage defection from the Army.
October 28
PM Tamam Salam continues his visit in Germany to participate in the Syrian refugee conference.
General Michel Aoun congratulates Grand Mufti Abdul Lateef Deryan on his new post, stating that the problem in Tripoli has been solved but there remain the challenges in Akkar. Aoun then visits Speaker Nabih Berri and reiterates his rejection of the extension of the Parliament’s term despite its becoming a de facto occurrence.
The Future Parliamentary Bloc deplores Nasrallah’s talk on Saudi Arabia and rejects the Army’s violation of the immunity of MP Khaled Daher.
Calm prevails in Tripoli and the Lebanese Army continues its searches for militants in Tripoli, Saida, the outskirts of Dennieh and Akkar.
During his visit to the Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, MP Sami Gemayyel deplores the term extension for a Parliament that has failed at everything.
Al-Jdeideh in Akkar smashes the record for the longest Falafel sandwich.
October 29
Speaker Nabih Berri adjourns the 14th session of election of a President of the Republic until November 19 due to lack of quorum.
The Lebanese Army units continue their raids in Saida and Tripoli and arrest a suspect in Saida on charges of plotting a terrorist operation.
Two wounded at the Notre Dame University amid clashed between the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement students.
“If we do not meet under these circumstances, when will we meet?” asks MP Sami Gemayel after his visit to General Michel Aoun.
Army Commander Jean Qahwaji extends his condolences to the families of the slain officers Jihad al-Habr and Firas al-Hakim in Bhamdoun and al-Mesherfi reassuring that there will be no bargaining at the expense of the blood of the martyrs.
October 30
The Cabinet approves and allocates LBP 30 billion for compensating those affected by the most recent clashes in Tripoli. It also allocates an amount to pay the public sector salaries and extends the contract signed for garbage collection, in preparation for the launching of a new tender.
Army Commander Jean Qahwaji tours the military units in Tripoli and reassures that there is nothing to fear as long as the Army is united.
Qatar’s envoy arrives in the outskirts of Ersal to negotiate with the kidnappers of the soldiers and police officers and deliver aid to Syrian refugees in the area.
PM Tamam Salam receives a delegation from the families of the abducted soldiers and police officers and reassures them that the negotiations are under way.
Former PM Saad Hariri earmarks USD 20 million for those affected by the clashes in Tripoli and the north.
October 31
During a dinner for the Free Patriotic Movement lawyers, General Michel Aoun asserts that the presidential elections can happen only when our partners in the country acknowledge that the Christians have the right to a fair representation.
A Lebanese Army force raids the residence of Sheikh Bilal Duqmaq’s parents in Tripoli and confiscates weapons and missiles. Sheikh Duqmaq says from Tripoli that Sheikh Dai al-Islam al-Shahhal had entrusted him with the weapons.
Minister of the Interior and Municipalities Nouhad Mashnouq describes the initiative of Saad Hariri as strategic for dialogue with Hezbollah, stressing that what happened in Tripoli attests that the Sunni are a family for the state and its army.
Minister Boutros Harb and MP Dory Chamoun report from Parliament that they are forced to prolong Parliament’s term to prevent the subversion of the Constitution.
The Islamic Resistance detonates an explosive device against an Israeli patrol that was passing in the Shebaa Farms and Israel retaliates by firing 23 artillery shells at the Shebaa and Kafarshouba Hills. The UN considers the incident a violation of the 1701 Resolution.
The Change and Reform Bloc is surprised that the Iranian donation for the army was turned down simply because it came from Iran.
The Maronite Patriarchate denies the claims attributing the words ‘If it weren’t for Hezbollah, ISIS would have been in Ashrafieh’ to Patriarch Al-Rai.
October 8
Upon the mediation of Health Minister Wael Bou Faour, the families of the abducted soldiers and police officers accept to reopen the Dahr El-Baydar Road after blocking it for 16 days and decide to move their demonstration to the Riad Solh Square in Downtown, Beirut.
In reference to Hezbollah’s operation in the Shebaa Farms, former PM Saad Hariri posts on Twitter that the use of the borders to send messages is an adventure into the unknown and that the basics of partnership require ending the involvement of Lebanon in the wars of others.
France to begin supplying the Lebanese Army with weapons paid for by the Saudi-financed three-billion donation.
The US embassy deplores Hezbollah’s operation in the Shebaa Frams.
October 9
Speaker Nabih Berri adjourns the 13th session dedicated to elect a president until Wednesday, October 29, due to a lack of quorum.
The Cabinet deliberates the issue of the captives and the swap mechanism.
A gunman on a motorcycle opens fire at two Lebanese Army soldiers, killing one and injuring the other.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Lateef Deryan pays his first visit to the Grand Serail since his election and meets PM Tamam Salam.
Investigation into the case of a four-year-old girl Celine Rakan reveals that the vaccine did not kill the child as previously reported but a domestic worker choked her to death.
First Military Investigative Judge Riad Abou Ghaida accuses Sheikh Omar Bakri Festuq of terrorism.
October 10
The Future Parliamentary Bloc disassociates itself from the statement of MP Khaled Daher against MP Walid Jumblat and Minister Wael Bou Faour. Daher has asked Jumblat to ‘tame his mules’.
Soldier Mohammad Antar, a resident of the Zahiriyi town of Tripoli, defects from the Lebanese Army and joins the ranks of An-Nusra Front.
Britain donates USD 50 million to help public schools address the burden of accommodating Syrian refugees.
In his interview in Le Figaro, Lebanese Army Commander Jean Qahwaji cautions from the presence of dormant ISIS pockets in Tripoli that gain the support of some Sunni, noting that the Syrian opposition seeks to establish a safe passage to the sea through the North and that ISIS wishes to ignite a Sunni-Shia’a war.
October 11
Lebanese intellectual and politician Monah As-Solh dies at the age of 87.
Speaker Nabih Berri arrives in Geneva to participate in the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva.
A third soldier named Abdullah Chehadeh announces his defection from the Lebanese Army and joins ISIS.
October 12
The National Liberal Party commemorates the assassination of Dani Chamoun at the Antonine University and Minister Ashraf Rifi delivers a speech during the occasion.
A security compromise in Tripoli yields the withdrawal of Chadi Mawlawi and Osama Mansour from the Abdullah Bin Massoud Mosque in Bab el-Tebbaneh and their relocation elsewhere.
Kurdish demonstrators rally in Beirut deploring Turkey and urging the protection of Syria’s Kurds.
October 13
Former PM Saad Hariri meets Patriarch Al-Rai at the Maronite patriarchate in Rome and reports after the meeting that the extension of the Parliament’s term is a must to prevent a leap into the unknown and adding that the presidential elections are a top priority and that there is no veto for any candidate.
During the Free Patriotic Movement’s commemoration of October 13, General Michel Aoun says ‘the majority that once extended its own term is now promising us another extension’, urging the election of a president who can create consensus, not a president they agree on so they can divide Lebanon. Aoun reiterates that proportionality should be adopted in the parliamentary elections.
Hezbollah’s Secretary General meets the party’s cadres in Beqa’a and emphasizes Hezbollah’s readiness to fight Israel and its ability to defeat the takfiris.
October 14
During his talk to OTV, MP Walid Jumblat emphasizes that the An-Nusra Front and the Free Syrian Army are not enemies; rather, they are Syrian nationals and must be dealt with on this basis.
Abdul Meneem Khaled, a soldier from the Akkarian town of Doueir Adawiya, defects from the army and joins ISIS, thus becoming the fifth soldier to abandon the army.
Iranian ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Fathali announces from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after meeting Minister Gebran Bassil that the Iranian military donation to Lebanon is unconditional and will be provided from state to state without any mediation.
The Free Patriotic Movement reiterates after its weekly meeting that it rejects the extension of the Parliament’s term.
Former PM Saad Hariri meets Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense in Italy and announces that the Sunni community does no incubate terrorism and that the Future Movement will confront those who fight against the Army even if they were from among its own ranks.
The Future Parliamentary Bloc rejects the depiction of Tripoli as a lawless area and brands the attacks against the Army as a suspicious act.
Military Investigative Judge Fadi Sawan files a lawsuit against Sheikh Moustafa Al-Houjairy on charges of belonging to a terrorist group and issues an arrest warrant against him.
October 15
Sheikh Moustafa Al-Houjairy holds a press conference in Ersal stating that he will turn himself in when justice is served and that the judicial order against him aims to thwart the efforts geared towards liberating the military members.
The civil society protests the extension of Parliament’s term at the Riad As-Sulh Square and rejects the lawsuit filed against the activists who slammed MPs as thieves.
Lebanese Forces leader, Samir Geagea, reveals that the kidnappers of Toufic Wehbi are identified and the state should take action starting with the person who received the USD 50,000 ransom. Geagea adds that the situation in Ersal is no longer acceptable.
October 16
The Cabinet convenes at the Grand Serail to discuss the issue of the abducted soldiers and police officers.
Minister of Justice, Ashraf Rifi, voices support for the proposition to abolish the military court put forward by MP Elie Kairouz.
UN envoy to Syria, Staffan De Mistura, visits Lebanon and meets PM Tamam Salam, Hezbollah’s leadership and MP Walid Jumblat.
Lebanese Forces leader, Samir Geagea, rejects the election of a president for two years, noting that the withdrawal of his candidacy would enhance the position of Michel Aoun and complicate things.
An-Nusra Front releases a video footage featuring defected soldier Abdullah Shehadeh standing in front of an Army Humvee filled with weapons and ammunitions.
Hezbollah and the Future Movement trade accusations of the attacks targeting ISIS in Tripoli.
Speaker Nabih Berri returns from Geneva to Beirut.
October 17
A delegation chaired by MP Walid Jumblat visits Lebanese Forces leader, Samir Geagea, in Meerab. Jumblat reiterates his nomination of MP Henery Helou for the presidential elections and Geagea reports that the discussion covered issues beyond the presidential race.
A shooting involving a Lebanese army truck in Al-Bireh in Akkar results in the death of a soldier from Qoubayyat.
The An-Nusra Front-linked suspect Ibrahim Bohluk confesses to a killing of Lieutenant Colonel Noureddine al-Jamal during the battles in Ersal.
UN envoy to Syria, Staffan De Mistura, continues his round of visits to Lebanese officials and meets Speaker Nabih Berri and former PM Fouad Seniora.
Former President Amine Gemayel says during his speech at the Phalanges symposium held in Dbayeh under the title ‘Municipalities: Guarantee for Stability’ that the constitutions should not be used to abort the presidential elections, calling for an organized refugee deployment and reiterating that Lebanon has ceased accepting additional refugees. Gemayel says that the lack of consensus over the formation of refugee camps has prevented this possibility from coming true.
Grand Mufti Abdul Lateef Deryan visits the Shrine of Imam al-Ouzai and the Grave of Riad As-Solh in the presence of Minister Layla As-Solh.
October 18
During the second annual commemoration of the death of Major General Wissam al-Hassan, Minister of the Interior and Municipalities Nouhad Mashnouq reveals that the investigation is heading closer towards the identification of the perpetrators. Mashnouq insinuates that Hezbollah and the Lebanese Army Intelligence are responsible for the failure of the security plan in Western Beqa’a and lauds the Hezbollah fighters killed during the clashes in Brital as martyrs.
Heavy rains cause flooding in a number of towns in Akkar and Dennieh.
October 19
During a ceremony held to lay the cornerstone for the Mayfouq governmental hospital, former President of the Republic Michel Suleiman wonders who could benefit from the annulment of the Baabda Declaration, pointing out that defending the country does not happen from outside its borders.
Palestinian PM Rami Hamdallah meets his Lebanese counterpart and Speaker Nabih Berri during his trip to Lebanon.
MP Walid Jumblat meets with the Arab clans of Khaldeh and Aramoun during his visit to the area. In response to the statement of the Interior Minister, Jumblat calls for an intellectual awakening and cautions from backstabbing the Army.
Minister of Social Affairs, Rashid Derbas, announces during a talk aired by Voix du Liban that roughly 100,000 Syrians obtained military training before coming to Lebanon.
“We do not cover up any the perpetrators in the area, neither in theory nor in practice,” says the Minister of State for Parliament Affairs Mohammad Fneish in response to the statement made by Interior Minister Nouhad Mashnouq.
Minister of National Defense Samir Moqbel kicks off an official visit to Iran to discuss the military donation for the Lebanese Army and meets Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Speaker Nabih Berri comments on the speech of the Interior Minister by calling him “Mashnouq Al-Khattab”.
October 20
PM Tamam Salam chairs a meeting for the committee tasked with following up on refugee affairs and the Minister of Social Affairs reiterates the government’s decision to stop receiving Syrian refugees.
MP Nicolas Fattoush punches Manal Daou, a female administrative officer at the Office of the General Prosecutor in Baabda and Judge Claude Karam reconciles between the two.
Families of the two abducted Houjairy members in Taalbaya block the road between Taalbaya and Saadnayel to protest against the ongoing abduction of their sons.
Minister of Public Health announces in a press conference the stringent measures to be taken at the airport to screen for Ebola.
The An-Nusra Front announces that Omar Khaled Shomtiyeh, a Lebanese soldier from Tebbaneh and the brother of one of the army’s martyrs killed during the Nahr El-Bared’s clashes in 2007, has defected from the Lebanese Army and joined its ranks. His defection is the fifth in the ranks of the army. Lama, check the number!
October 21
Minister of Justice Ashraf Rifi listens to the testimony of employee Manal Daou at the Justice Palace in Baabda and promises her to take the appropriate legal measures.
The abducted members from the Houjairy family are set free in Beqa’a.
Former PM Fouad Seniora announces that the extension of the Parliament’s term is a higher priority than the approval of the salary scale.
Parliament convenes and re-elects Parliament’s bureau members and members of the parliamentary committees. Speaker Nabih Berri, former PM Fouad Seniora, MP Farid Makari, Nader Hariri and Minister Ali Hassan Khalil hold a closed meeting in Parliament after the regular session.
Minister of National Defense Samir Moqbel visits Lebanese officials to brief them on the outcome of his trip to Iran.
Patriarch al-Rai considers upon his return from Vatican that the extension of Parliament’s term is a usurpation of power, noting that no one has legitimacy in the absence of a President of the Republic.
The Lebanese Forces Information Service puts Geagea’s visit to Saudi Arabia in the context of periodic consultations.
October 22
Families of the abducted soldiers and police officers escalate their protest and block the Beirut-Tripoli highway as well as the Saifi road.
Minister of Finance Ali Hassan Khalil drops by the Real Estate Department and announces the referral of a number of the keepers of cadastral records to the prosecution office for deliberately lowering the value of the estates they appraise, thus depriving the state of roughly LBP 39 billion. The Finance Ministry manages to retrieve the amount.
Minister of Justice Ashraf Rifi announces that Tripoli is not an emirate, opining that the Iranian military will not pass in the Cabinet.
A Cypriot aircraft crashes in the sea en route to Beirut and no information is available on the fate of the Cypriot pilot and the Lebanese businessman George Obagi.
October 23
The Cabinet approves the plan to stop receiving Syrian refugees and extends the contracts signed with the mobile operators by six months.
Minister of Public Health Wael Bou Faour holds a press conference, revealing the presence of violations and inflated bills at a number of hospitals under contracts with the ministry and refers the violators to the public prosecution.
MP Nicolas Fattoush holds a press conference explaining that he did not punch the Justice Palace employee Manal Daou and slams Minister Ashraf Rifi for visiting her. Rifi hits back saying that what he did was accordant with the law and that the problem with Fattoush is primarily with the public. People take to the streets to voice solidarity with Manal.
The Lebanese Army raids several localities in the town of Assoun in Dennieh and succeeds in arresting Ahmad Salim Miqati. The crack-down leaves two dead and results in the burning of a body that could be that of the defected soldier Abdul Qader Akkoumi.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Gebran Bassil deems the presence of an army commander unconstitutional during an interview with Kalam el-Nas.
October 24
Clashes between the Army and Islamist militants in the neighborhoods of Tripoli result in the wounding of 20 people including five army members.
The Beirut Bar Association expels lawyer and MP Nicolas Fattoush for attacking Justice Palace employee, Manal Daou, violating several protocols agreed upon by the bar association and slamming the bar and its president.
Judge Philippe Khairallah, former President of the Higher Judiciary Council, dies at the age of 86. Khairallah chaired the five-judge court that convicted Samir Geagea of crimes.
October 25
Armed clashes continue between the Army and Islamist militants in the neighborhoods of Tripoli and expand towards Dennieh and Mhammara. Death toll rises to six and the number of injured to 50.
North Mufti Sheikh Malek Chaar hosts a number of dignitaries at his residence including first and foremost the former PM Najib Mikati. The meeting held in the absence of Minister Ashraf Rifi urges support for the Army.
The An-Nusra Front threatens to execute soldier Ali Bazzal, then adjourns its decision.
Minister of Justice Ashraf Rifi holds a meeting at his residence to discuss the status quo.
In his Ashura speech, Hezbollah’s Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah brands what is happening in Tripoli as an attempt to trigger sedition.
October 26
Confrontations intensify in Tripoli increasing fatalities to 18 and injuries to 90. The number of Lebanese Army martyrs stand at 11 including three officers.
MP Abdul Lateef Kabbara hosts an expanded meeting at his residence in Tripoli calling for the implementation of the security plan and for keeping the use of force within bounds. The meeting urges support for the Army.
MP Khaled Daher views that the events in Tripoli target the Sunni and denies having any form of communication with the arrested suspect Ahmad Salim Taha.
The Muslim Scholars Committee deplores the Army’s excessive use of force and the siege of Tripoli’s neighborhoods.
The An-Nusra Front threatens to execute one of its captives if the Army does not lift the siege of Tripoli.
October 27
Clashes come to halt in Tripoli and the army enters Bab el-Tebbaneh’s neighborhoods following political interventions that yielded the withdrawal of militants from the city. The reported casualties include 20 dead and 120 injured.
Former PM Tamam Salam arrives in Berlin to attend a conference on the Syrian refugee situation and seek support for Lebanon.
Hezbollah’s Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah holds Saudi Arabia responsible for fighting off terrorism, which, according to him, stems primarily from Wahhabism.
Former PM Saad Hariri reports that the calls for a Sunni revolution in Lebanon fall outside his aspirations. Hariri condemns the instigations designed to encourage defection from the Army.
October 28
PM Tamam Salam continues his visit in Germany to participate in the Syrian refugee conference.
General Michel Aoun congratulates Grand Mufti Abdul Lateef Deryan on his new post, stating that the problem in Tripoli has been solved but there remain the challenges in Akkar. Aoun then visits Speaker Nabih Berri and reiterates his rejection of the extension of the Parliament’s term despite its becoming a de facto occurrence.
The Future Parliamentary Bloc deplores Nasrallah’s talk on Saudi Arabia and rejects the Army’s violation of the immunity of MP Khaled Daher.
Calm prevails in Tripoli and the Lebanese Army continues its searches for militants in Tripoli, Saida, the outskirts of Dennieh and Akkar.
During his visit to the Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, MP Sami Gemayyel deplores the term extension for a Parliament that has failed at everything.
Al-Jdeideh in Akkar smashes the record for the longest Falafel sandwich.
October 29
Speaker Nabih Berri adjourns the 14th session of election of a President of the Republic until November 19 due to lack of quorum.
The Lebanese Army units continue their raids in Saida and Tripoli and arrest a suspect in Saida on charges of plotting a terrorist operation.
Two wounded at the Notre Dame University amid clashed between the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement students.
“If we do not meet under these circumstances, when will we meet?” asks MP Sami Gemayel after his visit to General Michel Aoun.
Army Commander Jean Qahwaji extends his condolences to the families of the slain officers Jihad al-Habr and Firas al-Hakim in Bhamdoun and al-Mesherfi reassuring that there will be no bargaining at the expense of the blood of the martyrs.
October 30
The Cabinet approves and allocates LBP 30 billion for compensating those affected by the most recent clashes in Tripoli. It also allocates an amount to pay the public sector salaries and extends the contract signed for garbage collection, in preparation for the launching of a new tender.
Army Commander Jean Qahwaji tours the military units in Tripoli and reassures that there is nothing to fear as long as the Army is united.
Qatar’s envoy arrives in the outskirts of Ersal to negotiate with the kidnappers of the soldiers and police officers and deliver aid to Syrian refugees in the area.
PM Tamam Salam receives a delegation from the families of the abducted soldiers and police officers and reassures them that the negotiations are under way.
Former PM Saad Hariri earmarks USD 20 million for those affected by the clashes in Tripoli and the north.
October 31
During a dinner for the Free Patriotic Movement lawyers, General Michel Aoun asserts that the presidential elections can happen only when our partners in the country acknowledge that the Christians have the right to a fair representation.
A Lebanese Army force raids the residence of Sheikh Bilal Duqmaq’s parents in Tripoli and confiscates weapons and missiles. Sheikh Duqmaq says from Tripoli that Sheikh Dai al-Islam al-Shahhal had entrusted him with the weapons.
Minister of the Interior and Municipalities Nouhad Mashnouq describes the initiative of Saad Hariri as strategic for dialogue with Hezbollah, stressing that what happened in Tripoli attests that the Sunni are a family for the state and its army.
Minister Boutros Harb and MP Dory Chamoun report from Parliament that they are forced to prolong Parliament’s term to prevent the subversion of the Constitution.
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