• Hezbollah hands over its checkpoints at the entrances of the Nabatieh city to the Lebanese Army.
• Future bloc reports that the delay in handing the Special Tribunal for Lebanon the data it requires obstructs the course of justice, adding that the presence of illegal arms is to blame for the emigration of many Lebanese in illegal ways.

October 3

• The monthly statement of the Maronite Bishops following their meeting under the chairmanship of Cardinal al-Rai applauds the subsidence of self-security, calling for the formation of an unconditional government.
• Speaker Nabih Berri calls on Parliament to convene in order to approve the auctioning of all 10 offshore oil blocks.
• ISF Chief Brigadier General Ibrahim Basbous reveals to a delegation from the Editors’ Syndicate that there are cars carrying bombs that have entered Lebanon and that the ISF is tracking them down.
• “I am not running as a candidate for the presidential elections, which means I will not visit anyone and ask them to elect me. Those who want to elect me are welcome to do so,” says Michel to NBN TV channel.

October 4

• Security guard arrested for attempting to smuggle explosive materials to an inmate in the Roumieh prison.
• Omar Atrash, the suspect accused of standing behind the attacks in the southern suburbs appears on Al-Jadeed TV and dismisses the accusations, stressing that he is simply defending his land and religion and that he will not turn himself in.
• Security plan underway for the city of Tripoli.

October 5

• Minister of energy and Water Gebran Bassil announces the postponement of oil exploration tenders until January 2014.
• Caretaker PM Najib Mikati meets UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon in New York and the latter reiterates his commitment to support Lebanon.
• Minister Nicolas Fattoush slams Finance Minister Mohammed Safadi, the director of the Office of State Security in Beqa’a and officers of the Presidential Guard, accusing them of corruption and acceptance of bribes. Safadi hits back by saying “to be defamed by one’s inferiors holds proof to one’s higher standing,” adding that the decision to assign State Security to investigate the matter violates customs for exercise of power.
• ISF Chief Brigadier General Ibrahim Basbous orders recruitment of ISF reserves for active duty.

October 7

• 18 survivors of the Indonesian boat tragedy to return to Lebanon soon and repatriation of the bodies of victims still await completion of DNA testing.
• Caretaker Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi asks caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to approve the payment of Lebanon’s share to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. The payment would be made in three installments to cover Lebanon’s share for the year 2013 amounting to LBP 58 billion.
• In his interview with Voix du Liban, MP Nouhad Mashnouq rules out the possibility of holding presidential elections and expects extension of President Suleiman’s term.
• Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani announces Tuesday, 15th of October, as the first day of Eid al-Adha.
• The central committee of the Fatah Movement headed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas decides to dismiss the former commander of Al-Kifah Al-Mousallah Mahmoud Issa, nicknamed Lino, which raises fears of security repercussions inside the Ain El-Helweh Camp.

October 8

• LF Leader Sami Geagea tells MTV that he opposes the extension of the term of President Suleiman, stressing that he will not run for presidency nor will he support the candidacy of General Michel Aoun.
• President Michel Suleiman, caretaker PM Najib Mikati, former PM Fouad Seniora, former President Amine Gemayel, Army Commander Jean Qahwaji and a number of ministers and MPs attend a banquet held by businessman Gaby Tamer in his house in Sin el-Fil.
• Telecom Regulatory Authority Chairman Imad Hobbalah responds to the accusations thrown at him by MP Ghazi Youssef.
• Fishermen in the Dalieh area take to the streets in protest of the warning to evacuate the huts they are occupying along Ain Mreisseh’s coastline.
• AUB’s highly successful antibacterial agent named the Beirut Reaction by Veteran Professor Makhlouf Haddadine.
• Lebanese physician Gabriel Gharib tops the list of 200,000 cardiologists in France.
• Caretaker PM heads a meeting to discuss the situation of prisons in Lebanon during which it turns out that 75% of the credits allocated to improve prisons has been wasted on brokerages and logistics.
• “He who ties the formation of the government to the dismantling of the Army-People-Resistance equation will lie in wait for so long,”says MP Mohammad Raad in his speech in the Yohmur town of Western Beqa’a.

October 9

• Speaker Nabih Berri continues to attend the Inter-Parliamentary Union Meeting in Switzerland and meets Iran’s Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani, stressing that the Iranian-Saudi rapprochement brings relief to the region.
• The Lebanese official delegation returns from Indonesia with 18 Lebanese survivors. Repatriation of the bodies of victims still awaits completion of DNA testing.
• North Mufti Sheikh Malek Shaar returns from France after having spent 10 months there for fear of being killed in Lebanon. Shaar says his return came on heels of security assurances.
• Syrian war planes fire rockets at the Wadi Hmeid area of Arsal.
• The Future Bloc objects to holding caretaker cabinet sessions to approve oil decrees, arguing that only a new Cabinet should attend to oil wealth.
• Prominent figures gather round MP Hadi Houbeish’ dinner table including President Michel Suleiman, PM-designate Tamam Salam, former PM Fouad Seniora, Army Commander Jean Qahwaji, Patriarch al-Rai and General Security Chief.
• General Security arrests Lebanese and Syrian members of a terrorist network suspected of plotting to plant car bombs and conduct assassinations.
• A Vatican investigative committee has convicted Lebanese priest Mansour Labaki of sexually abusing at least three children and soliciting sex from a number of others,the French La Croix magazine reports. Mansour was sentenced to life of prayers and barred from attending public mass or contacting minors.

October 10

• Celebratory gunfire heard in Tripoli upon the return of local group leader Saad El-Massri from Turkey.
• MP Suleiman Frangieh foresees a presidential vacuum, noting that if the current political status favored the March 8 Forces, the priority should be to nominate General Michel Aoun as President. Frangieh urges a constitutional amendment to elect the President by an absolute majority (half-plus-one) rather than by a two-thirds majority.
• News circulates about a serious possibility of releasing those kidnapped in Azaz.

October 11

• MP Walid Jumblat tells As-Safir newspaper that the triple-8 formula that he once supported is no longer convenient and ought to be replaced with the 6-9-9 formula. He adds that he does not support the extension of President Suleiman’s term nor the election of a president by absolute majority.
• The Special Tribunal for Lebanon indicts Hassan Habib Merhi as being a fifth suspect in the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri. Merhi is thought to have filmed the Abou Adas video.
• Military judiciary files a lawsuit against the defected Syrian Colonel Ahmad Amer for recruiting members to fight against the regime in Syria.
• Security forces come under fire while trying to bring down illegal buildings in Alma, Zgharta.

October 12

• Veteran singer Wadih Safi dies at the age of 92.
• Omar Al-Atrash and his bodyguards die in an ambush in the outskirts of Arsal. Al-Atrash was involved in the attack on the Southern Suburbs in addition to other terrorist activities.
• The arrest of a suspect from Jabal Mohsen in the twin Tripoli bombings raises tensions in the area and results in an exchange of gunfire between Jabal Mohsen and Bab el-Tebbaneh.
• The Free Patriotic Movement holds a conclave in Deir El-Qalaa under the chairmanship of General Michel Aoun and concludes the meeting by reiterating its opposition to extending the presidential term of President Suleiman, stressing that the Movement enters in alliance with those who share its commitment to reform.
• MP Okab Sakr criticizes MP Wali Jumblat for changing his position toward the Syrian crisis, reiterating his support of the Syrian people against the autocratic regime.

October 14

• The Free Patriotic Movement commemorates the ousting of General Michel Aoun on October 13, 1990.
• The first day of Eid Al-Adha confirmed on Tuesday for the Sunni and Wednesday for the Shia’a and Hezbollah.

October 15

• The ISF Intelligence Branch hands over the names of 7 suspects from Jabal Mohsen involved in the twin Tripoli explosions and the Arab Democratic Party leader Refaat Eid denies any link with the suspects.
• Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Ghadanfar Rokon Abadi visits former PM Fouad Seniora.
• Verbal skirmishes erupt between Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil and Minister of Energy and Water Gebran Bassil over contracting out oil blocks and each of them threatens to publish classified documents.
• The Lebanese Army detects a vehicle laden with 50 kilograms of explosives in Al-Maamoura and defuses the bomb.
• Former ISF Chief reveals on MTV that Syria has a hand in the twin Tripoli explosions and that the late Intelligence Chief Wissam Al-Hassan had survived four assassination attempts before his death, adding that the Neemeh car was used to smuggle weapons between Lebanon and Syria and has nothing to do with the explosives.
• MP Ahamd Fatfat says to Al-Liwaa newspaper that MP Walid Jumblat is no longer playing a centrist role.
• Former PM Saad Hariri undergoes surgery in France to remove pins placed in his leg after a skiing accident in 2012. Jumblat also heads for France for treatment and to meet Hariri.

October 18

• A delegation of the March 14 General Directorate meets Tripoli’s dignitaries to discuss the possibility of holding a conference to promote the image of the city.
• Syria’s top Military Intelligence Officer General Jamaa Jamaa dies in clashes in Deir El-Zour. Jamaa was the chief of Syrian intelligence during Syria’s presence in Lebanon and his name was mentioned during investigations into Rafik Hariri’s assassination.
• Beirut ranks among top 20 cities around the world according to Conde Nast Traveler World 2013 Competition based on readers’ choices.
• Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai heads a meeting aimed at discussing the land dispute in Lassa in the presence of Minister of Interior and Municipalities Marwan Charbel.
• Kidnappers of pharmacist Wissam Khatib release him after 16 days in exchange for a ransom.
• “General Aoun is a good-hearted man and the row between Minister Ali Hassan Khalil and Minister Gebran Bassil will not affect the relationship between the Amal Movement and the Free Patriotic Movement,” Speaker Nabih Berri assures to An-Nahar.
• General Security Chief General Abbas Ibrahim affirms that the date of release of the Azaz pilgrims is approaching.
• UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon urges the Lebanese authorities to take all measures necessary to remove and demilitarize Hezbollah.

October 19

• Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs Khaled Al-Atiyyah announces that Qatar’s intervention succeeded in releasing the Lebanese who were kidnapped in north Syria. General Security Chief General Abbas Ibrahim assures from Istanbul that the Lebanese are now in good hands and will arrive in Lebanon in a couple of days.
• President Michel Suleiman meets ambassadors of the European Union and demands their assistance in bearing the burden of Syrian refugees and the EU announces a contribution of 70 million euros.
• Wata Al-Msaytbeh’s residents protest over the ISF’s quelling of illegal construction in the area and the Progressive Socialist Party refuses to back up the transgressors.
• The Ministry of Telecommunication appoints Lebanese singer Haifa Wehbi as ambassador for road safety.
• Roumieh’s Prison Justice Council adjourns the trial of Islamist prisoners until November 29.
• Lebanese pilgrims kidnapped in Azaz return to Lebanon on board of a Qatari aircraft simultaneously with the release and return of Turkish Airlines pilots.
• PM-designate Tamam Salam rushed to hospital following food poisoning.
• Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Geagea pays a secret visit to President Michel Suleiman in Baabda.
• MPs Michel Aoun and Suleiman Frangieh hold a reconciliatory meeting at the residence of Aoun’s son in law, Shamel Roukoz.
• The ISF commemorates the first anniversary of Bigadier Genral Wissam Al-Hassan’s assassination. During an event held for the same purpose in Btouratij, Major General Ashraf Rifi reiterates that Al-Hassan has shielded Lebanon from sedition by exposing the Samaha-Mamlouk plot.
• Text messages warn that An-Nussra Front sent 4 car bombs to Lebanon.
• Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Geagea says that those detained in Syrian prisons are no less human that the pilgrims kidnapped in Azaz and equal efforts should be exerted to set them free,.
• Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani announces the completion of the elections of the Higher Islamic Council despite the boycott and absence of quorum in the previous sessions.

October 22

• Five missiles launched by Syrian rebels land in the city of Hermel and result in physical damage.
• Mount Lebanon’s Investigative Judge Ziad Mkanna approves the release of 3 people arrested in the kidnapping of Turkish pilots on bail of LBP 500,000.
• President Michel Suleiman chairs a security meeting at the Baabda presidential palace to coordinate among all security apparatuses and come up with a strategy to unveil all sabotage acts.
• ISF begins quelling illegal construction in Wata Al-Msaytbeh amid protests from residents.
• Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin reaffirms Russia’s keenness on the Christians of the region.
• Clashes in Tripoli leave 6 wounded.
• US Ambassador to Lebanon, David Hale, visits the March 14 General Directorate in Ashrafieh and meets MP Marwan Hamadeh, Dory Chamoun, Antoine Saad and Fares Souaid.

October 23

• During the inauguration of renovation works at the port, President Michel Suleiman replies to his Syrian counterpart’s speech saying that no one has the right to criticize Lebanon’s disassociation policy.
• Former Minister Eias El-Murr appointed head of Interpol’s Fund for a Safer World for the next seven years.
• Supporters of MP Gebran Tawk prevent the ISF from removing the amphitheater built next to the cedar forest.
• Parliament convenes for the first time in 5 months and re-elects the same committee and bureau members. Speaker Nabih Berri urges committees to go back to discussing the electoral law.
• Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai heads to Qatar on an official visit following an invitation by Qatari Prince Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani.
• Grand Mufti Mohammad Rashid Qabbani calls Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and congratulates him on release of the pilgrims kidnapped in Azaz.
• The Special Tribunal for Lebanon will hold a pre-trial hearing on Tuesday 29th of October in preparation for the start of the trial in the Ayyash et al. case.

October 24

• Clashes continue in Tripoli raising the death toll to 2 and the injuries to 30, including members of the Lebanese Army.
• General Security Chief, Major General Abbas Ibrahim meets Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus to discuss the abduction of Aleppo’s bishops and the latter reiterates his support for all efforts aimed at securing their release.
• Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rai meets Qatari Prince Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani who promises to do all that lies in his power to release the abducted bishops and offers him a land of 10,000 m2 to establish the first Maronite church in Qatar and the Gulf region.
• Speaker Nabih Berri adjourns legislative session until November 20 due to lack of quorum.
• French MPs urge President Hollande to release George Ibrahim Abdullah, the oldest political prisoner in France.

October 25

• President Michel Suleiman chairs a security meeting aimed at examining the situation in Tripoli in the presence of caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and security leaders.
• Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati expects Lebanon to take part in Geneva II peace talks despite the government’s disassociation policy.
• President Michel Suleiman inaugurates an avenue named after him and a new building for the Hazmieh municipality, stressing that he rejects the MPs boycotting of Parliament sessions and urging the adoption of the defense strategy that puts all weapons under state control.
• STL Registrar Daryl Mundis urges Lebanon to pay its share of the court’s budget.
• The Bar Association holds a celebration at the Phoenicia Hotel in honor of lawyers who have spent 50 years in practice, including Speaker Nabih Berri.
• MP Okab Sakr refrains from responding to the accusations hurled at him in the case of those abducted in Azaz.

October 26

• Clashes continue between Jabal Mohsen and Bab El-Tebbaneh leaving 5 dead and 50 injured. Former ISF Chief, Ashraf Rifi holds a press conference at his residence, during which he holds Syria and Hezbollah accountable for the unrest.
• General Security Chief General Abbas Ibrahim meets Qatari Prince Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani to discuss further the controversy of those abducted in Syria.
• The Zouk Mikael Municipality celebrates its platinum jubilee in the presence of President Michel Suleiman who asserts that presidency will be handed down naturally contrary to what has happened in the past 40 years. Suleiman calls for shortening Parliament’s term of office and conducting elections, adding that the Lebanese are repeating the error of relying on foreign powers.
• The Army Intelligence refers to the judiciary two suspects in the abduction of pharmacist Wissam Al-Khatib.
• The Lebanese Order of Physicians honors Dr. Gabriel Gharib who has been selected best cardiologist in France, in the presence of General Michel Aoun.
• MP Sami Gemayel visits LF leader Samir Gegaea in Meerab to promote coordination efforts.

October 28

• Continuous clashes in Tripoli push the number of dead to 13 and injured to 60. The Lebanese Army enters Jabal Mohsen and mourns the death of one of its surgeons.
• Lebanon hosts the Christians of the Levant Convention for the first time under the auspices of President Michel Suleiman and the concluding statement reiterates the Muslim-Christian dialogue and urges the prevention of Christian emigration.
• Former Minister Hassan Mneimeh tells Al-Liwaa that the checkpoints set up by the Lebanese Army in the Southern Suburbs are only decorative and Hezbollah is still the one controlling security.
• Former PM Saad Hariri reports that the Syrian regime is punishing Tripoli through armed chaos.
• Ghadi Darwish, the first Lebanese born without religious identity.
• Minister of Energy and Water, Gebran Bassil, announces that the scan of 45% of Lebanon’s maritime economic zone has proved the presence of 95.9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 865 million barrels of oil.

October 29

• In a speech delivered during the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Great Prophet History, Hezbollah’s Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah accuses the KSA of thwarting the political solution in Syria and the Cabinet formation in Lebanon. He also urges March 14 Forces to accept the 9-9-6 formula before it is too late, adding that the authorities know the identity of the perpetrators behind the car bombings and that the cases of all the abducted should be closed.
• In response to Nasrallah’s speech, MP Sami Gemayel notes that the 622 Lebanese thought to be present in Syrian jails are detainees, not missing persons. “Should we kidnap the Syrian ambassador so that the state takes action to ensure their release,” Gemayel adds.
• The Lebanese Army deployed in Bab Tebbaneh, Tripoli, despite sniper attacks.
• A Lebanese national, a Turkish national and 10 other fugitives referred to the judiciary for involvement in car bombings.
• Health Minister Nathem Khalil denies the news circulating about a plan to dump Syrian chemical waste in Lebanese landfills.
• PM-designate Tamam Salam leaves for Geneva.
• Former PM Saad Hariri meets a number of prominent figures in France, including former PM Fouad Seniora and MP Boutros Harb.
• The Lebanese Forces win the NDU elections uncontested for the third consecutive years.
• Military Investigation Judge Fadi Sawan issues arrest warrants against 17 suspects in the Baabda and Southern Suburbs attacks.

October 30

• General Security Chief General Abbas Ibrahim holds a meeting with the directorate’s officers and asserts that the channels of communication are open with the kidnappers of the bishops.
• Jaafarite Mufti Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan annuls the marriage of Eva Ghazal, a 13-year old minor who was abducted and forced to marry Hassan Msheik 16 days earlier. Ghazal was reportedly kidnapped over an outstanding debt owed by her father.
• Ali Sabeh kills his brother Mohammad in the Southern Suburbs of Beirut over inheritance disputes and gets arrested in Al-Masnaa while attempting to escape to Syria.
• The Future Movement slams aloofness in Nasrallah’s speech.
• Tranquility returns to Tripoli after the cease of fights and the Lebanese Army deploys its troops in Bab Tebbaneh.
• STL Trial Chamber holds its first hearing in preparation for the trial scheduled for January 13, 2014.
• 159 deaths and 1165 injuries reported in Tripoli between May 2008 and October 2013.
• Ahmad Mohammad Ali, the driver of Arab Democratic Party leader Rifaat Eid, handed in by the Army Intelligence for involvement in the twin bombings that targeted Tripoli.

October 31

• Former MP Ali Eid summoned in relation to Tripoli bombing case following confessions made by his driver.
• The Maronite Bishops monthly statement regrets the failure to form a new government and the transformation of Parliament into platform to settle scores.
• The Administration and Justice Committee resumes its meetings to discuss a new draft electoral law.
• PM-designate Tamam Salam visits former PM Saad Hariri in Paris.