Voter turnout comparison in South Lebanon and Nabatieh: 2016 vs. 2025 as of 7:00 p.m.
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Lebanon asserts state authority: FM vows centralized weapons, rejects civil war threats
Lebanon is witnessing a 'major political transformation,' with state institutions regaining their roles after years of inactivity, Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji said in an interview with Al Arabiya and Al Hadath. He noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has resumed its active role regionally and internationally after years of absence caused by 'wrong policies.' Rajji highlighted that the current government made a historic decision to centralize all weapons under state authority. The Lebanese army has been tasked with preparing a comprehensive implementation plan, which will be presented to the cabinet on September 2. He emphasized that minor technical delays of a week or two are acceptable, but open-ended postponements are not. Regarding U.S. envoy Tom Barrack's visit, Rajji said Washington proposed a comprehensive plan covering withdrawals, reconstruction, and weapons exclusivity. Lebanon provided feedback, and a shared framework was agreed upon, with an emphasis on Israel's commitment to good-faith measures, including returning occupied territories and releasing detainees. On Iranian visits, Rajji stressed that all such trips are coordinated with Lebanese authorities, saying that Lebanon seeks good relations with all countries, provided its sovereignty is respected. He underscored that centralizing weapons is an internal Lebanese demand, not tied to foreign agendas, and called for 'a normal state governed by official institutions, not militias.' On threats of civil war, he said: 'Civil war occurs when some rebel against the state, not when the state asserts its authority.' Regionally, Rajji confirmed ongoing coordination with Syria based on mutual respect and expressed optimism about warming ties with Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia. He added that Lebanon has moved away from divisive regional alliances and urged domestic actors to support the state.
LBCI
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UNIFIL says it found 50-meter tunnel, unexploded ordnances in south Lebanon
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said in a statement on Wednesday that its peacekeepers, in coordination with the Lebanese army, discovered a 50-meter tunnel and several unexploded ordnances near Al-Qusayr, during a recent operation in south Lebanon. The mission said the findings were handed over to the army in line with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701. UNIFIL added that it continues to patrol, monitor, and work alongside the army to help restore stability and security in its area of operations. During a recent operation in south Lebanon, UNIFIL peacekeepers, in close coordination with @LebarmyOfficial, discovered a tunnel of approximately 50 meters and several unexploded ordnances near Al Qusayr. In line with resolution 1701, the findings were handed over to the LAF. — UNIFIL (@UNIFIL_) August 20, 2025
LBCI
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US forces conduct raid in northern Syria against Islamic State target
U.S. forces took part in a pre-dawn raid in northwestern Syria early on Wednesday that targeted a member of the Islamic State group, a U.S. official and a Syrian security source said. A second Syrian security source and Syria's state-owned Al-Ikhbariya said the target was killed as he tried to escape. It was the second known raid in northern Syria by U.S. troops since former President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December. The Islamist-led government that replaced him has pledged to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State and is part of an anti-IS alliance that includes the U.S.-led coalition fighting the group. It was not immediately clear who the Islamic State member targeted on Wednesday was. The U.S. official said he was a suspected high-value target. The first Syrian source said he was an Iraqi national and was married to a French national. It was not immediately clear what happened to his wife. The Pentagon did not immediately have any public comment on the reports. The operation began at around 2 a.m. (1100 GMT), according to the Syrian security sources and neighbours in the town of Atmeh, in Idlib province. Helicopters and drones provided air cover, one Syrian security source and residents said. Local Syrian forces set up a cordon around the neighbourhood but U.S. forces conducted the actual raid, the second security source said. Abdelqader al-Sheikh, a neighbour, said he was up late with his son and heard a noise in the yard next door. "I called out, 'who are you?' and they started speaking to me in English, telling me to put my hands up," Sheikh told Reuters. He said the armed forces stayed on the roofs of surrounding houses for the next two hours and that he could hear someone nearby speaking Arabic in an Iraqi accent. Reuters
