Lebanon

15 Oct 2021; MEMO: Hezbollah said today it would not be dragged into a civil war, a day after seven Shia were killed in Beirut's bloodiest street violence in more than a decade, Reuters reports.

15 Oct 2021; MEMO: The United States will offer $67 million in additional support to the Lebanese army, bringing Washington's total support in 2021 to $187 million, US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said in Beirut yesterday.

14 Oct 2021; MEMO: At least six people have been killed in clashes which broke out in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, following on from a protest organised by Shia groups against the ongoing inquiry into the huge blast last year that killed over 200.

14 Oct 2021; MEMO: Lebanese President, Michel Aoun, vowed that those who were responsible for the violence that erupted on Thursday in Beirut will be held accountable, as reported by Reuter's.

In a televised speech after shootings that killed six people, Aoun said it was "unacceptable that weapons are, once more, the means of communication among Lebanese rivals".

"I have made contact with the relevant parties today to address what happened and, most importantly, to make sure that it never happens again."

BEIRUT, Oct 12 (Reuters) - A probe into the catastrophic Beirut port explosion was frozen on Tuesday for the second time in less than three weeks after two politicians wanted for questioning filed a new complaint against the lead investigator, Judge Tarek Bitar.

The investigation has been facing obstacles since Bitar sought to question some of the most powerful people in Lebanon on suspicion that they knew about the stored chemicals that exploded but did nothing to avert the disaster.

12 Oct 2021; MEMO: A Lebanese court yesterday sentenced four Lebanese to 15 years in prison in addition to hard labour over "dealing with the Israeli enemy and obtaining Israeli IDs" without the state's permission, local media reported.

11 Oct 2021; MEMO: Lebanon has no centrally generated electricity after fuel shortages forced its two largest power stations to shut down, a government official told Reuters on Saturday.

"The Lebanese power network completely stopped working at noon today, and it is unlikely that it will work until next Monday, or for several days," the official said.

11 Oct 2021; MEMO: Traffic was being diverted away from Lebanon's Zahrani oil facility this morning after a fire broke out at a gasoline storage tank, a security source told Reuters.

The areas surrounding the fire, which was still not under control, were being cooled to prevent it spreading, the source said. There was no immediate official comment or reports of casualties at the Zahrani oil facility on the Mediterranean coast.

TASS, October 9: Lebanon is facing large-scale power outages after two largest power plants stopped Saturday due to fuel shortage, Reuters reported citing official sources.

According to the report, the outage may last for "several days."

09 Oct 2021; MEMO: Iran aims to continue sending fuel products to Lebanon in the future and hopes a bilateral agreement can be struck for that purpose, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said during a visit to Beirut today.