Six Noteworthy Stories You Might Have Missed in Lebanon This Past Week (3/2)
You’re busy, we get it. No sweat. Here’s some of the most important news stories you might have missed from the past week.
1. Activists Protest to Save Achrafieh from Highway Project Activists gathered in Achrafieh to demand the cancellation of the Fouad Boutros Highway project on Saturday, March 1, 2014. (Photo credit: Amal Awad via Facebook.com)
Protesters gathered in Achrafieh on Saturday to call for a halt to the Fouad Boutros Highway project, a $75 million plan to construct a four-lane flyover highway and tunnel that would plough through the neighborhood of Hikmeh and destroy up to 30 homes and properties.
Demonstrators will gather again today starting at 11:00 a.m. near the Maronite Archbishopric of Beirut, in front of Sagesse club.
2. Hezbollah Says It Will Retaliate for Israeli Airstrike Four members of Hezbollah were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the eastern Lebanese-Syrian border late Monday evening. (File photo via DailyStar.com)
Hezbollah vowed to retaliate after accusing Israel of launching an air strike at one of its positions near the border with Syria on Monday. Four people were killed in the incident.
This was the first attack inside Lebanese territory since the start of the Syrian conflict three years ago.
Israel warned Lebanon on Friday that it will hold its government responsible if Hezbollah retaliates.
3. Rocket Attack Launched into Bekaa Town from Syria A photo taken on Friday, February 28 shows the damage incurred after rockets hit the Bekaa town of Britel, injuring three people. (Photo via lbcgroup.tv)
Rocket fire from Syria hit the Lebanese border town of Brital Friday, slightly wounding a little girl, shortly after Syrian warplanes struck the outskirts of the nearby town of Arsal.
The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham claimed responsibility for the attack.
It explained that the attack was “in response to the ambush set up for our people in [the Damascus suburb of] Al-Atiba and the crimes committed by the Party of Satan [in reference to Hezbollah] against Sunnis everywhere.”
4. Man Who Wrote Anti-Hezbollah Parody Song Found Dead Members of the Lebanese Sunni society, called the “Islamic Group,” shout slogans during a funeral procession in Beirut on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014, as they carry the coffin of Marwan Dimashkieh who was found shot dead on a northern highway on Tuesday. (Photo via Greenwichtime.com)
Dimashkieh is known for penning a provocative parody song attacking Hezbollah over its ongoing battle in Yabroud.
Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya said Wednesday the group is awaiting the findings of a coroner’s report on his death.
5. Gas Centers Shut Temporarily Over Concerns of Terror Attacks Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq ordered on Saturday the closure of the gas distribution stations in the Bir Hassan area after reports the area could be targeted in a suicide attack. (File photo via naharnet.com)
Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq ordered the closure of two stations in the Bir Hassan neighborhood after investigators say they have information that gas stations in the area could be targeted by suicide bombers.
The stations will be closed starting Monday, March 3, until the whole stock is emptied.
6. Man Reportedly Fired Over Palestinian Accent (A still photo of Mohammad, the fired employee, taken from the LBC news report)
An employee at a Beirut restaurant reportedly lost his job due to his “Palestinian accent”. He was tasked with answering the customers’ phone calls.
