Free Republic

'Assassination attempt on Ahmadinejad thwarted' 10/18/10 Lebanese intelligence prevented an assassination attempt on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his visit to Lebanon last week, reported Kuwaiti newspaper al-Siyasa as cited by Channel 10 News. Sources told the newspaper that as Ahmadinejad was making his way to Bint J'beil, an order was received from Lebanese intelligence to stop the Iranian president's convoy and return to Beirut. The paper reported that Hizbullah was not convinced by the information and insisted on taking responsibility for the safety of Ahmadinejad, but Lebanese President Michel Suleiman intervened, saying Ahmadinejad's safety was the responsibility of the...

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad arrived in Lebanon on Wednesday to a hero's welcome and blaze of fanfare that belied the country's rising intercommunal tensions and Western misgivings about his visit. Shouts of "khosh amadi" ("welcome" in Persian) and showers of rice, sweets and petals greeted the Iranian leader as he waved to crowds from an open-topped car after arriving in Beirut at the beginning of a two-day trip. It's Ahmadinejad's first visit to Lebanon, where Iran has cultivated close relationship with Hezbollah, the Shi'ite Islamist group that fought a bitter five-week conflict with Israel in 2006. He was expected to...

Lebanon's Parliamentary Bloc announced Wednesday that it accepts a constitutional amendment allowing the election of Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman president. The announcement was made by al-Moustaqbal MP Ammar Houri. It coincided with a statement issued by MP Elias Atallah, a prominent member of the March 14 alliance saying efforts are underway to amend the constitution to allow the election of Gen. Suleiman for the nation's top post. Atallah said "The election could take place either Friday or in the following few days." "Serious efforts are underway to achieve consensus on Gen. Suleiman," Atallah told Agence France Presse. "If the...