• Kremlin begins evacuation of Russians from Syria

    Syrian troops have been fighting off rebels who are trying to capture military bases in the north of the country. Attacks on government bases have been the recent focus of fighting in the Syria conflict. The daily struggle continues for families in the South as buying bread means crossing the front line. NBC's Bill Neely reports.

    By Kari Huus, Staff writer, NBC News

    Moscow is sending two planes to Lebanon for the evacuation of Russian citizens from Syria as the fighting in the capital Damascus intensifies, marking the first such effort since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad began in March 2011.

    The Emergency Situations Ministry said two of its planes will fly to Beirut on Tuesday to carry more than 100 Russians from Syria.

    Russia has been a stalwart ally of the Assad regime even as his government became increasingly isolated from most of the international community. It has used its veto power, as a permanent of the U.N. security council, to block three United Nations Security Council resolutions condemning Syria.

    Moscow has also supplied Assad's military with helicopters and jets.

    Monday's announcement appears to reflect Moscow's increasing doubts about Assad's ability to cling to power and growing concerns about the safety of its citizens.

    On Saturday, two shells landed near the Russian embassy, hitting a wedding hall and killing three women, one of the hall's guards said. It was not clear who fired the shells. The area is government controlled.

    The Russian embassy, which is along Damascus' central al-Thawra road, is heavily fortified with cement road blocks and the area has been blocked off.

    Russia has plans in place to evacuate thousands of Russians from Syria if necessary, the country's foreign ministry said.

    The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

  • Report: Syrian rebels clash with Lebanon troops on border

    By NBC News wire services

    Lebanese troops clashed with Syrian rebels on the border between the two countries in what a security source told Reuters may have the first such incident between Lebanon's army and the rebels.

    The clash occurred Sunday when a Lebanese border patrol spotted the rebel fighters along the border and the rebels opened fire to prevent the patrol from approaching, the Lebanese military source told Reuters. He said there were no casualties.

    Although tensions have been high along various points of the Lebanon-Syria border, Sunday's incident may have been the first involving armed fighters.


    In late September, a security incident involving Syrian rebels at a Lebanese checkpoint was played down by local residents and officials but initial reports suggested that shots had been fired.

    The violence in Syria also spilled over to Turkey on Monday, as Turkey scrambled fighter jets after Syrian government forces bombed rebel positions in the frontier town of Ras al-Ain and stray shells flew into Turkish territory, Turkish security sources told Reuters.

    PhotoBlog: Turkey scrambles jets as Syrian government forces bomb border town

    Shells landed in the Turkish town of Ceylanpinar, which abuts Ras al-Ain, triggering panic, the sources told Reuters. It was not immediately clear whether the shells were fired by forces loyal to President Bashar Assad or by the rebels.

    Slideshow: Syria uprising

    Osman Orsal / Reuters

    A look back at the violence that has overtaken the country

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    Syrians risk lives in battle to protect nation's ancient sites

    The uprising against the Assad family’s four decades of rule began 20 months ago. Opposition activists say the fighting has resulted in the deaths of some 40,000 people, according to The Associated Press.

    Syria: No chemical weapons plan
    On Monday, Syria said that it would not use chemical weapons against its own people after the U.S. warned it would take action against any such escalation.

    The statements came amid media reports, citing European and U.S. officials, that Syria's chemical weapons had been moved and could be prepared for use in response to dramatic gains by rebels fighting to topple Assad.

    "Syria has stressed repeatedly that it will not use these types of weapons, if they were available, under any circumstances against its people," the foreign ministry said.

    Car bombs kill 34 in Syria suburb

    The opposition believe that Assad could turn to heavier weapons and some have suggested he might use chemical weapons. 

    U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had earlier warned that Washington would take action if Syria used the weapons.

    "I am not going to telegraph any specifics what we do in the event of credible evidence that the Assad regime has resorted to using chemical weapons against their own people, but suffice to say, we are certainly planning to take action if that eventuality were to occur," she said during a visit to Prague Monday.

    'Worst day in those people's lives'
    On Sunday, opposition activists said that dozens were killed and wounded when government forces pounded rebel-held suburbs around Damascus with fighter jets and rockets.

    The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights gave a preliminary death toll for Sunday's fighting of 140.

    Slideshow: Behind Syrian rebel lines

    Machine guns operated by motorcycle brakes? Get a glimpse at the rebels fighting against Assad's forces in Syria's mountainous Jabal al-Zawiya area.

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    More Syria coverage from NBC News

    Activists said rocket fire struck towns close to the Damascus airport road, where rebels and the army had been locked in three days of clashes. Some described constant shelling, similar to carpet bombing, in towns like Beit Saham.

    "It was frightening because it was the first time we heard continuous shelling. Really powerful explosions, one after the other, were shaking the area. I could see fire coming up from the town," said Samir al-Shami, from the opposition's Syrian Youth Union, speaking by Skype.

    "This was the worst day in those people's lives," he added.

    Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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  • Analysis: US loses patience with Syria opposition group

    Slideshow: Syria uprising

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    A look back at the violence that has overtaken the country

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    By Paul Nassar, NBC News

    News analysis

    BEIRUT -- The Obama administration’s suggestion this week that it was prepared to sideline the opposition-in-exile Syrian National Council and attempt to handpick more representative leaders at a crucial meeting next week came after months of frustration over the group's dysfunction and ineffectiveness.

    Made up of Syrian intellectuals and political exiles, the Istanbul-based SNC has barely been able to coordinate the simplest of tasks, let alone run the opposition against a well-entrenched regime such as Bashar Assad’s.

    It has clearly exhausted the patience of the United States.

    On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the administration was suggesting names and organizations that should feature prominently in any new rebel leadership that is to emerge from a four-day conference starting Sunday in Doha, the capital of Qatar.


    "This cannot be an opposition represented by people who have many good attributes but who, in many instances, have not been inside Syria for 20, 30, 40 years," Clinton said during a visit to Croatia.

    "There has to be a representation of those who are in the front lines fighting and dying today to obtain their freedom," she said.

    Anti-regime activists say at least 36,000 people have been killed since the struggle to oust Assad began 19 months ago.

    U.S. officials have watched with concern the SNC’s inability to rally around a common cause.

    Syrian opposition wary of US push to coalesce leadership

    The members appear incapable of electing a leader that the whole council could agree on. More often than not, they opt for bland technocrats to fill the void.

    Lacking a strong leader, the SNC has been ineffectual at inspiring the opposition.

    A leaderless revolution
    Most importantly, the members of the council have no relevance to the people who are fighting and dying on the Syrian battlefields.

    Some of the rebel fighters are former Syrian Army conscripts who defected to the rebels rather than be forced to kill their own. But most are novices to combat.

    Former farmers or businessmen, many of these rebels have only the most rudimentary training and are poorly equipped. When asked questions about the SNC, their responses tend to be lukewarm, at best.

    These are not rebels caught in the zeal of fighting behind a charismatic leader.

    As fighting rages in Syria with heavy air raids, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the U.S.  would push for a major revamp in Syria's opposition leadership. NBC's Keith Miller reports.

    Instead, their unity stems from a hatred of the regime in Damascus -- but little else. The SNC enjoys little influence among them.

    There is no genuine leader to rally around. This is a leaderless revolution.

    Faiz Amru, a Syrian army general who defected earlier this year, told The Associated Press that any transitional government or body created abroad cannot possibly represent those dying in Syria.

    "Everyone is trying to push their own agendas," he said by phone from the Turkish-Syrian border. "The big powers have hijacked the Syrian revolution."

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    The West fears that an opposition leadership vacuum would allow the anti-Assad rebellion to tilt toward Islamic radicalism, rather than toward the inclusive, secular and democratic values the SNC claims to uphold.

    Anybody traveling through rebel-held areas in northern Syria can easily spot the foreign fighters, driving around under the Islamist black flag.

    These men are not Syrian. Some are Libyans, others Chechen. They are all radical in their religious and political beliefs.

    So it is unsurprising that the United States has decided to seek an amicable divorce from the SNC. The events of the past year have proved just how fickle a partner they were.

    Lessons from Iraq war
    The United States also may be applying lessons learned from the Iraq War.

    The Bush administration was burned when it put its weight behind Iraqi exiles, such as Ahmed Chalabi, who had little relevance in the eyes of the local population.

    Slideshow: The lives of Syrian rebels

    NBC News

    People resisting the army of President Bashar al-Assad in northern Syria cope with loss and prepare for fighting.

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    So far, nothing suggests that Syria will be any different.

    Attempts have been made in the past to rectify the disunity and make the SNC more relevant.

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    But when members of the opposition met in Cairo last June, the results were nothing short of catastrophic. Screaming matches ensued. Nothing of value was decided.

    It would have been comic, had the reality in Syria itself not been so tragic.

    Slideshow: Behind Syrian rebel lines

    Machine guns operated by motorcycle brakes? Get a glimpse at the rebels fighting against Assad's forces in Syria's mountainous Jabal al-Zawiya area.

    Launch slideshow

    US: 'We're not giving them a list’
    The State Department has spent the past few months determining which members are worth backing in Doha, but insists it would not issue dictates.

    "We're not giving them a list," said State Department spokesman Mark Toner. "Ultimately it's up to the Syrians themselves to make those choices. This is in no way telling them what to do."

    Syria warplanes pound rebel strongholds

    Muhydin Lazikani, a London-based writer and SNC member, told the AP that Clinton had no right to criticize the SNC at a time when the Obama administration has no clear path for Syria.

    "All they try to do is blame the SNC," said Lazikani.

    Complete World coverage on NBCNews.com

    Mohammad Sarmini, a Turkey-based SNC spokesman, told the AP that the United States, through this new push, is "trying to make up for its shortcomings and impotence to stop the killings and massacres in Syria."

    The Obama administration has said it is not providing arms to internal opponents of Assad and is limiting its aid to non-lethal humanitarian assistance.

    Progress or paralysis?
    Western officials hope that the meetings in Doha, held over five days, would be everything that the Cairo ones were not.

    Participants and observers hope the gathering will prove effective in choosing a unified council that is made up of all of Syria’s ethnic and religious groups.

    It remains to be seen whether the opposition is able to elect a representative who can serve as the face of the rebellion against the Assad regime. The SNC will be allocated seats on the new council, although they are expected to remain in the minority.

    But if the Doha meetings fail, the only certainty will be that Syria’s nightmarish civil war will drag on and the tragic events played out every day throughout the country will continue unabated.

    The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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  • Oasis of tolerance or 'Republic of Shame'? Two faces of gay life in Beirut

    Marwan Naamani / AFP - Getty Images, file

    Teddy, a Lebanese university graduate, performs a belly dance at a nightclub in Beirut, in this November 2007 file picture.

    By Shane Farrell

    BEIRUT, Lebanon – It is 2 a.m. in an abandoned theater in Hamra, a neighborhood in the Lebanese capital.  Men pack the room, their fists pumping the air in time with the thumping music.  A bare-chested dancer in tight-fitting shorts glides around the stage, reaching his hand around another man’s neck, pulling him close and stealing a kiss.

    These parties are popular with those who can afford the $33 entrance fee. For those looking for an alternative, around a dozen different bars and clubs aimed at gay men dot the city.

    Beirut has for decades been a haven for gay men and lesbians, luring people from throughout the region, including deeply conservative countries like Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. But while the city’s image as an oasis of open-mindedness attracts foreigners - and sells newspapers - the liberal veneer disguises a conservative underbelly that recent police sweeps and reports of invasive “medical” tests have exposed.

    Family ‘would not accept it’
    Many gay men in Beirut carry on double lives despite living in what is considered to be the gay capital of the Middle East. 


    “I’m only out to my close friends,” said "Jad," 22, who asked that his real name not to be published. “My family is quite religious and would not accept it.  When I was younger my mother made it clear that she would disown me if I came out to her.”

    Indeed, while gay bars and clubs are common, homosexuality – or behavior deemed “contrary to nature” –  is illegal according to article 534 of the Lebanese penal code.

    Technically, this means that only those who have been proven to engage in such illegal acts are liable for arrest.  In practice, “people have been arrested just because a particular security officer thinks that person might be gay,” human rights lawyer Nizar Saghieh said.

    “Despite the façade of tolerance, the reality is that a negative stigma of homosexuality persists,” said Georges Azzi, co-founder of Helem, a non-profit group working on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues.

    The burden is heaviest for homosexual men who don’t have the right connections and cannot afford to pay off officials to avoid punishment.

    “Unless you know your rights or know someone in a position of power to help you, you’re in trouble,” said Rebecca Saade, who works on LGBT rights with an underground group that focuses on lesbians and transsexuals.

    Anwar Amro / AFP - Getty Images, file

    Lebanese demonstrators hold signs against "virginity tests" on women - and men suspected of homosexuality - during a protest in Beirut on August 11.

    Gay men who cannot afford to live outside of the family home are more likely to engage in sexual acts in places where they could be caught.

    An incident in July revealed the contradictory attitudes toward homosexuality in Lebanon. Leading local television station MTV released footage of several popular gay hangouts and police then raided two establishments and arrested patrons.

    “I think the internal security forces felt pressured to act and arrested people in these theaters because they felt no one would pay any attention or care,” Helem’s Azzi said. “The theater was in a poor neighborhood and the customers are on the lowest rung of Lebanese society, many of them were non-Lebanese Arabs.”

    A surprising watershed
    While a raid in Lebanon’s second city Tripoli went relatively unnoticed, journalists jumped on reports of a one in the outskirts of Beirut after it emerged that dozens of men arrested had been subjected to physical tests.

    The controversial procedure, which human rights lawyer Nizar Saghieh said has “no basis in science and is used as a tool of intimidation,” involves examining the anus for indications of sodomy.

    The test has been standard for many years, according to human rights lawyer Saghieh, but was never before brought into the media spotlight. He estimates some 100 to 200 procedures take place every year.

    Paradoxically, news that the men had been subjected to the invasive test jump-started a discussion on how homosexuals were treated in Lebanon.  Until then, the debate had focused whether to grant equal rights to homosexuals and revoke article 534, said Saghieh.

    Hundreds were rushed to emergency rooms after an explosion left a 15-foot crater in one of Beirut's nicest neighborhoods. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports.

    “But the debate was stagnant,” he added. “With the anal tests, the debate focused on a single aspect of how gays are treated and a lot of people, despite their view on article 534, felt the practice extreme.”

    Indeed, the media was almost unanimous in condemning the practice following the revelations over the summer. Many referred to the practice as “tests of shame.”  One major TV channel went so far as to call Lebanon a “Republic of Shame,” a term that gained traction across social networking sites.

    Following the furor, the Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi passed a decree calling for an end to the tests. Gay rights campaigners cheered the speedy policy change.

    “It is probably the biggest success story in terms of gay rights in the Arab world,” Saghieh said.

    Factbox: Political risks to watch in Lebanon

    Saade agreed that the government’s decision was significant.

    Still, it was just one victory in a long fight for equal rights in Lebanon, advocates said.

    “We have come a long way in the past decade or so, but at this point I think revoking law 534 remains a dream,” Saade said.

    Indeed, if you aren’t part of the wealthy and privileged Beirut elite, being gay in Lebanon can still prove treacherous.

    "Mazen," a 23-year-old who asked for his real name not to be used, said he’s been encouraged by signs that many people are becoming more accepting in Beirut.  But these changes are largely limited to the capital and have not reached his village in the south where homosexuality remains a major taboo.

    Syria may exploit instability in Lebanon: Clinton

    Like others in his position, he hides his sexual orientation from much of his family.

    “I have told a few cousins who are of similar age but I would never come out to my mother. She would be heartbroken, ashamed and make sure it stayed within the family,” he said.

    “If I came out to her, I think she would never speak to me again.”

    Shane Farrell is an NBC News contributor and a reporter at NOW Lebanon.

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  • US pledges to aid Beirut bomb probe amid Lebanon violence

    Hussam Shebaro / Reuters

    A Sunni Muslim gunman with a weapon rides a motorcycle through the streets of Kaskas in Beirut, Monday, after a night of tension.

    By NBC News staff and wire reports

    U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has pledged to help Lebanon investigate Friday's deadly car bombing in Beirut, as parts of the city were engulfed in violence that some observers say heralds the spread of civil war from neighboring Syria. 

    She spoke with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Sunday to reiterate U.S. condemnation of the attack - which killed intelligence chief Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan - calling it "heinous", State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said.

    "The secretary emphasized the United States' firm commitment to Lebanon's stability, independence, sovereignty and security," Nuland said in a statement.

    PhotoBlog: Tension on Beirut streets as political crisis deepens

    "She noted the importance of political leaders working together at this sensitive time to ensure that calm prevails and that those responsible for the attack are brought to justice,” the statement said.

    Protesters rushed the prime minister's office Sunday in Lebanon, ripping up barbed wire and hurling rocks. The situation, which started as a peaceful protest, has become a standoff between protesters and the military. It has also triggered concern that Syria's civil war is spreading. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports.

    Nuland said Clinton and Mikati agreed that the United States "would provide assistance in the investigation of the bombing."

    Syria blamed by Lebanese opposition
    Opposition leaders and their supporters accuse Syria of being behind Friday's attack, and say Mikati is too close to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Lebanese ally Hezbollah, which is part of Mikati's government.

    Thousands turned out Sunday in downtown Beirut's Martyrs' Square for Hassan's funeral, which also served as a political rally. Violence erupted after an opposition leader demanded that Mikati step down to pave the way for talks on the crisis.

    "The Syrian regime started a war against us and we will fight this battle until the end," said Anthony Labaki, a 24-year-old physiotherapist.

    Slideshow: Bombing in Beirut

    Mahmoud Zayyat / AFP - Getty Images

    Huge blast explodes in a central Beirut street injures dozens, kills at least eight.

    Launch slideshow


    Sunday's clashes fed into a growing political crisis in Lebanon linked to the conflict in neighboring Syria. Israeli news site Haaretz reported that the clashes "raised the specter of the nation once again becoming torn apart by civil war."

    A group marched to the prime minister's office, then overturned barriers, pulled apart barbed wire coils and threw steel rods, stones and bottle at soldiers and police.

    Security forces responded by shooting into air and firing teargas, forcing the protesters to scatter.

    "Lebanon is in the eye of the storm," said Fawaz A. Gerges, head of the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics. "The fact that the protesters came close to storming the parliament shows how deep the crisis of the state is and how weak the leadership has become."

    Fire exchanged in southern Beirut
    On Sunday night, gunmen armed with rifles and rocket-propelled grenades exchanged fire in southern districts of Beirut, security sources told Reuters, and residents could hear the sound of ambulance sirens.

    There were no immediate reports of casualties from the clashes in the capital, but in the northern city of Tripoli a 9-year-old girl was killed by a sniper and several people were wounded in clashes.

    PhotoBlog: Violence erupts in Beirut after slain official's funeral

    Gunmen have been patrolling the streets in Tripoli, scene of previous clashes between Sunnis and Alawites sympathetic to different sides in the Syria war.

    Opposition leader Saad al-Hariri urged supporters to refrain from any more violence.

    "We want peace, the government should fall but we want that in a peaceful way. I call on all those who are in the streets to pull back," Hariri said on the Future Television channel.

    Sectarian tensions
    Sunday's events highlighted how the 19-month-old uprising against Assad has sharpened deep-seated sectarian tensions in Lebanon, which is still scarred from its 1975-90 civil war.

    Sunni-led rebels are fighting to overthrow Assad, who is from the Alawite minority, which has its roots in Shiite Islam. Lebanon's religious communities are divided between those that support Assad and those that back the rebels.

    Hassan, 47, was a senior intelligence official who had helped uncover a bomb plot that led to the arrest and indictment in August of a pro-Assad former Lebanese minister.

    A Sunni Muslim, he also led an investigation that implicated Syria and the Shiite Hezbollah in the 2005 assassination of Rafik al-Hariri, a former prime minister of Lebanon.

    Damascus and Hezbollah have condemned Hassan's killing.

    NBC's Paul Nassar describes the scene after a bomb killed 8 people in Lebanon Friday.

    But mourners at Martyrs' Square on Sunday accused Syria of involvement and called for Mikati to quit. One banner read "Go, go Najib" echoing the slogans of the Arab Spring.

    "We came for Lebanon's future," said mourner Rama Fakhouri, an interior designer. "And to show that we will not be scared."

    Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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  • Crowds surround government office in Beirut as funeral protest turns violent

    Protesters rushed the prime minister's office Sunday in Lebanon, ripping up barbed wire and hurling rocks. The situation, which started as a peaceful protest, has become a standoff between protesters and the military. It has also triggered concern that Syria's civil war is spreading. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports.

    By NBC News staff and wire reports

    Violence erupted in downtown Beirut on Sunday as protesters tried to storm the offices of Prime Minister Najib Mikati after the funeral of an assassinated intelligence chief whose death they blame on Syria.

    Security forces shot into the air and police fired tear gas to repulse the hundreds of protesters who overturned barriers and threw stones and steel rods, witnesses said.

    Stephanie Gosk, NBC News correspondent in Beirut, reported that the protest had been peaceful but took a turn towards violence, with tear gas visible near Mikati’s offices.

    The clashes fed into a growing political crisis in Lebanon linked to the civil war in neighboring Syria.

    An angry crowd had marched on the prime minister's office after politicians at the funeral of Brigadier General Wissam al-Hassan, who was killed by a car bomb on Friday, called on Mikati to resign over the killing.

    The opposition and its supporters believe Mikati is too close to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Lebanese ally Hezbollah, which is part of Mikati's government.

    Many of the protesters waved flags from the anti-Syrian opposition Future Movement - a mainly Sunni Muslim party - and Christian Lebanese Forces as well as black Islamist flags.

    They scattered after the security forces' action and there were no immediate reports of any casualties other than two people fainting.

    PhotoBlog: Violence erupts in Beirut after slain official's funeral

    Opposition leader Saad al-Hariri urged supporters to refrain from any more violence.

    "We want peace, the government should fall but we want that in a peaceful way. I call on all those who are in the streets to pull back," Hariri told supporters after the attack, speaking on Future Television channel.

    Hassan, 47, was a Sunni Muslim and senior intelligence official who had helped uncover a bomb plot that led to the arrest and indictment in August of a pro-Damascus former Lebanese minister.

    He also led an investigation that implicated Syria and the Shi'ite Hezbollah in the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri in 2005.

    Thousands of people had filled central Martyrs' Square for his funeral ceremony, accusing Syria of involvement in the killing and calling for Mikati to quit.

    One banner read "Go, go Najib" echoing the slogans of the Arab Spring.

    The violence broke out after Fouad al-Siniora, a former prime minister, said in a speech that the opposition rejected any dialogue to overcome the political crisis caused by the assassination unless the government first resigned.

    "No talks before the government leaves, no dialogue over the blood of our martyrs," Siniora said to roars of approval from the crowd.

    Journalist Antoun Issa, posting on Twitter, said army members were also caught by the tear gas.

    At the start of the funeral, senior politicians and the military and security top brass turned out at the Internal Security Force headquarters for a ceremony held with full military honors and broadcast live on national television.

    Hassan's wife and two sons, the youngest weeping, listened as he was eulogized by the head of police, Ashraf Rifi, and President Michel Suleiman.

    Suleiman said the government and people must work "shoulder to shoulder" to overcome the challenges posed by the killing.

    "I tell the judiciary do not hesitate, the people are with you, and I tell the security be firm, the people are with you, with you. And I tell the politicians and the government do not provide cover to the perpetrator."

    In keeping with custom for state funerals, church bells pealed as police officers carried the flag-draped coffins of Hassan and his bodyguard to the mosque on Martyr's Square through chanting crowds. Moslem prayers were broadcast by loudspeaker from the mosque.

    In the build-up the funeral, people at the square had said they saw Syria's hand in the bombing.

    “We blame Bashar al-Assad, the president of Syria," said Assmaa Diab, 14, from the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, Hassan's home town. She was in the square with her sister and father.

    "He is responsible for everything - in the past, now, and if we don't stand up to him, the future," she said.

    The prime minister was also a focus of their anger.

    "We are here to tell Mikati we don't need him anymore and to tell Hezbollah we don't want any more of their games," said Hamza Akhrass, a 22-year-old student who from south Lebanon.

    "Mikati takes too much pressure for Syria."

    One banner read: "People want the overthrow of Najib".

    Mikati said on Saturday he had offered to resign to make way for a government of national unity but he had accepted a request by President Michel Suleiman to stay in office to allow time for talks on a way out of the political crisis.

    Sunday's events highlighted how the 19-month-old uprising against Assad in Syria has exacerbated deep-seated sectarian tensions in Lebanon, which is still scarred from its 1975-90 civil war.

    Sunni-led rebels are fighting to overthrow Assad, who is from the Alawite minority, which has its roots in Shi'ite Islam. Lebanon's religious communities are divided between those that support Assad and those that back the rebels.

    Mikati sought in vain to insulate the country from turmoil in its larger neighbor, which has long played a role in Lebanese politics. He himself said he suspected Hassan's assassination was linked to his role in uncovering Syrian involvement in the August bomb plot. 

    Reuters contributed to this report.

    NBC's Paul Nassar describes the scene after a bomb killed 8 people in Lebanon Friday.

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  • Report: Several killed in Damascus car bomb ahead of Syria truce talks

    By NBC News staff and wire reports

    Several civilians were killed by a car bomb in central Damascus on Sunday, according to witness reports, as President Bashar Assad prepared to meet international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi for talks about a possible truce in Syria's civil war.

    Ambulances sped to the site and security forces cut off access to the site near Bab Touma, one of the seven gates of the historic Old City. 

    Several cars were burnt, the witnesses told Reuters.

    An Associated Press reporter at the scene said he saw blood stains in the street and on the pavements. He said glass windows of several shops in the area were shattered and at least four cars were completely burnt.

    For a fourth straight day, Turkey's border with Syria is the scene of intense fighting. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.

    Damascus residents said Assad's forces shelled several districts on the edge of the Syrian capital overnight. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors violence across the country, said 140 people were killed in Syria on Saturday. 

    A report by regional news channel Al Jazeera quoted Syrian state television station SANA as saying said 10 people were killed and that the blast was caused by an explosive device planted under a car by an "armed terrorist group" - the term the regime uses for the rebels seeking to topple Assad. 

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  • Lebanon leader points to Syria in bombing, as protests break out

    Slideshow: Bombing in Beirut

    Mahmoud Zayyat / AFP - Getty Images

    Launch slideshow

    By NBC News staff and wire services

    BEIRUT - Protesters burned tires and set up roadblocks around Lebanon on Saturday in a sign of boiling anger over the killings of a top security official and seven others, while Lebanon's prime minister said he suspected a Syrian connection in the bombing.

    At a press conference, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said he suspected the bombing was related to the indictment in August of former minister Michel Samaha, a supporter of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, over a plot allegedly aimed at stoking violence in Lebanon.

    "I cannot separate in any way the crime that took place yesterday and the discovery of the conspiracy against Lebanon in August," he said. 

    Other Lebanese politicians have also accused Assad of being behind the attack, deepening fears that Syria's sectarian-tinged civil war is spreading to its neighbor. 

    NBC News producer Paul Nassar reported an unusual calm had swept over Beirut. 

    "The city is dead, absolutely quiet," Nassar, reporting from Beirut, said. "All the major shopping districts are closed -- this city would usually be brimming with activity, but now, nothing."

    Nassar added that the bomb was an especially devastating blow to the city because it came on the cusp of the major Islam holiday Eid, which starts next weekend.

    "Hotels that were close to capacity are now looking at 20 percent" of rooms full after tourists scrambled to cancel their reservations, Nassar reported.

    In the eastern Bekaa Valley region, the Lebanese army opened fire on a group who were blocking a road to protest the bomb attack, wounding two people.

    "The Lebanese army were trying to open the road and started firing their guns," a witness from the village of Bar Elias, told The Associated Press.

    Meanwhile, the Lebanese Cabinet held an emergency meeting as the country's opposition called for Mikati to resign. 

    The government declared a national day of mourning for the victims, who included Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan, head of the intelligence division of Lebanon's domestic security forces. Dozens were wounded in Friday's blast in Beirut's mainly Christian Achrafieh neighborhood. 

    Many observers said the attack appeared to have links to the Syrian civil war, which has been raging for 19 months. Al-Hassan, 47, headed an investigation over the summer that led to the arrest of former Information Minister Michel Samaha, one of Syrian President Bashar Assad's most loyal allies in Lebanon. 

    Samaha, who is in custody, is accused of plotting a campaign of bombings and assassinations to spread sectarian violence in Lebanon at Syria's behest. Also indicted in the August sweep was Syrian Brig. Gen. Ali Mamlouk, one of Assad's highest aides. 

    Al-Hassan also played a role in the investigation of the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri with a massive truck bomb. A U.N.-backed tribunal has indicted four members of militant group Hezbollah, which along with its allies, now holds a majority in Lebanon's Cabinet. Hezbollah denies involvement in Hariri's killing and has refused to extradite the suspects. 

    Al-Hassan's department also had a role in breaking up several Israeli spy rings inside Lebanon over the past few years, Lebanese officials said. 

    Lebanon's fractious politics are closely entwined with Syria's. The countries share a web of political and sectarian ties and rivalries, often causing events on one side of the border to echo on the other. Lebanon's opposition is an anti-Syrian bloc, while the prime minister and much of the government are pro-Syrian. 

    The civil war in Syria has laid bare Lebanon's sectarian tensions as well. 

    Many of Lebanon's Sunni Muslims have backed Syria's mainly Sunni rebels, while Shiite Muslims have tended to back Assad. Al-Hassan was a Sunni whose stances were widely seen to oppose Syria and Shiite Hezbollah, the country's most powerful ally in Lebanon. 

    Lebanon's top Sunni cleric, Grand Mufti Mohammed Rashid Kabbani, condemned the assassination, calling it a "criminal explosion that targets Lebanon and its people." He called for self-restraint saying that "the criminal will get his punishment sooner or later." 

    Police and army troops sealed off the site of Friday's blast as military intelligence agents investigated what was the deadliest bombing in Beirut in four years. 

    Sharbal Abdo, a Beirut resident who lives down the block from where the car bomb detonated, on Saturday brought his six-year-old son Chris and 12-year-old daughter Jane to see what happened the day before. They were both at school when the blast ripped through the area. 

    "They were very afraid yesterday, and cried a lot late into the night," Abdo said. "Today I decided to bring them here and show what happened. They need to face this situation. It may be their future." 

    On Friday, protesters in mostly Sunni areas closed roads with burning tires and rocks in Beirut, the southern city of Sidon, the northern city of Tripoli and several towns in the eastern Bekaa Valley. 

    The highway linking central Beirut with the city's international airport was closed, as well as the highway that links the capital with Syria, the officials said on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. 

    Rafik Khoury, editor of the independent Al-Anwar daily, said the assassination was an attempt to draw Lebanon into the conflict in Syria, which has been the most serious threat to the Assad family's 40-year dynasty. 

    "The side that carried the assassination knows the reactions and dangerous repercussions and is betting that it will happen. Strife is wanted in Lebanon," Khoury wrote. 

    Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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  • Beirut car bomb blast kills top intelligence official

    Hundreds were rushed to emergency rooms after an explosion left a 15-foot crater in one of Beirut's nicest neighborhoods. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports.

    By NBC News staff and wire reports

    Updated at 4:43 p.m. ET: BEIRUT, Lebanon -- A huge car bomb explosion in Beirut on Friday killed a top Lebanese security official whose investigations implicated Syria and Hezbollah in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik al-Hariri seven years ago.

    The rush-hour bomb in the center of the Lebanese capital killed eight people and wounded about 80 others, heightening fears that Syria's war is spilling over into Lebanon.

    Among the dead was Wissam al-Hassan, the head of a Lebanese intelligence agency who had also uncovered a recent bomb plot that led to the arrest of a pro-Syrian Lebanese politician, a Lebanese official said.

    NBC's Paul Nassar describes the scene after a bomb killed 8 people in Lebanon Friday.

    Al-Hassan was a close aide to Hariri, a Sunni Muslim who was killed in a 2005 bomb attack in downtown Beirut. Al-Hassan's investigation into Hariri's death uncovered evidence that implicated Syria and Hezbollah in the killing.

    Follow this story at BreakingNews.com

    It was also not clear if the explosion targeted any political figure in Lebanon's divided community but it occurred at a time of heightened tension between Lebanese factions on opposite sides of the Syria conflict.

     

    Ambulances rushed to the scene in the Ashafriyeh district, a mostly Christian area, as smoke rose from the area. 

    The explosion ripped through the street where the office of the anti-Damascus Christian Phalange Party is located near Sassine Square.

    Reuters

    Phalange leader Sami al-Gemayel, a staunch opponent of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and a member of parliament, condemned the attack.

    "Let the state protect the citizens. We will not accept any procrastination in this matter, we cannot continue like that. We have been warning for a year. Enough," said Gemayel, whose brother was assassinated in November 2006.

    Several cars were set on fire by the explosion and the front of a multi-story building was badly damaged. Residents ran about in panic looking for relatives while others helped carry the wounded to ambulances, Reuters reported. 

    Slideshow: Bombing in Beirut

    Reuters

    Huge blast explodes in a central Beirut street injures dozens, kills at least eight.

    Launch slideshow

    Pope tells Christians in Beirut: 'Be peacemakers'

    Security forces blanketed the area.


    Witness Danny Rizkallah told NBC News the blast took place close to the headquarters of a Lebanese opposition political party with links to Syria rebels and close to the scene of the 1982 assassination of then president-elect Bachir Gemayel. The affluent, largely Christian, district is also home to the American University of Science and Technology (AUST).

    He said he was having lunch nearby when the blast lifted him from his chair. “It was an incredibly powerful explosion,” he said. “I knew immediately it was a bomb because it has such a different sound to shelling.”

    “I rushed around the corner to see what happened there were lots of people injured by broken glass from the windows of nearby stores. It did a great deal of damage to nearby buildings and there was a lot of glass.

    Hasan Shaaban / Reuters

    Burning cars and damages are seen at the site of an explosion in Ashafriyeh, central Beirut, October 19, 2012.

    “For this to happen is shocking because we really thought this sort of thing had stopped in Beirut, and for it to happen in the Christian district is also very unusual. I really don’t know who is behind this, or why. Our politics is very messed-up.”

    The last bombing in Beirut was in 2008 when three people were killed in an explosion that damaged a U.S. diplomatic car. 

    U.S. officials are condemning the attack "in the strongest terms," calling the blast a terrorist attack.

    "We condemn this act of terrorism," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

    "There is no justification for such violence," she added. "We obviously express our heartfelt sympathies for the families and the loved ones of those who were killed and injured, and we stand by the people of Lebanon and renew our commitment to a stable, sovereign, and independent Lebanon."

    National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement there is "no justification for using assassination as a political tool." He says the U.S. will stand with the Lebanese government to bring to justice those responsible "for this barbaric attack."

    Sunni-Shiite tensions
    Tension between Sunnis and Shiites has been rumbling in Lebanon ever since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war but reignited after the Syria conflict erupted.

    It reached its peak when Hariri, a Sunni, was killed in 2005. Hariri supporters accused Syria and then Hezbollah of killing him -- a charge they both deny. An international tribunal accused several Hezbollah members of involvement in the murder.

    Clashes over Syrian conflict in Lebanon leave ten dead

    Hezbollah's political opponents, who have for months accused it of aiding Assad's forces -- have warned that its involvement in Syria could ignite sectarian tension of the civil war. 

    At least nine people die as Sunni Muslims and Alawites fight for a second day. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.

    However fighting had broken out this year between supporters and opponents of Assad in the northern city of Tripoli.

    Reuters, The Associated Press and NBC News' Paul Nassar contributed to this report.

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  • Pope tells Christians in Beirut: 'Be peacemakers'

    Stefano Rellandini / Reuters

    Pope Benedict XVI waves to faithfuls from his Pope-mobile upon his arrival to conduct an open-air mass service at Beirut City Center Waterfront, Sunday.

    By Claudio Lavanga, NBC News

    BEIRUT, Lebanon – Pope Benedict XVI held a huge open-air mass on Beirut’s waterfront on Sunday, urging Christians to be peacemakers amid the “grim trail of death and destruction” around the world.

    He addressed a crowd of 350,000 people as part of his three-day visit to Lebanon, which has been overshadowed by regional fury among Muslims over a U.S.-made internet video insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

    "May God grant to your country, to Syria and to the Middle East, the gift of peaceful hearts, the silencing of weapons and the cessation of all violence,'' the pope said in a prayer.

    The first faithful made their way to Beirut’s waterfront – close to the front line in the 1975-1990 civil war - at 7 a.m. local time Sunday (midnight Saturday ET) chanting “Be-ne-di-cto” while waving Vatican flags and wearing white baseball caps that read “I give you my peace” in Arabic.  

    The turnout for the Pope’s message of peace was huge, despite intense heat and humidity.

    Lebanese hope pope can 'bring peace' to the region

    In his homily, the Pope urged Christians in the Middle East to work against what he called the "the grim trail of death and destruction" in the world.

    "I pray in particular that the Lord will grant to this region of the Middle East servants of peace and reconciliation, so that all people can live in peace and with dignity," the 85-year old pontiff said. "This is an essential testimony which Christians must render here, in cooperation with all people of good will. I appeal to all of you to be peacemakers, wherever you find yourselves."

    His call for peace was addressed in particular to neighboring Syria, extending a special prayer to those suffering the consequence of the raging civil war.

    The Pope arrived in his iconic bullet-proof, glass-encased ‘Popemobile’ and sat on a big stage shaped like a Cedar tree - the symbol of Lebanon - in front of a sea of Middle East Christians.

    Bilal Hussein / AP

    An aerial view of the Lebanese capital's waterfront where Pope Benedict XVI held a mass in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday.

    About 35 per cent of the region’s Christians live in Lebanon – the largest single Christian community in the area.

    “We hope that peace will reign in the Middle East…we need it,” said Elias, an accountant from Beirut.

    “It was a pleasure to have him in Lebanon,” resident Roni Nakur said immediately after the Mass. “Here we have both Muslims and Christians, and the Pope helps us be together.”

    PhotoBlog: Pope says multi-faith Lebanon should be model for Middle East

    Christine, a technology teacher, traveled from Egypt to see the Pope. “I am so happy,” she said. “We need peace…Egypt needs peace, all the world needs peace. I hope it comes soon”.

    Security was tight in Beirut throughout his visit, but particularly visible on Sunday. Lebanese army troops patrolled the streets in armored personnel carriers and set-up roadblocks, while army helicopters hovered overhead.

    During his visit, the pope said that Lebanon's coexistence of Christians and Muslims continue to be an example to all the Middle East countries.

    Lebanon is increasingly viewed as a model of religious tolerance after years of civil war and sectarian violence.

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  • Lebanese hope pope can 'bring peace' to the region

    Mohamed Azakir / Reuters

    Billboards and flags erected by Hezbollah depicting Pope Benedict XVI decorate a bridge on the main airport road in Beirut in preparation for the pope's arrival tomorrow. The billboard reads: "Hezbollah welcomes the Pope to the country of co-existence."

    By Claudio Lavanga, NBC News

    BEIRUT – Pope Benedict XVI was all over Beirut before he even landed there. 

    Billboards, posters and flags bearing his image pave line the road that connects Rafic Hariri International Airport to the city center. “Welcome,” the signs say, in both Arabic and French, the two predominant languages here. 

    But among all the greetings, one stands out. 

    Hanging from a bridge next to a picture of a smiling Pope Benedict, one billboard in French reads: “Hezbollah welcomes the pope to the country of co-existence." 

    Lebanese people of all faiths - from Muslims, to Greek Orthodox and Christians - welcome the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Beirut.

    Hezbollah, the Shiite Islamic political and paramilitary party classified by the United States as a terrorist group, is the most powerful of a myriad of religious groups in a country that has become an example of religious co-habitation after decades of sectarian violence and civil war.


    For the 85-year-old pope, Hezbollah’s blessing was probably just what the Vatican was praying for.  

    With civil war still raging only a few miles across the border in Syria, and the recent wave of violence in the Middle East caused by the anti-Islamic video produced in the United States, this is probably the most sensitive trip ever attempted by the pope.

    Largest Christian community in the Middle East
    The choice of Lebanon for the pope’s fourth trip to the Middle East since 2005 is strongly symbolic. 

    About 40 percent of Lebanon’s population of 4.1 million is Christian, making it the country with the largest Christian community in the Middle East.  

    Ali Hashisho / Reuters

    A Muslim Hezbollah supporter crosses a street as people wait for the car carrying Pope Benedict XVI outside Beirut international airport on Friday.

    It’s also an example of how Sunni, Shiite and Christians can not only live side by side in peace, but also share power in the government – an aspect the pope has not missed.  

    “The successful way the Lebanese all live together surely demonstrates to the whole Middle East, and to the rest of the world that, within a nation, there can exist cooperation between the various churches,” Benedict said upon his arrival at Beirut’s airport Friday. 

    In downtown Beirut, Lebanese from all religious backgrounds seem to be united in their excitement about his visit. 

    “I think the pope’s visit is going to make a big difference, especially in the view of what’s happening these days, like the protests,” said Mustafa Zaher, a Muslim student. “He is coming for peace and bringing Muslims and Christians closer, that’s the important thing. Peace… we need peace.”

    Nancy Sayah, a Maronite Christian agreed: “We are very excited about the pope’s visit because it brings all Christians together from the political parties, as well as the Muslims,” said Sayah. “It’s a peaceful visit and hopefully will bring peace for the region.”

    Danger zone
    Instead of spreading his usual message of peace from the safety of a Vatican window, this time the pope will deliver it only a few miles from a major conflict zone. The border with neighboring Syria is only 30 miles from Beirut, and expectations are mounting about what Benedict might say to try to ease violence there. 

    Mohamed Azakir / Reuters

    Banners erected by Hezbollah depicting Pope Benedict XVI as well as Lebanese and Vatican flags decorate a main airport road in Beirut. These banners read:

    While it is widely expected that he’ll wait until the open-air mass he’ll lead on Beirut’s waterfront on Sunday to make his most vocal calls for peace in Syria, Benedict already told reporters on the plane from Rome that weapons imported into the war-torn country are “a grave sin.”     

    “The import of weapons has to finally stop,'' Benedict told journalists on the plane, according to Reuters. “Without the import of arms the war cannot continue. Instead of importing weapons, which is a grave sin, we have to import ideas of peace and creativity.”

    He also told reporters that the Arab Spring uprisings against authoritarian regimes were "a positive thing. There is a desire for more democracy, more freedoms, more cooperation and renewal.”

    But the uprisings could also be a double-edge sword for Christians in the Middle East. 

    While the Arab Spring has brought a glimpse of democracy in countries that were run by dictators, the Islamist governments that replaced them have so far raised cause for concern for Christians. 

    For instance, Syrian Christians had enjoyed relative religious freedom under President Bashar al-Assad’s secular regime, but now they are reporting increasing waves of sectarian violence and discrimination, and are starting to flee en masse. 

    Coptic Christians in Egypt have similarly complained about being discriminated against and being the target of several attacks on their churches. (ADD LINK) 

    “The visit to Lebanon is important because it shows Christians they still matter, they are part of this Middle East,” said Tony Restom, a Greek Orthodox from Beirut. “So for him to make a stop in Lebanon does mean a lot for Christians – and does show Muslims that the world and the Vatican still keep an eye on this region.” 

    Violence in Lebanon, too

    As if the war in neighboring Syria wasn’t enough to raise concern over the pope’s safety, he lands in the Middle East only days after an anti-Islamic movie released in the U.S., believed to be produced by a California-based Coptic Christian, led to violent clashes all across the region. 

    Thousands of people protesting the film in the northern Lebanese town of Tripoli clashed with police Friday. One protester was killed and at least 14 people were wounded after Islamist protesters set fire to a Kentucky Fried Chicken and tried to attack a government building. 

    Not the welcome the pope probably hoped for, on the day he came in peace.  

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  • Smoking ban leaves Lebanese fuming

    Bilal Hussein / AP

    A Lebanese man smokes a water pipe outside a coffee shop in Beirut, Lebanon, on Monday - the same day a smoking ban in restaurants went into effect.

    By Ayman Mohyeldin , NBC News

    BEIRUT – On a recent warm summer night in the heart of Beirut, a few dozen people gathered in a city square to attend a music concert launching a public awareness campaign. In a country that loves music – free concerts can often draw big crowds. But surprisingly few had turned out.

    Perhaps the unpopularity of the new public awareness campaign was the reason why.

    On Monday, a ban on smoking in closed places like restaurants, cafes, pubs and night went into effect – leaving many smokers and business owners fuming. 

    (Ironically, I caught a glimpse of one of the volunteers working for the “No-Smoking” campaign at the concert taking a break from the heat and loud music by doing what? Lighting up a cigarette just beside the stage.)

    In a country where smoking – and that means cigarettes, cigars and “nargilehs” (traditional flavored water pipes) – are part of the culture and lifestyle, many have denounced the ban on smoking as a colossal example of the government’s failure to tackle more pressing priorities in the country.

    At the popular Grand Café, the aroma of water pipes filled the air. Few of the customers I spoke with are happy about the ban.

    “The government has a million problems; this is not the main one. Let them go collect the garbage on the streets and organize the traffic around the city,” said Ahmed, a 27-year-old smoker who just gave his first name.


    Smoking culture
    How big of an issue is smoking in Lebanon?   

    The World Health Organization estimates that close to 39 percent of adults in Lebanon smoke daily. That’s more than Egypt where 19 percent of adults smoke, but which does not have a smoking ban (at least one that is respected and enforced).

    In this case, Lebanon is more on par with countries like France and Spain where close to 30 percent of adults smoke – even with tight smoking bans in place. Asian countries remain among the highest percentage of smokers in the world.

    In a long list of things that divide people in this country, including the Syrian revolution, domestic politics and more, the smoking ban has proved to be the latest polarizing issue.

    On one side are supporters of the ban – mostly civil society organizations, health officials and lawmakers who drafted it. Opponents of the law have been mostly businessmen – the owners of cafes and restaurants.

    Bilal Hussein / AP

    Restaurants employees hold Arabic placards that read, "the smoking ban is more important that kidnappings?" left, and "impose more laws and the country will go bankrupt," right, during a sit-in to protest the state imposition of a smoking ban in closed public places in Beirut, Lebanon, on Monday.

    Businesses fear losses
    The popular Falamenki Café hosts smokers 24 hours a day – but many fear the ban will undoubtedly affect businesses. Much of the commercial traffic is driven by smokers and snackers. The problem is that there is no designated smoking section.

    Lina, a furniture design retailer who also smokes, supports the ban but believes special licenses should be issued to cafes. In the winter, places like Falamenki take the smoking indoors, making it extremely uncomfortable for non-smoking patrons. Now with this ban, smokers will not be allowed to light up indoors and many believe it will decrease business big time.  

    “In Europe, smoking bars are allowed, but only with special licenses," Lina said, adding that’s what she thinks should be the case in Lebanon, too. “So owners can apply to get it before they open a bar.” 

    The Association of Restaurant Owners in Lebanon commissioned a study by Ernst and Young that found the ban on smoking could have a significant impact on the country’s GDP and its tourism, according to a local media report. 

    The study found that the ban could decrease revenue by as much as $280 million for restaurants, pubs and nightclubs. The study also claimed that tourism revenue could drop by as much as $46 million. Much of Lebanon tourism is driven by its relaxed lifestyle culture where tourists frequent cafes, bars and restaurants.

    Government should tackle bigger tobacco issue
    Supporters of the ban say this is a public health issue. They cite examples of other countries where commercial traffic actually increased after similar bans went into effect.  

    In Turkey, for example, business revenues reportedly increased by as much as 5 percent after a similar ban was imposed – more people and their families went to restaurants or cafes where smoking had been prevalent, making the atmosphere uncomfortable.

    But not everyone here is convinced the ban was motivated by a public health concern.

    “The government should do more to make it difficult to import tobacco and put more pressure on local tobacco companies,” said Ghada, a 35-year-old smoker who gave only her first name. “Banning smoking won’t do any good for the smokers and their health, only the non-smokers.”  

    She believes the government needs to do more to help fight tobacco addiction – the real cause of the smoking epidemic.  

    Many fear it will only lead to more corruption as bars, restaurants and cafes will be tempted to bribe local law enforcement officials to turn a blind eye if they violate the ban.

    With summer tourism drying up, the crisis in Syria widening and the threat of war between Iran and Israel looming, many Lebanese have pressing issues on the minds. But kicking back, lighting up and taking their minds off them at the local café may no longer be an option. 

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