The following are a selection of stories from Lebanese newspapers that may be of interest to Daily Star readers. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.
Annahar
Tying extension to the presidential election to secure a Christian cover, new US arms to the Army after Tripoli [battle]
Annahar obtained information that the United States provided the Lebanese Army in the last few days with more arms, ammunition and some rockets, which the military used in the Tripoli and Akkar battles. Sources following up on the issue said that the U.S. administration had provided the Army with arms and training worth over $1 billion dollars since 2008.
Sources said Washington was upset with some statements condemning the Army’s action, prompting the U.S. to release a statement in support of the Army. Although the U.S. acknowledges that it would not provide the Army with weapons deemed a threat to Israel, the weapons the U.S. is providing meet the demands of the military.
As-Safir
Mawlawi and Mansour's fingerprints on Tabbaneh bombs
Nabil Deqmaq, the television star, has denied that the weapons found in his apartment during an Army raid in Tripoli belonged to him, but security sources said the arms cache belonged to Deqmaq and that the suspect had been under surveillance for a while. The sources said that the arms the military discovered indicated that there was an intention for destruction.
"What is the purpose of having several bombs and rocket-propelled grenades, machine-guns and Kalashnikovs?" the source asked.
Sources also said that Bab al-Tabbaneh survived a true catastrophe given the presence of several bombs planted by Shadi Mawlawi and Osama Mansour's group in their bastion in a mosque
The discovery of the five bombs Friday only supported the theory that Mawlawi and Mansour were still hiding in Bab al-Tabbaneh.
Al-Akhbar
Army detains Rifi's security detail who was transferring money to the kidnappers
Sources close to the hostage crisis said that the kidnappers would not give up the soldiers so easily because keeping the captives was the only card they could play to ease the siege imposed on them on the Arsal outskirts.
Days before shipments of food were transferred to the kidnappers; they received $280,000, delivered by Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour after the gunmen threatened to execute a soldier.
High-ranking political sources said that an attempt by Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi to transfer the same amount was unsuccessful after the Army detained the man who was on his way to deliver the money. The man, Rifi’s security detail, was detained near the border and the military refused to release him, referring him instead to the public prosecutor’s office.
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