March 14 coalition weighs legal means to oust government; FBI team assists Lebanese government in bomb blast investigation
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    • According to reports, the Lebanese opposition March 14 coalition has said that it will use legal and constitutional means to oust the current government after Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced he would stay in office. Hundreds of March 14 supporters gathered at Martyr’s Square in central Beirut to mark the one week anniversary of the death of intelligence chief Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan, and calling for the government’s resignation and expulsion of the Syrian ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdel-Karim Ali. Ali has said that his country has no role in Hasan’s assassination and has blamed Israel of provoking tensions in Lebanon. 1

    Meanwhile, reports noted that Mikati has remained defiant following speeches by March 14 leaders that made him reconsider his initial decision to resign. March 14 figures such as Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea have said that the bomb attack that killed Hasan is a turning point and Lebanese political life cannot continue as normal. 2

    In other developments, according to reports, a team from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrived in Lebanon on October 25 and met with Lebanon’s state prosecutor before examining the site of last week’s bombing to collect evidence. State Prosecutor Hatem Madi has said that the FBI team will provide technical help in the ongoing probe but will not participate in any other aspect of the investigation and is not authorised to be informed of the results of the investigation. Madi also urged the media to avoid speculating on judicial aspects of the case since this would obstruct the investigation. 3

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