Frangieh is parliament speaker's pick for presidency

Suleiman Frangieh has won the open support of Speaker Nabih Berri for the presidency of the Republic (reserved to a Maronite by customary law), but the Maronites are still divided—FPM leader Gebran Bassil must come to terms with Frangieh.

Berri told Al-Akhbar on 2 ⁠March that “our candidate [Amal and Hezbullah's] is known, he is Suleiman Frangieh. The blank votes named him without writing his name” [referring to the blank votes in the past 11 ⁠sessions]. “In the first session on 29 ⁠Sept, he received 63 votes. Almost half plus one. Our candidate is serious and we have repeatedly emphasized it. Their candidate [US-backed Michel Moawad] is nothing but a test-tube experiment”.

Berri will set another session should the leader of Marada secure 65 votes. The last round was on 19 ⁠Jan.

Despite attempts to control the border between the West Bank and the surrounding settlements, a soldier from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion was arrested by the IDF for accepting bribes to smuggle Palestinians through the Rantis checkpoint.

The incident is currently being investigated.

The Lebanese Army and israeli occupation forces are both on alert after a Lebanese army officer pushed an israeli officer and uprooted an iron stake planted by the enemy outside the Blue Line. UNIFIL forces intervened.

Source: Ali Shoeib, Al-Manar correspondent

⋯ A Lebanese army officer pushed away an Israeli army officer.

Video by @⁠⁠⁠AliShoeib1970

⋯ After the confrontation, the Israeli officer cowered away, leaving his equipment behind.

The Secretary-General of Hezbullah, His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, will speak tomorrow at 15:00, on the day dedicated to celebrating the resistance's war-injured veterans.

Israeli soldiers resumed their engineering activity, opposite the Lebanese village of Hula.

This time, it was under the protection of Apache helicopters, according to Al-Manar correspondent Ali Shoeib. They are equipped with US-made AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.

🇱🇧Nasrallah:

We sat down with our allies, including the brother and friend, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil, and told him that these are the characteristics that we want in the president, and we said them in the media, which is not stabbing the back of the resistance, courage, and communication with all parties and others.

All of Lebanon knows us, and we have experienced that when we take the decision to name, we do not back down, and that is why we adhered to the white paper

The natural candidate that we support in the presidential elections and see in him the characteristics that we take into account is Minister Suleiman Franjieh. On this basis, please let us have a dialogue and see where we will reach.

We say to our brothers in the Free Patriotic Movement that since the signing of the understanding, we have been keen on it and we are still, and this understanding between us did not turn us into one party and did not make anyone dependent on the other.

Hezbullah's Military Media publishes footage of an Israeli espionage device that was discovered near the site of “Al-Abbad” in the outskirts of the town of Hula, South Lebanon.

It was planted there by the Israeli army and disguised as an ordinary rock.

⋯ According to Ali Shoeib, the spying device was found in Lebanese territory about 60 meters from the Blue Line and 40 meters from the UNIFIL forces' position.

It was strategically planted on elevated ground, in an area where visitors stand to look towards Palestinian territory.

IDF celebrates Purim in rampage-afflicted Huwara

In the Palestinian village of Huwara, where Jewish settlers did a lynching attack last week, IDF soldiers were seen dancing with settlers, instead of being on guard duty. The IDF is “expected to probe the incident”, writes an Israeli journalist. (Video: @⁠⁠⁠kann_news)

Tonight, Jews celebrate Purim. As narrated in the Book of Esther, it is the story of the Jews killing 75,000 people affiliated with a hostile Persian Empire official under King “Ahasuerus” (identified with Xerxes, 5th century BC)... a few decades after King Cyrus liberated all the Jews from captivity in Babylon!

🚨 IDF attacked the airport of Aleppo in Syria tonight

About 45 min ago, Israeli warplanes bombarded the runway of the Aleppo International Airport, launching missiles from over the Mediterranean Sea, west of Syria.

The airport is out of service, per initial report.

⋯ Syrian air defenses in Latakia and Aleppo shot down a number of hostile missiles launched by Israeli warplanes from over the Mediterranean Sea west of Latakia. One to two missiles managed to hit the runway of Aleppo airport.

The air defenses shot down missiles that were trying to target positions of the Syrian Arab Army in Aleppo.

There is only material damage, per a military source.

By: @⁠⁠⁠SamSyria0