In Lebanon, the governing cabinet has reached a deal with the opposition movement Hezbollah over Lebanon’s political crisis. Clashes erupted earlier this month after the cabinet banned Hezbollah’s communications network. At least sixty-seven people were killed in the worst domestic violence since the end of Lebanon’s fifteen-year civil war. The agreement will give Hezbollah veto power over the make-up of the Lebanese cabinet. Lebanese majority leader Saad Hariri said the Qatari-brokered deal would herald “a new page in the history of Lebanon.”

Lebanese majority leader Saad Hariri: '’Today, we are opening a new page in the history of Lebanon, a page for reconciliation. I know that the wound is deep and my wound is deep. But in this country, we have no one but each other to build our Lebanon. I thank the state of Qatar and the people of Qatar.'’

The deal is widely seen as a setback for the Bush administration, while strengthening Hezbollah allies Syria and Iran.