Many fear for safety if forced to return to war-torn homeland; Lebanon, undergoing one of worst economic meltdowns in modern history, plans to deport 15,000 refugees per month

Minister presents 'humane, honorable, patriotic' repatriation plan to President Michel Aoun; UN agency tells Lebanon to respect exiles' right to return of their own volition

Newcomers say they plan to form a unified bloc in parliament, but remain divided on many issues, from the economy to their attitude toward Hezbollah

Shiite group's allies lost seats in Sunday's voting, but Israel's northern neighbor remains a dysfunctional state in which Nasrallah's terror faction does what it pleases

Christian Lebanese Forces party, among Iranian proxy's most vocal critics, says it won at least 20 seats, making it largest Christian bloc in parliament

Political class blamed for country's woes is expected to hold onto levers of power

Accident not the first of its kind for crisis-hit country, as growing number of people attempt sea escape for better future abroad, given rising poverty and unemployment rates

Parliamentary vote comes amid country's continued economic meltdown and the still-open investigation into the massive deadly blast at Beirut's port in 2020

Francis will go to site of 2020 Beirut blast; last year he insisted Lebanon must remain a 'land of tolerance and pluralism'; country has largest percentage of Christians in Mideast

Beirut thoroughfare, once frequented by intellectuals and artists, has 'hit rock bottom' as country grapples with ongoing economic and political disruption