Lebanon cabinet deal signals Syrian return

The formation of Lebanon's unity government took more than four months

A new joke has been making the rounds in political circles of Beirut: "The birth of Lebanon's new government was so long and painful that in the end, a Caesarean had to be performed."

But it is the punchline that makes some politicians here cringe: "The obstetrician was Syria," it says.

By Natalia Antelava
BBC News, Beirut

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