SHOTLIST:

1. Wide of funeral

2. Wife of Walid Eido, assassinated legislator, waving from balcony

3. Women crying and waving

4. Ambulance covered by Lebanese flag and poster of Eido

5. Youths chanting slogans whilst travelling with ambulance

6. Wide of funeral

7. Mid of Saad Hariri, son of Rafik Hariri, the assassinated former Lebanese prime minister, walking along in procession

8. Wide of funeral procession

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Walid Jumblatt, Druse politician:

"Syrian regime with their allies are trying to reduce our majority in the parliament. They have killed yesterday a prominent member of parliament. They can kill three more, if they kill three more members we will lose the majority and this is their calculation so that the government of Saniora will fall down."

10. Mid of Hezbollah MP bloc's flag

11. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Hussein Hajj Hassan, Hezbollah MP:

"We condemn the terror act which led to the killing of legislator Walid Eido, his son, two of his bodyguards and several Lebanese citizens. And we think that these crimes are taking place and are synchronised by the political exposure in the country. We think that the politicians are invited to find a political solution to the crisis in order to deal with all the disputed issues, as well as dealing with the security exposure. Some intelligence parties are getting benefits and committing these acts of terror and committing seditious acts against the Lebanese."

12. Tilt down of Al-Khachekji Mosque, mourners, security

13. Wide of funeral procession, coffin being carried

14. Various mid shots of coffins being carried to mosque

15. Top shot of three coffins inside the mosque (containing bodies of Walid Eido, his son, and one of the bodyguards killed)

16. Relatives kissing a coffin

17. Saad Hariri, leader of the anti-Syrian majority bloc, in parliament arriving at the mosque

18. Worshippers praying at funeral

19. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Saad Hariri, leader of the anti-Syrian majority bloc in parliament:

"No one should think that this people will kneel and be frightened. I tell the criminals: you will be punished and you will be dragged to prisons and will face justice, God willing."

20. Body being lowered into grave

21. Eido's son crying

22. Another body being lowered into grave

23. Wide pan of cemetery

STORYLINE:

Tens of thousands of mourners bade farewell on Thursday to victims of a powerful car bombing in Beirut that killed a prominent anti-Syrian legislator and nine others as the Lebanese government - reeling from another blow targeting its supporters - sought international help.

A bomb ripped through Walid Eido's car on Wednesday as he drove from a seaside sports club, also killing his 35-year-old son, two bodyguards and six passers-by.

Thursday's funeral procession swelled to tens of thousands of mourners who escorted coffins carrying the bodies of Eido, his son and one of the bodyguards killed.

The mourners followed ambulances covered with Lebanese flags that drove from the American University Hospital in West Beirut to a mosque at the Shohada Cemetery several kilometres (miles) away for a prayer service and internment.

It drove down the main thoroughfare of Corniche Mazraa in the Muslim sector of the capital, where pictures of the assassinated politicians were posted on walls and overpasses and Eido's widow waved to the crowds from a balcony.

Saad Hariri, leader of the anti-Syrian majority bloc in parliament to which Eido belonged, Druse politician Walid Jumblatt and other prominent anti-Syrian leaders also marched in the procession.

Jumblatt, an anti-Syrian MP, said that if the Syrian regime killed three more MPs, "we will lose the majority and this is their calculation so that the government of Saniora will fall down."

One Hezbollah MP, whose party is pro-Syrian, also condemned the killings.

"Some intelligence parties are getting benefits and committing these acts of terror and acting seditiously against the Lebanese," Hussein Hajj Hassan said.

At the Al-Khachekji mosque, male relatives sobbed and bent to kiss the coffins laid next to one another.

The spiritual leader of Lebanon's Sunni Muslims, Grand Mufti of the Republic Sheik Mohammed Rashid Kabbani, led the prayers, with Saad Hariri, son of assassinated former prime minister Rafik Hariri, at his side.

Saad Hariri said Lebanon would not kneel before the killers and promised they would be brought to justice.

"No one should think that this people will kneel and be frightened," he said. "I tell the criminals, you will be punished and you will be dragged to prisons and will face justice, God willing."

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora has called for an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers and the international community to assist in the investigation of Eido's assassination.

The blast that killed Eido was a new blow to the stability of an already conflict-torn nation.

It came just three days after the government, together with the United Nations, started putting together an international tribunal ordered by the UN Security Council to try suspects in the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Beirut two years ago - a move strongly opposed by Syria and its allies in Lebanon.

Eido was a prominent supporter of the tribunal, a staunch follower of Hariri and the seventh anti-Syrian figure killed in Lebanon in the past two years.

Many in Lebanon have accused Syria of being behind the killings, a claim Damascus denies.

Lebanon's majority coalition blamed Syria for Wednesday's assassination.

Syria controlled Lebanon for 29 years until it was forced out after Hariri's assassination, and its Lebanese opponents believe it is seeking to regain domination by plunging the country into chaos.

Businesses, schools and government offices were closed on Thursday after the government declared a day of national mourning.

The killings were likely to further enflame Lebanon's bitter power struggle between Saniora's Western-backed government and its Syrian-backed opponents, led by the Hezbollah militant group.

As the fighting in the north, pitting the Lebanese Army against Palestinian militants, with Palestinian refugees under siege, continues, many fear the violence there and in Beirut could push the polarised nation, with a fragile balance of ethnic and religious groups, into a new civil war.

SHOTLIST:

AP Television

1. Wide of funeral

2. Wife of Walid Eido, assassinated prominent anti-Syrian legislator waving from balcony

3. Women crying and waving

4. Ambulance covered by Lebanese flag and Eido's poster

5. Youths chanting slogans whilst travelling with ambulance

6. Wide of funeral

7. Mid of Saad Hariri, son of Rafik Hariri the slain former Lebanese prime minister walking along in procession

8. Wide of funeral procession

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Walid Jumblatt, Druse politician and anti-Syrian legislator:

"Syrian regime with their allies are trying to reduce our majority in the parliament. They have killed yesterday (Wednesday) a prominent member of parliament. They can kill three more, if they kill three more members we will lose the majority and this is their calculation so that the government of Saniora will fall down. We have got to resist and we are calling and will call for elections for the lost MP Walid Eido and for the other one, Pierre Gemayel (assassinated minister) Whatever the price is, we have to do it to not allow the Syrians to achieve their aims."

10. Top view of funeral procession

11. Mid of officials during funeral

12. Mid of Hezbollah MP bloc's flag

13. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Hussein Hajj Hassan, Hezbollah MP:

"We condemn the terror act which led to the killing of legislator Walid Eido, his son, two of his bodyguards and several Lebanese citizens. And we think that these crimes are taking place and are synchronised by the political exposure in the country. We think that the politicians are invited to find a political solution to the crisis in order to deal with all the disputed issues, as well as dealing with the security exposure. Some intelligence parties are getting benefits and committing these acts of terror and acting seditiously against the Lebanese."

14. Hezbollah and Lebanese flag

AP Television

15. Mid of Ghazi Aridi, Lebanese information minister

16. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Ghazi Aridi, Lebanese information minister:

"Somebody is trying to say that neither the international tribunal nor anything else can secure the Lebanese or their leaders. We will keep resisting and we will face this series of terrorist acts."

POOL

17. Wide of crowd outside mosque

23. Spiritual leader of Lebanon's Sunni Muslim, Grand Mufti of the Republic Sheik Mohammed Rashid Kabbani leading prayers with Saad Hariri next to him and other men praying

24. Jumblatt seated

25. Young men crying over coffin

26. Men leaving mosque

27. Coffins being carried out of mosque

POOL

28. Coffins being carried out of mosque

29. People leaving mosque

30. Coffins being carried into cemetery

STORYLINE:

Tens of thousands bade farewell on Thursday to victims of a powerful car bombing that killed a prominent anti-Syrian legislator and nine others as the government - reeling from another blow targeting its supporters - sought international help.

The bomb ripped through Walid Eido's car on Wednesday as he drove from a seaside sports club, also killing his 35-year-old son, two bodyguards and six passers-by.

The funeral procession swelled to tens of thousands, escorting Eido's body and that of his son and a bodyguard behind ambulances covered with Lebanese flags.

It drove down the main thoroughfare of Corniche Mazraa in the Muslim sector, where pictures of the slain politicians were posted on walls and overpasses and Eido's widow waved to the crowds from a balcony.

Saad Hariri, leader of the anti-Syrian majority bloc in parliament to which Eido belonged to, Druse politician Walid Jumblatt and other prominent anti-Syrian leaders also marched in the procession.

Jumblatt, an anti-Syrian MP, said that if the Syrian regime kill three more MPs, "we will lose the majority and this is their calculation so that the government of Saniora will fall down."

"We have got to resist and we are calling and will call for elections for the lost MP Walid Eido and for the other one Pierre Gemayel (assassinated minister) whatever the price is, we have to do it to not allow the Syrians to achieve their aims," he said.

One Hezbollah MP, whose party is pro-Syrian, also condemned the killings.

"Some intelligence parties are getting benefits and committing these acts of terror and acting seditiously against the Lebanese," Hussein Hajj Hassan said.

The blast that killed Eido was a new blow to the stability of an already conflict-torn nation.

It came just three days after the government, together with the United Nations, started putting together an international tribunal ordered by the UN Security Council to try suspects in the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Beirut two years ago.

The tribunal has been strongly opposed by Syria and its allies in Lebanon.

"Somebody is trying to say that neither the international tribunal nor anything else can secure the Lebanese or their leaders. We will keep resisting and we will face this series of terrorist acts," Ghazi Aridi, the Lebanese information minister said.

Eido was a prominent supporter of the tribunal, a staunch follower of Hariri and the seventh anti-Syrian figure killed in Lebanon in the past two years.

Many in Lebanon have accused Syria of being behind the slayings, a claim Damascus denies.

Lebanon's majority coalition blamed Syria for Wednesday's assassination.

Syria controlled Lebanon for 29 years until it was forced out after Hariri's assassination, and its Lebanese opponents believe it is seeking to regain domination by plunging the country into chaos.

Businesses, schools and government offices were closed on Thursday after the government declared a day of national mourning.

The killings were likely to further enflame Lebanon's bitter power struggle between Saniora's Western-backed government and its Syrian-backed opponents, led by the Hezbollah militant group.

As the fighting in the north, pitting the Lebanese Army against Palestinian militants, with Palestinian refugees under siege, continues, many fear the violence there and in Beirut could push the polarised nation, with a fragile balance of ethnic and religious groups, into a new civil war.

SHOTLIST:

POOL

1. Mid of funeral procession with Saad Hariri, son of Rafik Hariri the slain former Lebanese prime minister raising his open palm to the crowds

2. Mid of banner with image of Walid Eido and his son

3. Mid of people waving Lebanese flags during procession

4. Wide of men walking along in funeral procession

5. Mid of Walid Jumblatt, Druse politician walking along in procession

6. Mid of funeral procession

AP Television

7. Mid of Ghazi Aridi, Lebanese information minister

8. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Ghazi Aridi, Lebanese information minister:

"Somebody is trying to say that neither the international tribunal nor anything else can secure the Lebanese or their leaders. We will keep resisting and we will face this series of terrorist acts."

POOL

9. Wide crowd outside mosque

10. Jumblatt and other politicians shaking hands with officials inside mosque

11. Wide of crowd outside mosque

12. Tilt-up from coffins to men praying inside mosque

13. Wide pan across crowd outside mosque

14. Jumblatt seated

15. Spiritual leader of Lebanon's Sunni Muslim, Grand Mufti of the Republic Sheik Mohammed Rashid Kabbani leading prayers with Saad Hariri next to him and other men praying

16. Jumblatt seated

17. Young men crying over coffin

18. Men leaving mosque

19. Coffins being carried out of mosque

20. Zoom out from poster of Walid Eido and his son to wide of crowd outside mosque

STORYLINE:

Beirut on Thursday mourned the victims of a powerful car bombing that killed a prominent anti-Syrian legislator and nine other people as the government, reeling from another blow targeting its supporters, sought international help.

Prime Minister Fuad Saniora has called for an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers and the international community to assist in the investigation of Walid Eido's assassination near a popular waterfront promenade in Beirut.

The bomb ripped through his car on Wednesday as he drove from a seaside sports club, also killing his 35-year-old son, two bodyguards and six passers-by.

On Thursday the bodies of Eido and his son were slowly being taken in ambulances from the American University Hospital in West Beirut to the Verdun neighbourhood where the slain politician lived.

The funeral procession went through the main thoroughfare of Corniche Mazraa in the Muslim sector, where pictures of the slain politicians were posted on walls and overpasses.

Thousands of mourners gathered on the streets, waving Lebanese flags, those of the Hariri Future movement and banners of various Sunni factions.

"Somebody is trying to say that neither the international tribunal nor anything else can secure the Lebanese or their leaders. We will keep resisting and we will face this series of terrorist acts," Ghazi Aridi, the Lebanese information minister said.

Thursday's funeral procession swelled to tens of thousands escorting the coffins to a mosque at the Shohada Cemetery several kilometres (miles) away for a prayer service and internment.

Saad Hariri, leader of the anti-Syrian majority bloc in parliament to which Eido belonged to, Druse politician Walid Jumblatt and other prominent anti-Syrian leaders also marched in the procession.

At the mosque, male relatives sobbed and bent to kiss the coffins laid next to one another.

The spiritual leader of Lebanon's Sunni Muslim, Grand Mufti of the Republic Sheik Mohammed Rashid Kabbani led the prayers, with Saad Hariri at his side.

The blast that killed Eido was a new blow to the stability of this conflict-torn nation.

It came just three days after the government, together with the United Nations, started putting together an international tribunal ordered by the UN Security Council to try suspects in the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Beirut two years ago, a move strongly opposed by Syria and its allies in Lebanon.

Eido was a prominent supporter of the tribunal, a staunch follower of Hariri and the seventh anti-Syrian figure killed in Lebanon in the past two years.

Many in Lebanon have accused Syria of being behind the slayings, a claim Damascus denies.

Lebanon's majority coalition blamed Syria for Wednesday's assassination.

Syria controlled Lebanon for 29 years until it was forced out after Hariri's assassination, and its Lebanese opponents believe it is seeking to regain domination by plunging the country into chaos.

Businesses, schools and government offices were closed on Thursday after the government declared a day of national mourning.

The killings were likely to further enflame Lebanon's bitter power struggle between Saniora's Western-backed government and its Syrian-backed opponents, led by the Hezbollah militant group.

Many fear the violence could push the polarised nation, with a fragile balance of ethnic and religious groups, into a new civil war.

LEBANON REVIEW 2014

SOURCE: AP TELEVISION/POOL/FUTURE TV

RESTRICTIONS: MIDDLE EAST EXTRA CLIENTS ONLY/NO ACCESS

LENGTH: 7.06

SHOTLIST:

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 2 January 2014

++16:9++

1. Various of people crowding round the site of car bomb

2. Wide of the crowd being held back by police

3. Mid of soldiers arriving at the scene

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 16 January 2014

++16:9++

4. Wide of people removing piece of cloth covering a billboard featuring image of former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri, words reading: (Arabic) "Time for Justice"

5. Close-up of digital clock showing number '1', counting the number of days the trial will take

6. Tilt-down from billboard to people gathered around sign

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 14 February 2005

++4:3++

7. Various of Hariri assassination blast site with burnt out cars and emergency services attempting to control flames

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 8 March 2014

++16:9++

8. Various of women marching

9. Mid of women holding posters outside the Lebanese parliament

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 6 April 2014

++16:9++

10. Wide of Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam arriving at the Grand Serail

11. High shot of Salam and relatives sitting down and surrounded by the media

12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Tammam Salam, Lebanese Prime Minister:

"I am sure we will be able to put matters in the right perspective taking into consideration what our people, what the Lebanese, are looking forward to."

AP Television

Tripoli, Lebanon - 3 April 2014

++16:9++

13. Pan across Syrian refugees at UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) registration centre

14. Tilt-up from Syrian refugee child Omar to his mother Bushra, who is the one millionth Syrian refugee to be registered in the region

15. Bushra and her children accompanied by UNHCR employee

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 12 November 2014

++16:9++

++AUDIO AS INCOMING++

16. SOUNDBITE: (English) Maha Yahya, Carnegie Centre for Middle Eastern Studies:

"The challenge today is waking up to the realisation that this is a very protracted conflict. It's not going to end tomorrow. It's going to take some time. We don't know how long, but there is a large number of people who are not going home soon."

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 23 April 2014

++16:9++

17. Pan of lawmaker and former army commander, Michel Aoun, arriving at parliament

18. Pan of lawmaker and former Prime Minister, Fouad Saniora (right) arriving

19. Pan of presidential candidate Henry Helou (left) and lawmaker Akram Shohayeb arriving

Pool

Beirut, Lebanon - 23 April 2014

++4:3++

20. Various of lawmakers counting votes

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 19 November 2014

++16:9++

21. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sami Nader, Middle East affairs analyst and Professor at Saint Joseph University, Beirut:

"The Lebanese missed the opportunity to elect a president 'Made In Lebanon' by May 25. After this, the problem now to get a solution you need kind of a regional consensus. You need a deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia, mainly. And this deal doesn't seem in (on) the horizon yet."

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 20 June 2014

++16:9++

22. Wide of police standing outside the hotel in Hamra where suspects were arrested

23. Wide shot of the area where the suspects where arrested

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 25 June 2014

++16:9++

24. Close-up of hotel room where a suicide bomber detonated his vest in the Savoy Hotel in Raouche, Beirut

25. Wide of first responders

26. Wide of tourists leaving the hotel on foot and answering questions from reporters

AP Television

Arsal, Lebanon - 6 August 2014

++16:9++

27. Wide of smoke rising in mountain area above Arsal

28. Close-up shot of smoke rising

29. Various of army tanks pulling into Arsal

30. Various of ambulances driving into Arsal

31. Wide of soldiers riding in armoured vehicles

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 19 November 2014

++16:9++

32. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sami Nader, Middle East affairs analyst and Professor at Saint Joseph University, Beirut:

"This Arsal war showed how fragile is the situation in Lebanon. How the borders are not really controlled. And how much capabilities and support the Lebanese army need."

AP Television

Fnaydek, Lebanon - 3 September 2014

++16:9++

33. Various of crowd carrying the coffin containing body of Lebanese soldier Sergeant Ali Sayid, moving towards mosque, AUDIO: gun fire

34. Poster showing Sayid

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 19 November 2014

++16:9++

35. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sami Nader, Middle East affairs analyst and Professor at Saint Joseph University, Beirut:

"The Lebanese army in a way was victim. Yes, the Lebanese army was isolated. It's the only remaining Lebanese institution. One has to keep in mind that we don't have a president, there is a void at the level of the presidency, the parliament is practically freezed, all what they have achieved is to prolong their own mandate, to extend their own mandate and the Lebanese government is really in a very fragile situation."

Future TV - No Access Lebanon

Tripoli, Lebanon - September 2014

++16:9++

36. Wide of people waving Islamic State flags

37. Mid of Sheikh Khaled Hoblos speaking to the crowd

AP Television

Tripoli, Lebanon - 26 October 2014

++16:9++

38. Wide of soldiers running

39. Wide shot of soldiers firing weapons

40. Various of families being evacuated

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 20 November 2014

++16:9++

41. SOUNDBITE: (English) Nadim Houry, Human Rights Watch:

"There is a lot of speculation today about ISIS' strength in Lebanon. But at this stage there is no indication that ISIS is going to seep through Tripoli tomorrow and control the city. Quite the contrary. I mean we saw that the army was actually able to beat back many of these groups and that actually many of these groups, while they may be Islamist, are not necessarily affiliated with ISIS."

AP Television

Brital, Lebanon - 10 September 2014

++16:9++

42. Various of Syrian tents burnt to the ground

43. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Khaled Darwish, 11-year-old Syrian refugee:

"When we returned, we found that the tents were all burnt and black and I found all my toys burnt. Everything was burnt. Even my bicycle was burnt. All my toys and my ball."

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 15 December 2014

44. High shot of Wahda al-Sayyed, wife of kidnapped soldier Khaled Moqbel, pouring gasoline on tyres in street

45. Police trying to move al-Sayyed away, but she throws lighted paper to set tyres on fire

46. Wide of tyres burning

47. Soldier guarding the scene

48. Pan right of pictures of captured soldiers and police officers on a billboard

49. Wide of photos next to tents where relatives of the kidnapped are protesting

AP Television

Beirut, Lebanon - 26 November 2014

++16:9++

50. Wide of memorial to mark the death of Lebanese singer Sabah

51. Close-up of photograph of Sabah

52. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Lina Fghali Maalouf, Relative of Sabah:

"The people have lost a column from Baalbek's ancient ruins."

53. Mid of friends hugging in grief

54. Pull focus of decoration

LEADIN:

2014 has been a tumultuous year for Lebanon, as Syria's civil war continued to spill over into the country.

From managing one million refugees, to suicide bombings and clashes between government forces and Islamic militants, the past year has been a challenging one.

STORYLINE:

January 2nd, just two days into the new year and a deadly car bomb shakes the Beirut suburb Haret Hreik - known for being a Hezbollah stronghold.

The attack kills five people, wounds dozens more and raises fears that the country is being pulled in opposite directions by sectarian tension.

January also signals the start of the long-awaited trial over the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri - nine years after his death.

From The Hague, in the Netherlands, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) will try five suspects, all tied to Hezbollah, for Hariri's death.

There are still many questions to answer, not least the whereabouts of the five suspects - they've not been caught and are being tried in absentia.

In February, ten months after becoming prime minister, Tammam Salam finally forms a government.

Salam's 24-member national unity Cabinet includes members of the Western-backed coalition as well as those of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group and its allies.

"I am sure we will be able to put matters in the right perspective taking into consideration what our people, what the Lebanese, are looking forward to," he says at the time.

Many hundreds of women and activists march to Lebanon's parliament to show their support for victims of domestic violence to mark International Women's Day on 8 March.

Several high profile cases of domestic murders hit the headlines in 2014.

This year, the first Lebanese law against domestic violence was passed, offering Lebanese women some protection from abuse.

April 3rd is something of a milestone in the country.

Three years after the beginning of the Syrian conflict, Lebanon saw the one millionth Syrian to be registered as a refugee.

Almost one in four people in Lebanon are now refugees from neighbouring Syria.

"The challenge today is waking up to the realisation that this is a very protracted conflict. It's not going to end tomorrow. It's going to take some time. We don't know how long but there is a large number of people who are not going home soon. So their needs need to be addressed very quickly before it explodes in all of our faces," says Maha Yahya, from the Carnegie Centre for Middle Eastern Studies.

The country's infrastructure - from schools and hospitals to rubbish collection - remains over burdened, with some communities now imposing restrictions on refugee numbers.

In May, President Michel Suleiman left office, leaving behind an empty seat after parliament failed to elect his successor. The 25 May deadline passes, but no replacement is found.

"The Lebanese missed the opportunity to elect a president 'Made In Lebanon' by May 25," explains political analyst Sami Nader.

"After this, the problem now to get a solution you need kind of a regional consensus. You need a deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia, mainly. And this deal doesn't seem on the horizon yet."

A candidate must secure at least a two thirds majority in the 128-member parliament to become president.

Despite holding parliamentary meetings throughout the year to try and solve the issue - to this day the position remains unfilled.

In June and July the country is once again on high alert after a series of suicide bombings.

Suspects arrested in Hamra in June are believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State group and are said to have been planning an attack against the Speaker of Parliament, Nabi Berri.

Days later, flames engulf part of the four-star Duroy Hotel by Beirut's corniche after a suicide bomber blows himself up during a police raid on his room.

The suicide bomber was a Saudi national. His collaborator, also Saudi. This adds to the strain between Lebanon and the Gulf states.

The boldest incursion of jihadi fighters into Lebanese territory comes in August, when militants launch an offensive on the Syrian-Lebanese border town of Arsal.

The army regains control of the area, but locals and Syrian refugees, who have already fled the neighbouring civil war, are displaced once again.

In early August it's reported that 20 soldiers and policemen have been taken hostage by the militants.

"This Arsal war showed how fragile is the situation in Lebanon. How the borders are not really controlled. And how much capabilities and support the Lebanese army need," says Nader.

On 28 August, social media starts to report that one of the captives, soldier Ali Sayid, has been beheaded.

Massive crowds attend his funeral on 3rd September in Fnaydek.

A few days later the group says it has beheaded a second soldier, 20-year-old Abbas Medlej - sparking fears for the other hostages held by the group.

"The Lebanese army in the way was victim," says Nader.

"Yes, the Lebanese army was isolated. It's the only remaining Lebanese institution. One has to keep in mind that we don't have a president, there is a void at the level of the presidency, the parliament is practically freezed, all what they have achieved was to prolong their own mandate, to extend their own mandate and the Lebanese government is really in a very fragile situation."

The country's sectarian crisis comes to a head in October when fighting between government forces and gunmen erupts in Tripoli.

The city has become a hot bed for Islamic militants with firebrand clerics like Sheikh Khaled Hoblos openly preaching in the streets.

Nadim Houry of Human Rights Watch, appeals for calm.

"There is a lot of speculation today about ISIS' strength in Lebanon. But at this stage there is no indication that ISIS is going to seep through Tripoli tomorrow and control the city. Quite the contrary."

"I mean we saw that the army was actually able to beat back many of these groups and that actually many of these groups, and that although many of these groups while they may be Islamist, are not necessarily affiliated with ISIS. But almost, that sort of the issue here is, I think the main challenge is ISIS is able to frame the terms of the debate in many countries.

"And what is needed in Lebanon are pre-emptive strategies to undercut the potential implementation, or growth of ISIS movements."

The four day gun battle claims 20 lives as the army slowly regains control of Tripoli's Bab al-Tabbaneh neighbourhood - though the gang leaders they're hunting escape.

After three years of accepting Syrian refugees into the country, Lebanon has had enough.

On 18 October, it's reported that officials have closed the border between the two countries, despite pressure from the UN to keep it open.

According to official numbers, more than 1.2 million Syrian refugees now live in Lebanon - representing more than 20 percent of the population.

Refugees also appear to be targeted by disgruntled Lebanese citizens.

Eleven-year-old Khaled Darwish came back to his tent to find it burned to the ground.

"When we returned, we found that the tents were all burnt and black and I found all my toys burnt. Everything was burnt. Even my bicycle was burnt. All my toys and my ball," he says.

As the year draws to a close, the soldiers and police officers held hostage by Islamic militants, are no closer to being released.

The families of the hostages continue to protest, their anger now aimed at the government who they say haven't done enough.

Four soldiers have so far been executed by their captors.

The 26 November, saw the passing of one of the country's legendary singers.

Lebanese diva Sabah, died aged 87.

Mourners pay tribute to her incredible musical talent, provocative charm and huge heart.

As relative Lina Fghali Maalouf says, "The people have lost a column from Baalbek's ancient ruins."

===========================================================

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SHOTLIST

1. Wide top shot of thousands of protesters at the site where Pierre Gemayel was assassinated

2. Mid of protestors carrying flags

3. Mid of poster showing photo of Pierre Gemayel

4. Pan from right to left down street showing thousands of protestors

5. Various of wife and mother of Pierre Gemayel

6. Various of protestors

7. Mid of armed solider standing near site of protest

8. Various of Lebanese army on foot and in armoured vehicles taking up positions around the Prime ministers office in Beirut

9. Wide exterior of the office of Fuad Saniora, Lebanese Prime Minister, in Beirut

10. Wide interior pan of Saniora, Henrietta Fore, US Department of State Under Secretary, and delegation sitting for photo op

11. Mid of Henrietta Fore seated on couch

12. Mid of Saniora sitting for photo op

13. Wide of delegates

14. Mid of Saniora and Fore

15. Mid of Fore approaching microphone to speak

16. SOUNDBITE: (English) Henrietta Fore, US Department of State Undersecretary for Management:

"(we) affirmed our long and sustained commitment to Lebanon."

17. Various of newspaper stand in Beirut showing pictures of Pierre Gemayel, and tanks in streets

18. Various of newspaper headline reads: (Arabic) "No new initiative or meeting and all factions in confrontation.''

19. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Vox Pop:

"We hope for Arab countries and the Arab League to intervene try to get people together in order to avoid civil war like the one we had.''

20. Wide of protestors

21. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Vox Pop:

"We are here to show support and loyalty and to tell the world that we Lebanese Christians will stay and not leave Lebanon no matter what happen."

22. Wide of Beirut city

STORYLINE

Thousands of protestors took to the streets of Beirut on Tuesday, demanding the truth over the assassination of the Maronite Christian Industry minister, Pierre Gemayel.

The gathering, held at the site where Gemayel was killed, marked a week long period since the minister's death.

Gemayel's wife and mother joined the protestors.

Gemayel's assassination has inflamed an already volatile situation in Lebanon- one clearly visible in Beirut on Tuesday as troops moved to secure posts around Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's office as he met with a senior US official from Washington.

Henrietta Fore, US Department of State Undersecretary for Management, told news reporters after the meeting, that Washington had "affirmed" its "long and sustained commitment to Lebanon," in the face of Hezbollah-led opposition moves to topple it.

The meeting between US and Lebanon comes a day after Saniora's cabinet sent a draft accord to Lebanon's President, Emile Lahoud, seeking to create a tribunal to try suspects in the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri - a move seen to further enhance the power struggle between the pro- and anti-Syrian forces.

The pro-Syrian Lahoud, who considers the Cabinet "unconstitutional" after the resignation of six ministers, is expected to decline to endorse the agreement.

The accord would set up the UN backed court in a location outside Lebanon.

For opponents of Syria, the court is a major priority, one they hope will uncover the truth behind the February 2005 assassination of Hariri which they accuse Damascus of orchestrating.

Syria denies the claim.

The tribunal has also become the latest weapon in the battle between the Hezbollah-aligned factions and the anti-Syrian parties over the demand by Hezbollah for a third of the Cabinet's seats, which would give Hezbollah and its supporters veto power over key decisions, including the UN document setting up the tribunal.

Hezbollah is threatening to call mass demonstrations unless it and its allies obtain a veto-wielding share of the Cabinet -a demand that Saniora and the anti-Syrian parties have rejected.

Gemayel's death heightened fears the country may return to the sectarian violence of the 1975-90 civil war.