Lebanon files complaint to UN Security Council over killing of Hamas deputy chief in Beirut

 An image grab from Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV taken on January 5, 2024, shows the head of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah delivering a televised speech, with a picture of killed Hamas's deputy chief Saleh al-Aruri to his left. (AFP)
An image grab from Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV taken on January 5, 2024, shows the head of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah delivering a televised speech, with a picture of killed Hamas's deputy chief Saleh al-Aruri to his left. (AFP)
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Updated 05 January 2024
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Lebanon files complaint to UN Security Council over killing of Hamas deputy chief in Beirut

Lebanon files complaint to UN Security Council over killing of Hamas deputy chief in Beirut
  • Hezbollah chief warns response to Saleh Al-Arouri killing ‘inevitable’

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s permanent representative to the UN filed a formal complaint before the UN Security Council on Friday, following “the attack on a residential area in Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh,” which killed Hamas official Saleh Al-Arouri on Tuesday.

The submitted complaint emphasized the severity of the incident, labeling it “the  most dangerous escalation since 2006, as it specifically targeted a densely populated residential zone in Beirut’s southern suburb, constituting a clear violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the safety of its civilian population and aviation.”

It added that the attack could lead to the expansion of conflict and “destabilize regional peace and security.”

Lebanon’s appeal urged the UNSC to “condemn the attack, exert pressure on Israel to cease its escalations, and take decisive action to halt further Israeli aggressions against Lebanon, to prevent further deterioration and the potential entanglement of the region in an extensive and devastating conflict.”

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech on Friday that Lebanon would be “exposed” to more Israeli operations if his group did not respond to the killing of the Hamas deputy chief.

Hezbollah launched rockets across the border on Oct. 8 in support of Hamas, one day after Hamas carried out the deadly attack on southern Israel that triggered Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Nasrallah said Hezbollah had carried out some 670 operations on the Lebanese-Israeli border since then, destroying a “large number” of Israeli military vehicles and tanks.

He also said that if the Israeli military managed to achieve its goals in Gaza, it would then turn to Lebanon.

Nasrallah said that Hezbollah “struck 494 targets, including 50 border sites that were bombed more than once during the past 90 days.”

Technical and intelligence equipment along the border was also destroyed, he claimed.

He added: “We were targeting military sites, officers and soldiers. If we targeted residences, it was in response to the targeting of civilians on our side.”

Nasrallah said that the ongoing battle in southern Lebanon had “established the balance of deterrence.”

He added that “today we have a historical chance to liberate every inch of our Lebanese territory and prevent the enemy from violating our borders and airspace.”

Nasrallah reaffirmed that “the violation that took place in Beirut’s southern suburb will not go unanswered and unpunished,” adding that the decision was now “in the hands of the battlefield.”

Nasrallah believes that the US “does not want the war to expand in the region because it is preoccupied with the Ukrainian front and is preparing for a strategic defeat against Russia.”

To avoid the expansion of conflict in the region, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell was in talks with Lebanese officials on Friday.

Borrell’s visit will last for two days, according to the EU delegation to Lebanon.

It will focus on “all aspects of the situation in and around Gaza, including its impact on the region, especially the situation at the Israeli-Lebanese border, as well as the importance of avoiding regional escalation and sustaining the flow of humanitarian assistance to civilians, which the EU has quadrupled to €100 million ($109 million).”

Borrell will meet with Speaker Nabih Berri, Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdallah Bou Habib, and Lebanese Armed Forces Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun.

He will also exchange views with Gen. Aroldo Lazaro, UNIFIL’s head of mission and force commander.

The commission had previously clarified that Borrell would “re-emphasize the need to advance diplomatic efforts with regional leaders to create the conditions to reach a just and lasting peace between Israel, Palestine, and the region.”

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is set to visit Lebanon as part of a trip to the Middle East this Sunday that includes Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Egypt.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Sebastian Fisher said that “the dramatic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the situation in the West Bank, and the extremely volatile position on the Israeli-Lebanese border will be at the center of the talks, in addition to the attempts to free hostages still being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.”

Fears of widening conflict between Israel and Hamas grew following Al-Arouri’s assassination in one of the neighborhoods located in Hezbollah’s security square in Beirut’s southern suburb.

Fisher said: “We are following the situation on the Lebanese border, and the risk of escalation in the Middle East is very real.”

In a statement issued on Thursday, Germany called on all Germans in Lebanon “to leave the country as quickly as possible.”

Also on Friday, Israeli drones shelled a house on the outskirts of the Mhaibib village and a house on the outskirts of Blida in the central part of southern Lebanon.

The shelling reached the outskirts of the Mays Al-Jabal and Rachaya Al-Fakhar villages.
Israeli artillery shelling on Friday morning targeted the outskirts of Yaroun village.

Israeli warplanes bombed a region located between Chihine and Majdal Zoun, as well as the outskirts of Aita Al-Shaab.

Rocket fragments reached a Lebanese Army site in the area. The bombing also reached the outskirts of Yarine and Jebbeen.  
Hamas and other pro-Hamas Palestinian factions held the funeral of Samir Findi on Friday in the Al-Rashidieh camp in Tyre, and that of Lebanese national Mohammed Said Bashasha, who was laid to rest in Saida.

Both victims were killed in the Israeli attack that killed Al-Arouri.

 


‘New Syria’ offers historic moment of hope but also threats and uncertainty, says UN chief

‘New Syria’ offers historic moment of hope but also threats and uncertainty, says UN chief
Updated 19 December 2024
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‘New Syria’ offers historic moment of hope but also threats and uncertainty, says UN chief

‘New Syria’ offers historic moment of hope but also threats and uncertainty, says UN chief
  • Secretary-General Antonia Guterres warned of Daesh threats in parts of the country and called for Israeli airstrikes to stop
  • Progress could unravel ‘if the ongoing situation is not managed carefully by Syrians themselves’ with international support, he adds

NEW YORK CITY: While recent developments in Syria offer a long-awaited opportunity for Syrians to realize their aspirations for freedom “there is a real risk that progress could unravel” if the situation is not managed carefully, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Thursday.

Long-time dictator Bashar Assad fled the country on Dec. 8 following a swift offensive by a group of rebels. Their operation, which lasted less than two weeks, met little resistance.

Guterres noted that the end of more than five decades of “brutal, dictatorial rule” by the Assad family offers a long-sought opportunity for all Syrians to fulfill the aspirations that sparked their peaceful movement for change in 2011. The slogan that echoed across the country, “The Syrian people are one,” has never been more relevant, he added.

“It holds great promise for a country so rich in diversity, history and culture, along with its deep-rooted traditions of generosity, which I witnessed first-hand as high commissioner for refugees when the Syrian people welcomed millions of displaced Iraqis,” Guterres said.

However, he stressed that “nothing is guaranteed” and warned: “If the ongoing situation is not managed carefully by Syrians themselves, with the support of the international community, there is a real risk that progress could unravel.”

Guterres emphasized that “all communities must be fully integrated into the new Syria,” and “the rights of women and girls must be fully respected.” He also reiterated the importance of ensuring the process is guided by the principles outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

Adopted in 2015, the resolution calls for a ceasefire agreement and political settlement in Syria, and sets out a road map for the country’s transition, including “free and fair” elections.

Although some parts of Syria are relatively stable following the fall of Assad, Guterres warned that the conflict is far from over and civilians continue to be killed, injured and displaced. Daesh remains a threat in some areas, while Israel continues to target the country with extensive airstrikes.

“These are violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Guterres said. “They must stop.”

In the Golan Heights, he said, the UN’s Disengagement Observer Force has reported an ongoing Israeli military presence in several locations within the Area of Separation, despite long-standing agreements prohibiting such deployments.

The peacekeeping mission has also observed Israeli personnel and equipment in at least one place inside the Area of Limitation. The 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Israel and Syria stipulates that this area must remain free of military forces.

Guterres called on Israel and Syria to fully comply with the terms of the agreement, which “remains in full force.”

He added: “Let me be clear: There should be no military forces in the Area of Separation other than UN peacekeepers, period. Syria’s sovereignty, territorial unity and integrity must be fully restored, and all acts of aggression must come to an immediate end.”

Neighboring country Turkiye has “a very important role” to play in convincing parties in Syria of the need for inclusive dialogue, Guterres said. However, he also stressed the need to establish a permanent ceasefire in northeastern Syria, and to stem the activities of Daesh in the area.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in the country remains one of the worst in the world, with the recent escalation further exacerbating the needs of people nationwide. Guterres stressed the urgent need to ensure humanitarian and recovery efforts receive adequate funding. The UN’s humanitarian chief has already warned that the appeal for aid to Syria, one of the largest in the world, remains severely underfunded.

Describing the current moment in Syria as one of “hope and history” but also “great uncertainty,” Guterres said: “Some will try to exploit the situation for their own narrow interests. But it is the obligation of the international community to stand with the people of Syria, who have suffered so much.

“Syria’s future must be shaped by its people, for its people, with the support of all of us.”


Putin says fall of Assad not a ‘defeat’ for Russia

Putin says fall of Assad not a ‘defeat’ for Russia
Updated 19 December 2024
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Putin says fall of Assad not a ‘defeat’ for Russia

Putin says fall of Assad not a ‘defeat’ for Russia
  • Assad’s departure came over 13 years after crackdown on democracy protests precipitated civil war
  • Russia was Assad’s key backer and swept to his aid in 2015, turning the tide of the conflict in his favor

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the fall of ex-Syrian leader Bashar Assad was not a “defeat” for Russia, claiming Moscow had achieved its goals in the country.
Assad fled to Moscow earlier this month after a shock militant advance ended half a century of rule by the Assad family, marked by repression and allegations of vast human rights abuses and civil war.
His departure came more than 13 years after his crackdown on democracy protests precipitated a civil war.
Russia was Assad’s key backer and had swept to his aid in 2015, turning the tide of the conflict.
“You want to present what is happening in Syria as a defeat for Russia,” Putin said at his annual end-of-year press conference.
“I assure you it is not,” he said, responding to a question from an American journalist.
“We came to Syria 10 years ago so that a terrorist enclave would not be created there like in Afghanistan. On the whole, we have achieved our goal,” Putin said.
The Kremlin leader said he had yet to meet with Assad in Moscow, but planned to do so soon.
“I haven’t yet seen president Assad since his arrival in Moscow but I plan to, I will definitely speak with him,” he said.
Putin was addressing the situation in Syria publicly for the first time since Assad’s fall.
Moscow is keen to secure the fate of two military bases in the country.
The Tartus naval base and Hmeimim air base are Russia’s only military outposts outside the former Soviet Union and have been key to the Kremlin’s activities in Africa and the Middle East.
Putin said there was support for Russia keeping hold of the bases.
“We maintain contacts with all those who control the situation there, with all the countries of the region. An overwhelming majority of them say they are interested in our military bases staying there,” Putin said.
He also said Russia had evacuated 4,000 Iranian soldiers from the country at the request from Tehran.


Syrian girls’ right to schooling unrestricted, new education minister says

Syrian girls’ right to schooling unrestricted, new education minister says
Updated 19 December 2024
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Syrian girls’ right to schooling unrestricted, new education minister says

Syrian girls’ right to schooling unrestricted, new education minister says
  • New rulers promise equal treatment for all minority groups
  • Education minister assures girls’ right to education remains unchanged
  • Half of Syria’s schools destroyed or damaged, Qadri says

DAMASCUS: Syria will remove all references to the former ruling Baath party from its educational system as of next week but will not otherwise change school curricula or restrict the rights of girls to learn, the country’s new education minister said.
“Education is a red line for the Syrian people, more important than food and water,” Nazir Mohammad Al-Qadri said in an interview from his office in Damascus.
“The right to education is not limited to one specific gender. ... There may be more girls in our schools than boys,” he said.
The secular, pan-Arab nationalist Baath Party governed Syria since a 1963 coup d’etat, seeing education as an important tool for instilling life-long loyalty among the young to the country’s authoritarian ruling system.
President Bashar Assad was toppled on Dec. 8 by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist rebel group that some Syrians fear may seek to implement a conservative form of Islamist governance.
But Qadri’s plans reflect their wider management approach and moderate messaging so far.
Syria has long been seen to have one of the Arab world’s strongest education systems, a reputation that has largely survived 13 years of civil war.
Qadri said religion — both Muslim and Christian — will continue to be taught as a subject in school.
Primary schools will remain mixed between boys and girls, while secondary education will stay largely segregated, he said.
“After primary school, there were always schools for females and schools for males. We won’t change that,” said Qadri, who had taken to his ornately-furnished office so recently that he had not yet procured Syria’s new green, white and black flag.
Syria’s new rulers, who have long-since disavowed their former Al-Qaeda links, have said that all of Syria’s minority groups including Kurds, Christians, Druze and Alawites will be treated equal as the new government focuses on rebuilding.
They face a formidable challenge.
Syria remains under tight Western sanctions.
Entire cities were levelled in 13 years of war that Qadri said had also left about half the country’s 18,000 schools damaged or destroyed.
But the rebels have moved into government fast, extending a hand to former state employees who have shown up to work in droves.
Most of the new ministers are young — in their 30s or 40s — making 54-year-old Qadri among the oldest in government.
Born and raised in Damascus, he was imprisoned by the Assad regime in 2008 on what he said were spurious charges of inciting sectarian strife, preventing him from finishing his bachelor’s degree.
He was released a decade later and fled to northern Idlib, then under the control of HTS, becoming education minister in its Salvation Government in 2022.
He is currently finishing his masters thesis in Arabic language.
With the political and social contours of the new Syrian state still being drawn, Qadri said students would not be tested on their mandatory “nationalist studies” — previously a vehicle for teaching Baathism and Assad family history — this year.


Palestinian health ministry says 4 killed in Israeli West Bank strike

Palestinian health ministry says 4 killed in Israeli West Bank strike
Updated 19 December 2024
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Palestinian health ministry says 4 killed in Israeli West Bank strike

Palestinian health ministry says 4 killed in Israeli West Bank strike

RAMALLAH: The Palestinian health ministry said Thursday that an Israeli air strike on a car killed four Palestinians and wounded three near the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarem.
The ministry announced that the Palestinians were killed “as a result of the (Israeli) bombing of a vehicle in Tulkarem camp,” which the Israeli army did not immediately confirm to AFP.


Turkiye, Iran leaders call for Syria unity at Muslim summit in Cairo

Turkiye, Iran leaders call for Syria unity at Muslim summit in Cairo
Updated 48 min 47 sec ago
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Turkiye, Iran leaders call for Syria unity at Muslim summit in Cairo

Turkiye, Iran leaders call for Syria unity at Muslim summit in Cairo
  • Relations between Egypt and Iran have been strained for decades, but diplomatic contacts have intensified since Cairo became a mediator in the war in Gaza

CAIRO: The leaders of Turkiye and Iran called on Thursday for unity in Syria at a summit of eight Muslim-majority countries after the ouster of Syria’s president Bashar Assad.
Turkiye historically backed Assad’s opponents, while Iran supported his rule.
The gathering of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as the Developing-8, was being held against a backdrop of regional turmoil including the conflict in Gaza, a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon and unrest in Syria.
In a speech at the summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called for reconciliation in Syria and the restoration of the country’s “territorial integrity and unity.”
He also voiced hope for “the establishment of a Syria free of terrorism,” where “all religious sects and ethnic groups live side by side in peace.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also called for “the participation of all (Syrian) groups in the future government... as well as respect for different beliefs and religions.”
He added that “for more than 14 months, the Middle East region, in particular Gaza and southern Lebanon, and now... Syria, has been the target of massive attacks” by Israel.
“It is our religious, legal and human duty to prevent further harm” to those suffering in the conflict zones, he said.
Pezeshkian is the first Iranian president to visit Egypt since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2013.
Relations between Egypt and Iran have been strained for decades, but diplomatic contacts have intensified since Cairo became a mediator in the war in Gaza.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Egypt in October, while his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty traveled to Tehran in July to attend Pezeshkian’s inauguration.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, speaking at a special session on Gaza and Lebanon, said the international community should adopt “a single standard of justice” and ensure Israel “is held accountable and punished for violations of international law” in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
Abbas called for the adoption of a political plan he presented at a November summit in Riyadh, which includes a ceasefire, Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza and full UN membership for Palestine.
Iran’s president expressed support for any agreement backed by all Palestinian factions.
“The right to self-determination of the Palestinian people must be respected,” said Pezeshkian.
He called on the international community to pressure Israel to implement a ceasefire in Gaza, end attacks on Lebanon and Syria and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
The Cairo summit also hosted a meeting between Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation but split in a brutal 1971 war, with Bangladesh then drawing closer to Pakistan’s arch-rival India.
Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus said he had “agreed to strengthen relations” with Pakistan, a move likely to further test his country’s frosty relations with India.
Established in 1997, the D-8 aims to foster cooperation among member states, spanning regions from Southeast Asia to Africa.
The organization includes Egypt, Turkiye, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia as member states.