Report: Lebanese response unanimously approved but Berri to have separate one
While it is yet to be known whether President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Nawaf Salam have decided to distance Lebanon's official response to the U.S. paper from Hezbollah's stance, the response has been unanimously approved by the three leaders, sources close to them said.
The Lebanese response 'stresses the need for Israel's withdrawal from all occupied points and territory, while emphasizing the need for guarantees focused on the reconstruction of the South. It also expresses readiness to demarcate the border with Syria without settling the ownership of the occupied Shebaa Farms,' the sources told An-Nahar newspaper.
Berri has meanwhile revealed that he will have his own response to the U.S. envoy's paper, the daily said.
'This step is not aimed at bypassing what Barrack will hear from President Aoun and PM Nawaf Salam,' the newspaper added, noting that Lebanon's response will also reflect 'the government's readiness to implement a host of financial and economic reforms.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Ya Libnan
2 hours ago
- Ya Libnan
After more than 40 years in jail in France, Lebanese militant Georges Abdallah returns home
Lebanese pro-Palestinian militant Georges Abdallah speaks to supporters upon his arrival at Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, July 25, 2025. He is a hero for some but not for others © Hussein Malla, AP After more than four decades behind bars in France, Georges Ibrahim Abdallah – the Lebanese leftist militant imprisoned since 1984 – landed in Beirut after leaving his prison early Friday. His release, authorised by a Paris appeals court July 17 on the condition that he leave France immediately, brings to a close one of the longest political detentions in modern European history. Pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah arrived in Beirut Friday following his release after more than 40 years in detention in France. Upon his arrival, he was transferred into Lebanese custody. For his supporters, Abdallah's release brings long-overdue justice. For others, his name is simply reminiscent of a distant and complex chapter in history. But his return has symbolic weight in his country of origin. 'This moment isn't about sentimentality – it's about the long wait, 40 years of it. It's about resilience in the face of delays, appeals, discrimination. This is not a time for nostalgia, but rather a culmination of time and justice,' said his brother, Robert Abdallah. Abdallah was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for the assassinations of US military attaché Charles Robert Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov. While he has always denied direct involvement, Abdallah never distanced himself from the resistance movement he co-founded, the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions, a Marxist group aligned with Palestinian and pan-Arab causes that also sought to evict foreign forces – notably Israel – from Lebanese soil. Despite multiple court rulings over the years recommending his release, Abdallah remained in prison due to political pressure – particularly from the United States and Israel. He ultimately served four decades in France's Lannemezan prison, steadfastly refusing to express remorse. Although he completed the minimum sentence in 1999 he remained behind bars, multiple requests for parole having been denied . Preparations to welcome him have been under way ever since, according to Catherine Daher, a journalist and activist for Lebanon's National Campaign to Free Georges Abdallah. 'We can say that preparations to welcome comrade Georges have been ongoing since 1999, when his sentence officially ended,' Daher said. 'Since then, we've faced repeated release orders – in 2003, 2013 and 2024 – that were blocked for political reasons,' she said, making him 'the longest-held political prisoner in Europe'. Now, at 74, Abdallah returns to his hometown of Qoubaiyat in northern Lebanon – not just as a free man resuming civilian life, but as a deeply symbolic figure. Daher said plans are under way for a series of public events upon his return to Lebanon. 'His welcome will include state officials, political leaders, his family, and the national campaign that fought for his release – as well as student groups, media figures, trade unionists, human rights advocates, cultural voices, and activists from France and beyond who played a key role in keeping up the pressure,' she said. One of the first political forces to welcome his release was the Lebanese Communist Party, which hailed Abdallah as a principled 'resistance fighter' who refused to compromise even after four decades behind bars. Hezbollah described Abdallah as a 'hero of resistance' and 'a symbol for every prisoner, fighter and honourable person who raised the banner of dignity in the face of tyrants'. Hezbollah was a newly emergent group at the time of his arrest in 1984. But other major parties have stayed quiet. The Lebanese Forces and Kataeb, two prominent Christian factions with roots in Lebanon's civil war era, have not issued any public comment. 'It's understandable that many Lebanese political factions – especially Christian parties like the Kataeb and Lebanese Forces – have not issued any public statement welcoming Georges Abdallah's return,' said political and social psychologist Ramzi Abou Ismail. 'Although he is a Christian by background, Abdallah never embodied the in-group identity typically promoted by these parties.' 'His alignment with Palestinian armed factions during the civil war, and his rejection of sectarian politics, positioned him as a challenge to the identity they claimed – that of protectors of the Christian community,' he added. Charbel Jabbour, head of communications for the Lebanese Forces, said Abdallah's release symbolically helps close the chapter on Lebanon's civil conflict. 'The war era is over – completely over. Abdallah served his sentence and is being released,' he told FRANCE 24. 'The civil war chapter must be permanently closed. Anything else is unacceptable.' Outside of ideological and political circles, Abdallah's return has generated limited buzz among Lebanon's younger population. For many, his name is unfamiliar – a symbol of a different era, eclipsed by today's crises: economic collapse, political gridlock and mass emigration. Still, his face now adorns posters and social media feeds once again, and he is often depicted not as a militant but as a man who stood by his convictions – regardless of the consequences. 'He's a hero for some, yes. But to others he is not, and to many he is from a time they never lived through,' said one historian, who requested anonymity.
L'Orient-Le Jour
3 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Joint committee between government, public sector representatives established
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received a delegation on Friday from the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers (CGTL) and the League of Public Administration Employees, who went on strike last week and are demanding improved working conditions and compensation. "We agreed with Salam to form a joint committee between the League and the presidency of the Parliament, whose aim is to study the legitimate demands [of civil servants] and achieve concrete results," said Tarek Younis, secretary-general of the League of Public Administration Employees. Speaking in turn, CGTL President Bechara al-Asmar said the delegation agreed with Salam on "the need to include representatives of the public sector on the committee chaired by the deputy prime minister, who is responsible for following up on public sector matters." "We discussed [with Salam] the economic and security distress the country is experiencing, expressing hope that an atmosphere of stability will set in, so that international aid can help revive the country effectively," al-Asmar also said. "The assessment was comprehensive and realistic given the seriousness of the situation," he added, specifying that he discussed with the prime minister "the situation of the public sector in all its components: military personnel, retirees, employees of public institutions, independent agencies and contract workers." At the beginning of July, civil servants from various administrations staged a general strike, which was relatively well observed across Lebanon. This discontent among representatives of the public sector followed the signing of a decree by Parliament at the end of June, which approved a series of salary increases for a group of senior officials ranging from 626.5 million Lebanese pounds ($7,000) to 805.5 million LL ($9,000) per month.
LBCI
3 hours ago
- LBCI
Israeli military says senior Hezbollah official killed in southern Lebanon strike
The Israeli army said it carried out a strike in southern Lebanon earlier Friday, killing Ali Mohammad Hassan Kassan, the Hezbollah official in charge of manpower for the Bint Jbeil sector. Army spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed Kassan had recently been working to rebuild Hezbollah's presence in the area and recruit new members during the ongoing conflict. Adraee said his activities violated the understandings between Israel and Lebanon, adding that the Israeli military would 'continue operating to eliminate any threat to Israel.'
