Army chief discusses situation with French Ambassador, MPs Hamdan and Rustom
General Rodolphe Haykal then met respectively with MPs Firas Hamdan and Ahmad Rustom.
Discussions reportedly touched on the current general situation in Lebanon and the broad region.
============ L.Y
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nahar Net
2 hours ago
- Nahar Net
Hamas says ceasefire talks expected to resume next week after Israel recall negotiators
by Naharnet Newsdesk 25 July 2025, 15:44 Ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel are expected to resume next week, a Hamas official said Friday, as Israeli strikes continue across Gaza and experts warn Palestinians are on the brink of famine. Hamas official Bassem Naim said on Friday that he was told an Israeli delegation would depart for consultations early next week. Previous talks had been held in Qatar. His comments come a day after the United States recalled its negotiating team from Qatar and after President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Hamas' latest response to the negotiations showed a "lack of desire" to reach a truce. Witkoff said the U.S. will "now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza." He did not elaborate on what those options might be. Earlier on Thursday Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu's office also recalled his negotiating team in light of Hamas' response. In a brief statement, Netanyahu's office expressed appreciation for the efforts of Witkoff and the other mediators, Qatar and Egypt, but gave no further details. A breakthrough on a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has eluded the Trump administration as humanitarian conditions worsen in Gaza. Israel has come under mounting pressure for the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza and reports of people dying from causes related to malnutrition. In recent days more then two dozen Western-aligned countries and more than 100 charity and human rights groups have called for an end to the war, harshly criticizing Israel's blockade and a new aid delivery model it has rolled out. The charities and rights groups said even their own staff were struggling to get enough food. On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognize Palestine as a state, saying, "The urgent thing today is that the war in Gaza stops and the civilian population is saved." Hamas said that Witkoff's remarks were meant to pressure the group for Netanyahu's benefit during the next round of talks and that in recent days negotiations had made progress. Naim said several gaps had been nearly solved, such as the agenda of the ceasefire, guarantees to continue negotiating to reach a permanent agreement and how humanitarian aid would be delivered. Israel's government didn't immediately respond to whether negotiations would resume next week. The sides have held weeks of talks in Qatar, reporting small signs of progress but no major breakthroughs. Officials have said a main sticking point is the redeployment of Israeli troops after any ceasefire takes place. The deal under discussion is expected to include an initial 60-day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Aid supplies would be ramped up, and the two sides would hold negotiations on a lasting ceasefire. The talks have been bogged down over competing demands for ending the war. Hamas says it will only release all hostages in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal and end to the war. Israel says it will not agree to end the conflict until Hamas gives up power and disarms. The militant group says it is prepared to leave power but not surrender its weapons. Hamas is believed to be holding the hostages in different locations, including tunnels, and says it has ordered its guards to kill them if Israeli forces approach. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza but fewer than half are believed to be alive. Their families say the start-stop talks are excruciating. "I thought that maybe something will come from the time that the negotiation, Israeli team were in Doha," said Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod is being held hostage. "And when I heard that they're coming back, I ask myself: When will this nightmare end?" Meanwhile Israeli strikes continued across Gaza. At least 22 people were killed since Thursday night, according to hospital records at Nasser Hospital where the bodies arrived. Some were killed in strikes, others and others were killed while seeking aid, said the hospital.
L'Orient-Le Jour
5 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Why is France recognizing Palestinian statehood and who else has?
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced he will recognise Palestinian statehood, drawing angry rebukes from Israel and the United States and opening the door for other major nations to potentially like Britain and Canada to perhaps follow suit. Below are some details about Macron's announcement, driven by a rising global outcry over starvation and devastation in Gaza amid Israel's war against Hamas militants, as well as other nations' push to have Palestinian statehood recognised. What did Macron say? Macron published a letter sent to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas confirming France's intention to press ahead with recognition and work to convince other partners to do the same. He said he would make a formal announcement at the United Nations General Assembly next month. France is now the first major Western country to shift its diplomatic stance on a Palestinian state, after Spain, Ireland and Norway officially recognised one last year. Why is this significant? The decision to recognize Palestinian statehood is mostly symbolic, with Israel occupying the territories where the Palestinians have long aimed to establish that state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital. But it makes Israel appear more isolated on the international stage over the war in Gaza, which is suffering from a wave of hunger that the World Health Organization's chief said this week amounts to man-made mass starvation. Israel says it is committed to allowing aid into Gaza but must control it to prevent it being diverted by militants. It says it has let enough food into Gaza during the war and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza's 2.2 million people. Why did Macron do this? Macron had been leaning towards the move for months as part of a bid to keep the idea of a two-state solution alive, despite the pressure not to do so. He decided to do it ahead of a U.N. conference co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia on the matter next week to try to sway other countries considering that step, or those that are wavering. What impact could it have on French ties with Israel? Ahead of Macron's announcement, Israeli officials had spent months lobbying to prevent what some had called "a nuclear bomb" for bilateral relations. Sources familiar with the matter say Israel's warnings to France had ranged from scaling back intelligence-sharing to complicating Paris' regional initiatives - even hinting at possible annexation of parts of the West Bank. Who could be next? The decision by France, which is home to Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim communities alike, could fuel a movement so far dominated by smaller nations generally more critical of Israel. It will put pressure on major countries like Britain, Germany, Australia, Canada and Japan to follow suit. In the immediate term, Malta and Belgium could be the next countries within the European Union to do so. A British cabinet minister said on Friday that Britain supports eventual recognition of a Palestinian state, but the immediate priority should be alleviating the suffering in Gaza and securing a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. Who else has recognized Palestinian statehood? Last year, Ireland, Norway and Spain recognised a Palestinian state with its borders to be demarcated as they were prior to the 1967 Middle East war, when Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. However, they also recognised that those borders may change in any eventual talks to reach a final settlement, and that their decisions did not diminish their belief in Israel's fundamental right to exist in peace and security. About 144 of the 193 member states of the United Nations recognise Palestine as a state, including most of the global south as well as Russia, China and India. But only a handful of the 27 European Union members do so, mostly former Communist countries as well as Sweden and Cyprus. The U.N. General Assembly approved the de facto recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine in November 2012 by upgrading its observer status at the world body to "non-member state" from "entity." How did the US, Israel and Palestinians react? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the decision by France, one of Israel's closest allies and a G7 member, saying such a move "rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy". Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described it as "a disgrace and a surrender to terrorism". He added that Israel would not allow the establishment of a "Palestinian entity that would harm our security, endanger our existence". U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States "strongly rejects [Macron's] plan to recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly." "This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace," Rubio posted on X. "It is a slap in the face to the victims of Oct. 7th" — a reference to Hamas' 2023 cross-border attack on Israel that set off the Gaza war. Thanking France, the Palestinian Authority's Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh said Macron's decision reflected "France's commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people's rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state".
L'Orient-Le Jour
5 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
France to recognize Palestinian state, Israeli strikes in south Lebanon: Everything you need to know this Friday
Want to get the Morning Brief by email? Click here to sign July 25, by Abbas key things to watch today:Developments in the Gaza war and efforts to broker a new in Lebanon amid efforts to disarm Hezbollah and continued Israeli attacks.10 a.m.: Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine holds a press conference on smuggled and counterfeit of pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant Georges Abdallah comes after over 40 years in French prison, set to land in Beirut around 3 p.m. France's move to recognize State of Palestine and conference on two-state solution scheduled after Israeli vote to annex West Bank: France will formally recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly in September, President Emmanuel Macron announced moves takes to at least 142...
