First voluntary Syrian refugee convoy returns from Lebanon through Jdeidet Yabous crossing
Speaking to Syrian state news agency SANA, al-Masri said 72 refugees were part of the convoy and that full coordination had taken place with the Lebanese authorities to ease their return.
He confirmed that the returnees were exempted from all border fees and were provided with necessary services upon arrival, including an organized reception.
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Pope Leo XIV pays tribute to victims of port explosion
On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the deadly Aug. 4, 2020, explosion, a prayer vigil was held Sunday evening in Beirut. The ceremony included the blessing of olive trees planted in memory of the victims and featured a message from Pope Leo XIV, read aloud to those in attendance. In his message, the pontiff expressed his 'compassion to all whose hearts are wounded,' including those 'grieving the loss of loved ones,' as well as those who were 'injured or lost everything as a result of this disaster.' In a reflection on death and hope, Leo XIV recalled Christ's words to Martha following the death of her brother Lazarus: 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live.' The pope urged the faithful to 'look toward heaven,' drawing on the image of the Cedar of Lebanon, 'symbol of your country.' 'I implore the merciful Father to welcome, beside him, in his house of rest, of light, and of peace, all those who lost their lives,' he said, adding that 'beloved and suffering Lebanon remains at the heart of my prayers.' He entrusted 'every Lebanese to the protection and maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, as well as Saint Charbel and the other Lebanese saints,' and concluded by granting his apostolic blessing 'as a sign of comfort.' Speaking at the vigil, the Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon, Archbishop Paolo Borgia, noted that 'the Lebanese and the families of the victims are still searching for truth and justice, which above all must prevail.' He said, 'A bit of hope is being reborn, because the investigation is progressing, even though it still faces conflicting interests,' but added, 'There is still much to be done.' On Aug. 4, 2020, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history devastated entire neighborhoods of the Lebanese capital, killing 235 people and injuring 6,500. The blast was caused by a fire in a warehouse where tons of ammonium nitrate — a chemical used in fertilizer — were stored without safety precautions, despite repeated warnings to senior officials. On Monday, President Joseph Aoun reiterated that the Lebanese state is 'committed to revealing the whole truth, no matter the obstacles or the high positions involved.'
LBCI
7 days ago
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First voluntary Syrian refugee convoy returns from Lebanon through Jdeidet Yabous crossing
The first convoy of Syrian refugees returning voluntarily from Lebanon crossed into Syria on Tuesday, according to Abdul Razzaq al-Masri, director of the Jdeidet Yabous border crossing. Speaking to Syrian state news agency SANA, al-Masri said 72 refugees were part of the convoy and that full coordination had taken place with the Lebanese authorities to ease their return. He confirmed that the returnees were exempted from all border fees and were provided with necessary services upon arrival, including an organized reception.
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New aid convoy enters Sweida
A new humanitarian aid convoy reached southern Syria's Druze heartland on Monday, official media said, as the United Nations warned the humanitarian situation in Sweida province was critical after deadly violence. Clashes in Druze-majority Sweida province, which began on July 13 and ended with a cease-fire a week later, initially involved Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes, who have been at loggerheads for decades. But government forces intervened on the side of the Bedouin, according to witnesses, experts and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, which said the violence killed more than 1,400 people, mostly Druze, and accused government personnel of summarily executing more than 250 Druze civilians. State television said Monday's Syrian Red Crescent convoy was the third of its kind to reach the province, publishing images of trucks crossing into the region. State news agency SANA said the 27-truck convoy "contains 200 tonnes of flour, 2,000 shelter kits, 1,000 food baskets" as well as medical and other food supplies. The effort was a cooperation between "international organisations, the Syrian government and the local community". Although the cease-fire has largely held, the U.N.'s humanitarian agency, OCHA, said Monday that the humanitarian situation in Sweida province "remains critical amid ongoing instability and intermittent hostilities". "Humanitarian access, due to roadblocks, insecurity and other impediments (...) remains constrained, hampering the ability of humanitarians to assess need thoroughly and to provide critical life-saving assistance on a large scale," OCHA said in a statement. It said the violence, which resulted in power and water outages and shortages of food, medicine and fuel, had displaced at least 176,000 people. An AFP photographer in Sweida city said residents were waiting in long lines outside bakeries that were still open. Local news outlet Sweida 24 reported that "the humanitarian needs in Sweida are dire", saying many more aid convoys were needed for the stricken province. On Sunday, the outlet published a warning from local civil and humanitarian groups of a "humanitarian catastrophe" in Sweida, adding that the province "is under a suffocating, escalating siege imposed by the authorities" that has led to a severe lack of basic supplies. The Observatory said Monday that government forces were deployed in parts of the province but said that goods were unable to enter due to the ongoing closure of the Sweida-Damascus highway as government-affiliated armed groups were obstructing traffic. On Sunday, SANA quoted Sweida provincial governor Mustafa al-Bakkur as saying that aid convoys were entering Sweida province normally and that "the roads are unobstructed for the entry of relief organisations to the province".
