Israeli attorney general under fire from Netanyahu government
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L'Orient-Le Jour
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- L'Orient-Le Jour
Hezbollah to participate in Cabinet meeting on its disarmament, spokesperson says
BEIRUT — Hezbollah spokesperson Youssef Zein told L'Orient Today on Tuesday that the party's two ministers will attend this afternoon's Cabinet session at Baabda Presidential Palace, which will debate Hezbollah's disarmament. Hezbollah "is working to preserve Lebanon's interests. It is therefore willing to discuss the issue of its weapons within the limits of the inauguration speech of President Joseph Aoun and the ministerial statement of the Salam Cabinet," Zein stressed. However, he indicated that "any decision [by the Cabinet] that exceeds these two limits would lead to a reaction from Hezbollah's ministers," emphasizing that this could range from verbally opposing the Cabinet decision to withdrawing from the ministerial session. Zein ruled out the possibility of Hezbollah ministers leaving the government altogether. Nawaf Salam's government is expected to meet Tuesday afternoon at the Baabda Palace to discuss surrendering Hezbollah's arsenal. The party does not reject, in principle, the debate over the state's exclusive control of arms, but it makes any disarmament conditional on the prior withdrawal of the Israeli army from south Lebanon, the cessation of cease-fire violations, the release of prisoners, and the initiation of reconstruction efforts following the recent war. In a video published Monday night, Hezbollah stated that resistance was "the only choice and support for the Lebanese Army." Political contacts continued into Monday night in order to reach a formula that the government could adopt on Tuesday. Protesting against the Cabinet meeting, Hezbollah supporters staged motorcycle rallies Monday night in several districts of Beirut's southern suburbs. Videos posted on social media show dozens of motorcyclists waving the party's yellow flags as they rode through areas of the southern suburbs, chanting 'Labayka Nasrallah' (at your command, Nasrallah), referring to the former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, assassinated in an Israeli strike on Sept.27, 2024.
L'Orient-Le Jour
an hour ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Israeli drone drops leaflets in Kfar Shuba justifying the destruction of a bulldozer 'used by Hezbollah'
SOUTH LEBANON — An Israeli drone dropped leaflets Tuesday morning over the northern neighborhood of Kfar Shuba, in the Hasbaya district, justifying the destruction of a bulldozer previously used in the village, according to our correspondent. "The targeted bulldozer had been used by Hezbollah to restore its military infrastructure," the leaflets read. Also in Kfar Shuba, an Israeli drone dropped a bomb on another one of their drones that had crashed in the area, in order to blow it up. A sound bomb was also fired by a drone over the Kasayer neighborhood, east of the village of Mais al-Jabal, near a bulldozer. A second one was later dropped over the Kroum al-Sharaqi neighborhood, east of the village, without causing any casualties. Despite the adoption of a cease-fire on Nov. 27, 2024, the Israeli army continues to conduct near-daily strikes in southern Lebanon and still occupies five positions described as "strategic" along the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel. It regularly targets Hezbollah fighters or officials, sometimes resulting in civilian casualties.
L'Orient-Le Jour
an hour ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Iraq approves support package for Lebanon after Baghdad meeting
BEIRUT — Lebanon's Minister of Labor, Mohammad Haidar, met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani in Baghdad Tuesday, where he delivered a message from Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. The message conveyed Lebanon's "deep appreciation for Iraq's steadfast and supportive stance, especially in light of the crises Lebanon is currently facing," the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported Tuesday. The meeting covered a range of issues foremost among them being the reconstruction of Lebanon and Iraq's anticipated role in this process. In May, Sudani announced during the Arab League summit, that $20 million in aid will be granted to Lebanon for reconstruction. Lebanon obtained a $250 million loan from the World Bank in early June and launched, in partnership with United Nations agencies, projects worth over $350 million for the country's south. The war totally or partially destroyed villages in the South, the Bekaa, and southern suburbs of Beirut. The World Bank estimates the total bill for damage in areas hit by Israeli bombings in Lebanon at $11 billion. France, for its part, pledged last week to contribute $88 million for reconstruction. Discussions also touched on Iraq's previous commitment to supply Lebanon with wheat, reaffirming continued support. In May, Iraq said it would send 320,000 tons of wheat to Lebanon. Sudani expressed "immediate responsiveness to all proposals and issued direct instructions to his ministerial team and relevant officials to begin implementing the agreed-upon steps without delay." Haidar is expected to hold a press conference upon his return to Beirut, during which he will announce the details of the agreements reached with the Iraqi side and the initial steps already underway, according to NNA. Iraq and Lebanon have an electricity agreement which was signed in the summer of 2021 and renewed since then, stipulated that Iraq, through SOMO, the state agency responsible for marketing oil, delivers a shipment of crude oil each month to a third-party company that would, in return, provide a corresponding quantity of fuel compatible with the power plants of Électricité du Liban (EDL). The new extension, signed by Joe Saddi on Feb. 12 and effective from March 1, provided for a quantity between 1.5 and 2 million tons over one year, which is 500,000 tons more than in the previous contract.
