Latest news with #LebaneseArmy
L'Orient-Le Jour
2 hours ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Clashes outside Egyptian embassy in Beirut during protests for Gaza
A group of activists protesting the Israeli blockade on Gaza gathered Wednesday around midday outside Egypt's embassy in Bir Hassan, in Beirut's southern suburbs and tensions arose between them and the Lebanese Army. Videos circulating on social media, including by the media outlet Sawratcom, show dozens of protesters — many wearing kuffiyehs and/or carrying the Palestinian flag — trying to forcibly enter the embassy and confront the army, which was heavily deployed in the area. The embassy has been surrounded for years by large concrete blocks and barbed wire, making it almost inaccessible from the adjacent avenue. The protesters' attempts to force their way into the embassy entrance were pushed back by the army, according to footage filmed by protesters at the scene. L'Orient-Le Jour attempted to verify this information with the Lebanese Army but did not receive confirmation before publishing this article. In the videos, protesters try to push back the barricade formed by soldiers and are beaten by military personnel. In one clip, the filming protester calls the army 'Zionist' and says she's pleased 'to have been able to protest [on the adjacent avenue] even though they tried to prevent us.' It's unclear who organized this movement: An observer interviewed by L'Orient-Le Jour says they are 'leftist groups.' The choice of Egypt's embassy is significant, as the country controls Gaza's southern border and is regularly accused of keeping the crossing closed despite the plight of the people in the enclave, who have faced a one-sided war with Israel since Oct. 8, 2023. Protesters are calling for Egyptian authorities to 'break the blockade' and allow food aid to enter. Millions of Gazans have endured hunger for months, and, according to the U.N., more than a thousand people have been shot dead while trying to reach the few aid deliveries by a U.S.-backed NGO. Another video from the protest shows the Lebanese Red Cross (LRC) taking an elderly woman from the scene to the hospital in an ambulance. In the background, a woman's voice says she is suffering from a 'malaise.' An LRC source confirmed that the protester was evacuated but gave no further details, adding that the clashes did not result in other injuries. Another demonstration, called for by civil society activists the day before, was held from 11 a.m. to noon in front of the ESCWA (United Nations) building in downtown Beirut, without any incidents. Civil society lawyer Hassan Bazzi noted on his Facebook account that 63 activists attended and delivered a letter to the U.N. secretary-general about the war and famine in Gaza. Sit-in at Beddawi camp A sit-in against the Israeli blockade on Gaza was also held Wednesday by Palestinians at the Beddawi camp (northern Lebanon). Demonstrators held up signs against the 'killing of children in Gaza,' calling for the 'immediate opening of the borders so that aid can be delivered to the enclave.' At this gathering, the hunger strike by a Palestinian activist in the camp, Atef Khalil, a member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), was announced. In remarks at the site, Khalil said he was on his second day of striking, saying this action 'is a message to the world, which remains silent in the face of Gaza's blockade and the slow death of its children, women and elderly.' Échauffourées devant l'ambassade d'Égypte à Beyrouth lors de manifestations en soutien à Gaza
MTV Lebanon
8 hours ago
- MTV Lebanon
Army Bulldozer Erases Traces of Israeli Breach in South Lebanon
A Lebanese Army bulldozer, backed by a military unit, removed the Israeli breach that took place two days ago in the town of Aitaroun, where Israeli forces had built up dirt barriers along the road leading to Jabal al-Bat, specifically in the Zqaq area. The Lebanese Army bulldozer worked to remove the mounds and erase the traces of the hostile breach.
L'Orient-Le Jour
a day ago
- Climate
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Fire contained in Qala forest after Lebanese Army intervention
NORTH LEBANON — A fire broke out Tuesday morning in the Qala forest, located in the heights of Jurd Meshmesh in North Lebanon, at the border of the Akkar, Dennieh and Hermel regions, our correspondent in the North, reported. The fire was eventually brought under control in the afternoon. The area, which is particularly difficult to access and has no roads to allow fire trucks to reach the source, required the Lebanese Army to dispatch a helicopter to fight the flames. The aircraft was refueled from an artificial basin set up specifically for this purpose, supplied with water by Civil Defense with support from the Union of Jurd el-Qayta Municipalities and local tankers. Earlier, environmental activists had called on authorities to coordinate with army command to dispatch a military helicopter to contain the fire before it spread, given the high temperatures and mountain winds. In order to bring the fire under control, a helicopter took off from Qlayaat Air Base, while an artificial water basin had already been installed. Civil Defense vehicles arrived in the area to supply the basin with water, in coordination with members of the first responders team from the Union of Jurd al-Qayta Municipalities. According to information from our correspondent, the cause of the incident may be linked to gunfire, a frequent cause unfortunately in these remote mountain regions. This area is home to a large concentration of Zahrani cedars and Cilician fir trees. On July 15, under the patronage of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, the Lebanese Environment Ministry launched a $3.5 million risk management initiative aimed at reducing the risk of forest fires in vulnerable areas. In April, Greenpeace had already warned about fires recorded in Lebanon even before the start of summer, a period usually prone to wildfires, calling them "an alarming sign of the worsening effects of climate change in the region."
Nahar Net
2 days ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Barrack says army has to be 'trained as a peacekeeping force'
by Naharnet Newsdesk 22 July 2025, 12:23 Visiting U.S. envoy Tom Barrack has said that the Lebanese Army has to be "properly trained as a peacekeeping force, not as a military offensive force." In an interview with Tele Liban, Barrack added that Washington has "no demands." "America's intent in being in Lebanon is as a constructive friend to usher it to the next level of relevancy which it deserves," he said. Barrack met Monday with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and on Tuesday with Speaker Nabih Berri. Speaking to reporters after his talks with Aoun and Salam, Barrack said he returned to Lebanon because U.S. President Donald Trump is interested in reaching 'regional stability' and that Lebanon is the 'center of that process.' Noting that the U.S. wants 'security' and 'economic prosperity' in Lebanon, Barrack pointed out that the U.S. cannot 'compel' Israel to do or not do 'anything.' The Presidency meanwhile said that Aoun handed Barrack, in the name of the Lebanese state, a "draft comprehensive memo for the implementation of everything that Lebanon has pledged -- from the November 27, 2024 declaration to the Lebanese government's ministerial statement to especially the president's inaugural speech.' Barrack's visit to Lebanon comes amid ongoing domestic and international pressure for Hezbollah to give up its remaining arsenal after a bruising war with Israel that ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement in November.
L'Orient-Le Jour
2 days ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
No breakthrough in Barrack's latest trip to Beirut, all eyes on Berri
BEIRUT — The ball is in the Lebanese court. That is the main message from U.S. envoy Tom Barrack during his third visit to Beirut on Monday, to discuss the issue of Hezbollah's disarmament. The diplomat reaffirmed that this matter is up to the Lebanese authorities, who must define the approach themselves. After his meeting with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, the U.S. envoy said that Hezbollah's disarmament is "an internal Lebanese issue," as Hezbollah circles accuse the Americans of wanting to impose this disarmament to "reassure Israel." 'The United States is not here to force Israel to do anything. We are here to use our influence to bring calm minds together around a solution,' he continued, believing that the cease-fire agreement reached in November to end the war between Hezbollah and the Hebrew state 'did not work.' Arriving in Beirut on Sunday evening, the U.S. envoy was first received by President Joseph Aoun before his meeting at the Grand Serail. According to the presidency, Aoun handed him a 'draft memorandum of understanding' outlining Lebanon's commitments since the cease-fire. These include points from the truce agreement, the president's inauguration speech, and the ministerial statement of Salam's Cabinet. Among these commitments, the presidency cited 'the urgent need to save Lebanon by extending the state's authority over its entire territory with nothing but its own forces, monopolizing arms exclusively in the hands of the Lebanese Army and asserting the authority of the Lebanese constitutional institutions over decisions of war and peace.' These factors must be ensured 'simultaneously and in parallel with maintaining Lebanese sovereignty over all its international borders, reconstruction, and the initiation of economic recovery.' Hezbollah is 'a terrorist organization' In his remarks, Barrack stated that 'President Donald Trump attaches importance to the situation in Lebanon and the restoration of stability in the region.' 'My return to Lebanon comes as Syria and the region have once again become unstable, and today we must focus on Lebanon to restore stability,' he stressed, affirming that he would 'continue his meetings with Lebanese officials working towards solutions,' whether on security issues or economic reforms. He also claims not to have taken note of Hezbollah's 'remarks' on his roadmap, adding that for the American administration, Hezbollah is 'a terrorist organization' with which it does not engage in dialogue. In short, no tangible progress was recorded during this tour. The U.S. envoy still insists on the need to move to operational steps for the state's weapons monopoly, through a clear and public decision by official Lebanon and with the approval of all parties. Certainly, according to L'Orient Today's information, the Lebanese response he received reaffirms Lebanon's attachment to the weapons monopoly as well as its commitment to the ministerial statement and the presidential inaugural address. But what Washington now expects is a concrete mechanism for implementation and the start of its execution. This mechanism is still to be defined in its details. These details concern the launch date of its implementation, considering it is meant to be conducted in several stages. The first would consist of a clear government decision in favor of the state's monopoly on arms. The second would see Hezbollah begin to hand over its weapons north of the Litani River, notably missiles and drones, with the United States pressuring Israel to avoid escalation, cease its aggressions, violations, and targeted assassinations. The third step should concern Beirut and its suburbs, especially the southern suburb, concurrently with American pressure on Israel to initiate a withdrawal from occupied points. The fourth stage would be dedicated to the withdrawal of weapons from the Bekaa region. Nabih Berri's proposal In this context, Lebanon has clearly expressed its requirements, particularly the effective cease-fire implementation by Israel, the need to activate the monitoring committee's work on the agreement, and the importance of maintaining the role of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Barrack emphasized that the Lebanese state must prove its effectiveness and remain attentive to regional developments. Lebanon has also insisted on obtaining guarantees regarding control of the situation in Syria, in light of concerns expressed by several Lebanese factions regarding the repercussions of recent events in Syria, especially after the clashes in Sweida. Some believe that Hezbollah is using Syrian instability as a pretext to keep its weapons, citing the defense of the Shiite communities' presence in the area and the protection of border region. But Barrack's logic is clear: to end Israeli violations and strikes, Lebanon must begin to regain the weapons monopoly, as the State alone is responsible for the security of its citizens. The Lebanese response has not received Hezbollah's approval, as it does not consider itself concerned by this document. On Friday, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected the American proposal, believing that Washington is trying to reach a new agreement and is pressuring the Lebanese Army to remove his party's weapons at the risk of provoking civil war. In this context, the main issue remains Tuesday's scheduled meeting between Barrack and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. According to some reports, Berri is expected to put forward a proposal consisting of a 15-day suspension of Israeli military operations during which a serious dialogue would take place with Hezbollah on the mechanism for returning weapons to the state. The Americans have not yet responded to this proposal, but according to well-informed sources, Barrack should travel to Israel to discuss it with officials. Other meetings The envoy was also received by Elias Audi, the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut, with whom he discussed the situation in Lebanon and the region, and by Druze leader Walid Jumblatt. L'Orient Today learned that Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai will meet with Barrack on Wednesday, who is also expected to meet with the commander of the army, General Rodolphe Haykal. A dinner bringing together several MPs is also planned at the U.S. Embassy.
