Salam calls for new security plan to control Lebanon-Syria border

Special Nawaf Salam makes the trip to Tripoli on board a military helicopter. (X/@ObserveLebanon)
Nawaf Salam makes the trip to Tripoli on board a military helicopter. (X/@ObserveLebanon)
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Updated 25 March 2025
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Salam calls for new security plan to control Lebanon-Syria border

Nawaf Salam makes the trip to Tripoli on board a military helicopter. (X/@ObserveLebanon)
  • Minister of defense is scheduled to visit Damascus to discuss ‘ways to control the border and prevent violations and transgressions’
  • Delegation carrying security files related to ‘combating smuggling, controlling illegal crossings, and reducing border tensions’

BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam emphasized the need to control “the border with Syria … combating smuggling through a new security plan that must be swiftly implemented.”

Salam’s statement from the northern city of Tripoli comes on the eve of the first official visit by a minister from his government to Syria to meet officials there. On Wednesday, the minister of defense is scheduled to visit Damascus to discuss “ways to control the border and prevent violations and transgressions,” Salam said.

Defense Minister Michel Menassa will be accompanied by General Security Director-General Maj. Gen. Hassan Choucair, and the director of Lebanese Army Intelligence, Brig. Gen. Tony Kahwaji. The discussions are expected to focus on enhancing security cooperation between Beirut and Damascus, with the delegation carrying security files related to “combating smuggling, controlling illegal crossings, and reducing border tensions.”

FASTFACTS

• Salam inspected President Rene Mouawad Airport in Qlayaat, which is not used for civilian flights.

• He announced the conclusion of an agreement with Dar Al-Handasah to conduct a free study for operating Qlayaat Airport.

• Within three months, an initial proposal for a guiding plan to initiate operations at this facility will be presented.

Earlier this month, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and his Syrian counterpart Ahmed Al-Sharaa agreed, on the sidelines of a meeting in Cairo, to organize border management between the two countries. However, clashes erupted in the border town of Hawsh Al-Sayyid Ali over a dispute between smugglers using illegal crossings. The situation escalated into violent confrontations between armed Lebanese tribesmen and Syrian forces, which were eventually contained through communications and an agreement reached between the Lebanese and Syrian defense ministers.

During his first visit to Tripoli since the formation of his government, Salam, accompanied by several ministers, held meetings with local officials in Tripoli and Akkar. They discussed the conditions and needs of the regions, as well as the security situation in Tripoli, particularly in light of the recent security disturbances and the influx of Syrian refugees from the coastal area of Syria.

Salam emphasized that “the government is committed to ensuring security, especially following the challenging period that Tripoli experienced due to the recent security instability, and to protecting the lives of citizens and ensuring their stability.”

During a meeting with the city’s security officials, Salam said that “there will be no protection for anyone undermining security” and called for “strict measures to combat violations, drug trafficking, and its promotion.”

He also urged the development of “a national plan to confiscate weapons from civilians and to address encroachments on both public and private properties.” He firmly rejected any pressure “to release those who disrupt security.”

Interior Minister Ahmad Al-Hajjar, who accompanied Salam, said that “the security agencies possess comprehensive information regarding the crimes occurring in Tripoli.” He urged these agencies to adopt “a strict stance against those disrupting public order and to resist any political protection that may be extended to these offenders.”

Salam inspected President Rene Mouawad Airport in the northern town of Qlayaat, which is not used for civilian flights. He announced “the conclusion of an agreement with Dar Al-Handasah to conduct a free study for operating Qlayaat Airport. Within three months, an initial proposal for a guiding plan to initiate operations at this facility will be presented.”

Minister of Public Works and Transport Fayez Rasamani explained that “we can benefit from the strategic geographical location of Qlayaat Airport to attract more investors. We can also think of transforming it into a cargo service airport, leveraging its proximity to the Port of Tripoli, in addition to creating a free zone and an aircraft maintenance facility at the airport.”

In southern Lebanon, the Israeli army confirmed on Tuesday morning that it had killed “the commander of Hezbollah’s southern front anti-tank missile unit.”

On Monday night, an Israeli drone struck a car in Qaaqaaiyet El-Jisr, killing Hassan Kamal Halawi. The party did not disclose Halawi’s military rank.

The Israeli army claimed that Halawi “was responsible for numerous terrorist attacks against the State of Israel. He facilitated the movement of operatives and weapons into southern Lebanon.”

In recent days, Israel assassinated two other Hezbollah members, Hassan Al-Zein and Radwan Awada.

Since Saturday, the Israeli army has conducted dozens of raids on southern Lebanon and the Bekaa, resulting in seven deaths and 40 injuries, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. These raids followed the launch of six rockets of unknown origin from southern Lebanon toward the Israeli town of Metula. Hezbollah denied any involvement in the rocket attack.


Middle East, global leaders offer condolences following Pope Francis’ death

Middle East, global leaders offer condolences following Pope Francis’ death
Updated 3 min 9 sec ago
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Middle East, global leaders offer condolences following Pope Francis’ death

Middle East, global leaders offer condolences following Pope Francis’ death

DUBAI: The Muslim Council of Elders, headed by Egypt’s Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayyeb, mourned Pope Francis’ passing and extended their condolences to “the leaders of the Catholic Church, our Christian brethren, and all advocates of peace and coexistence worldwide.”

Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmed co-authored the historic Document on Human Fraternity, widely regarded as one of the most significant documents in modern human history.

“Pope Francis devoted his life to serving humanity and advancing the values of dialogue, tolerance, coexistence, peace, and human fraternity while he also tirelessly supported the vulnerable, needy, refugees, and the displaced, embodying a singular example of compassion and becoming a historic religious figure whose enduring humanitarian legacy will inspire future generations,” the group said in a statement on X.

Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi also offered his condolences following the death of Pope Francis on Monday.

“Pope Francis was a voice of peace, love and compassion,” said El-Sisi.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, President of the UAE, said Francis dedicated his life to promoting the principles of peaceful coexistence and understanding.

“I extend my deepest condolences to Catholics around the world on the passing of Pope Francis, who dedicated his life to promoting the principles of peaceful coexistence and understanding. May he rest in peace,” said Sheikh Mohamed via statment on X.

Prime minister of UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum said Pope Francis was a great leader whose compassion and commitment to peace touched countless lives.

In a statement on X, Sheikh Mohammed said “his legacy of humility and interfaith unity will continue to inspire many communities around the world.”

Jordan’s King Abdullah II, on X, meanwhile said: “Deepest condolences to our Christian brothers and sisters around the world. Pope Francis was admired by all as the Pope of the People. He brought people together, leading with kindness, humility, and compassion. His legacy will live on in his good deeds and teachings.”

Lebanon’s Christian President Joseph Aoun mourned the death on Monday of Pope Francis, a “dear friend and strong supporter” of the crisis-hit multi-confessional country.

“We will never forget his repeated calls to protect Lebanon and preserve its identity and diversity,” Aoun – the Arab world’s only Christian president – said in a statement on the presidency’s X account, calling Francis’s death “a loss for all humanity, for he was a powerful voice for justice and peace” who called for “dialogue between religions and cultures”.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas meanwhile paid tribute to Pope Francis, calling him a “faithful friend of the Palestinian people,” the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed Pope Francis for his efforts to further dialogue between different faiths.

“Today, we lost a faithful friend of the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights,” Abbas said, noting that Pope Francis “recognized the Palestinian state and authorized the Palestinian flag to be raised in the Vatican.”

Iran also offered its condolonces. Israeli President Isaac Herzog praised the deceased pope on Monday as ‘a man of deep faith and boundless compassion.”

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto on Monday expressed condolences over the death of Pope Francis.

“The Pope’s message of simplicity, pluralism, favoring the poor and caring for others will always be an example for all of us,” the president said in an Instagram post.

GALLERY: Pope Francis: The world mourns

Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church died after suffering from pneumonia.

In 2019, Pope Francis was the first pontiff to lead a mass in the Middle East, more specifically the UAE.  

Francis charted new relations with the Muslim world by visiting the Arabian Peninsula and Iraq.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope on March 13, 2013, surprising many Church watchers who had seen the Argentine cleric, known for his concern for the poor, as an outsider.

He sought to project simplicity into the grand role and never took possession of the ornate papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace used by his predecessors, saying he preferred to live in a community setting for his “psychological health.”


Gaza civil defense describes medic killings as ‘summary executions’

Gaza civil defense describes medic killings as ‘summary executions’
Updated 21 April 2025
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Gaza civil defense describes medic killings as ‘summary executions’

Gaza civil defense describes medic killings as ‘summary executions’
  • Israel also accused of seeking to ‘circumvent’ its obligations under international law

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Gaza’s civil defense agency on Monday accused the Israeli military of carrying out “summary executions” in the killing of 15 rescue workers last month, rejecting the findings of an internal probe by the army.

“The video filmed by one of the paramedics proves that the Israeli occupation’s narrative is false and demonstrates that it carried out summary executions,” Mohammed Al-Mughair, a civil defense official, said, a day after an Israeli army probe denied any execution-style killings. He also accused Israel of seeking to “circumvent” its obligations under international law.

The Palestine Red Crescent also rejected the findings of an Israeli military investigation that blamed operational failures for the killing of 15 Gaza emergency service workers, denouncing the report as “full of lies.”

“The report is full of lies. It is invalid and unacceptable, as it justifies the killing and shifts responsibility to a personal error in the field command when the truth is quite different,” Nebal Farsakh, spokesperson for the Red Crescent, said.


Israeli opposition leader fears political violence over Shin Bet affair

Israeli opposition leader fears political violence over Shin Bet affair
Updated 21 April 2025
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Israeli opposition leader fears political violence over Shin Bet affair

Israeli opposition leader fears political violence over Shin Bet affair
  • The supreme court froze the government’s initial attempt to sack Bar, and earlier this month it gave the cabinet and the attorney general’s office until the end of the just concluded Passover holiday to work out a compromise

TEL AVIV: Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said he feared an outbreak of political violence connected to what he called a campaign of hate against the country’s internal security chief, whom the government has moved to sack.
“The red line has been crossed. If we don’t stop this, there will be a political murder here, maybe more than one. Jews will kill jews,” Lapid said at a press conference in Tel Aviv, adding that “the most serious threats are directed at the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar.”
Bar’s dismissal as head of the internal security agency has been challenged in court by the opposition, which decried it as a sign of anti-democratic drift on the part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government.
Bar has suggested his ouster was linked to investigations into Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack “and other serious matters,” while Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has warned of “a personal conflict of interest on the part of the prime minister due to the criminal investigations involving his associates.”
The supreme court froze the government’s initial attempt to sack Bar, and earlier this month it gave the cabinet and the attorney general’s office until the end of the just concluded Passover holiday to work out a compromise.
Bar could resign soon, according to media reports, which would bring the matter to a close.
Lapid, leader of the center-right Yesh Atid party, argued that Bar should resign over his agency’s failure to prevent the October 7 attack, and acknowledged the government had the legal authority to dismiss him, provided it was done through due process and “approved by the court.”
But he also held Netanyahu responsible for a campaign of threats levelled at Bar.
Lapid presented screenshots of social media posts containing death threats against the security chief, telling Netanyahu: “Stop this.”
“Instead of supporting incitement (to hatred), support the Shin Bet, the security forces, the systems that keep this country alive,” he added.
In 1995, the assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin by a Jewish extremist after a campaign of violent rhetoric against him sent shockwaves through Israel.
Some accused then-opposition leader Netanyahu of not doing enough to discourage incitement to violence at the time.
 

 


Israel cancels visas for French lawmakers

Israel cancels visas for French lawmakers
Updated 21 April 2025
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Israel cancels visas for French lawmakers

Israel cancels visas for French lawmakers
  • The delegation included National Assembly deputies Francois Ruffin, Alexis Corbiere and Julie Ozenne from the Ecologist party, Communist deputy Soumya Bourouaha and Communist senator Marianne Margate

PARIS: Israel’s government canceled visas for 27 French left-wing lawmakers and local officials two days before they were to start a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Sunday, the group said.
The action came only days after Israel stopped two British members of parliament from the governing Labour party from entering the country.
It also came amidst diplomatic tensions after President Emmanuel Macron said France would soon recognize a Palestinian state.
Israel’s interior ministry said visas for the 27 had been canceled under a law that allows authorities to ban people who could act against the state of Israel.

French left-wing lawmaker Francois Ruffin was among lawmakers who had their visas cancelled by Israel. (AFP file photo)

Seventeen members of the group, from France’s Ecologist and Communist parties, said they had been victims of “collective punishment” by Israel and called on Macron to intervene.
They said in a statement that they had been invited on a five-day trip by the French consulate in Jerusalem.
They had intended to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories as part of their mission to “strengthen international cooperation and the culture of peace,” they added.
“For the first time, two days before our departure, the Israeli authorities canceled our entry visas that had been approved one month ago,” they said.
“We want to understand what led to this sudden decision, which resembles collective punishment,” said the group.

The delegation included National Assembly deputies Francois Ruffin, Alexis Corbiere and Julie Ozenne from the Ecologist party, Communist deputy Soumya Bourouaha and Communist senator Marianne Margate.
The other members were left-wing town mayors and local lawmakers.
The statement denounced the ban as a “major rupture in diplomatic ties.”
“Deliberately preventing elected officials and parliamentarians from traveling cannot be without consequences,” the group said, demanding a meeting with Macron and action by the government to ensure Israel let them into the country.
The group said their parties had for decades called for recognition of a Palestinian state, which Macron said last week could come at an international conference in June.
Israeli authorities this month detained British members of parliament Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed at Tel Aviv airport and deported them, citing the same reason. Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy called the action “unacceptable.”
In February, Israel stopped two left-wing European parliament deputies, Franco-Palestinian Rima Hassan and Lynn Boylan from Ireland, from entering.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reacted with fury to France’s possible recognition of a Palestinian state. He said establishing a Palestinian state next to Israel would be a “huge reward for terrorism.”
 

 


Moroccans protest ship said to be carrying US fighter jet parts to Israel

Moroccans protest ship said to be carrying US fighter jet parts to Israel
Updated 20 April 2025
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Moroccans protest ship said to be carrying US fighter jet parts to Israel

Moroccans protest ship said to be carrying US fighter jet parts to Israel
  • The protesters in Tangier also called for the severing of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel, which were normalized in 2020 as part of the US-led Abraham Accords

TANGIERS, Morocco: More than 1,000 people protested in the Moroccan port city of Tangier on Sunday against the planned docking of a ship said to be carrying fighter jet parts to Israel.
Dockworkers and organizations supporting Palestinians in Gaza said in separate statements that the Maersk vessel was transporting spare parts for F-35 warplanes from the United States to Israel, and was due to dock in Tangier on Sunday.
A crowd of around 1,500 people chanted, “The people want the ship banned,” and “No genocidal weapons in Moroccan waters” as they marched down a road alongside the Tanger Med container port, according to AFP correspondents at the scene.

Protesters wave Palestinian and Moroccan flags as they march towards the port of Tanger-Med against the planned docking of a ship said to be carrying fighter jer parts to Israel in Tangiers on April 20, 2025.  (AFP)

Contacted by AFP, port authorities and Maersk did not comment on the vessel.
The Danish company has said it does not transport weapons or ammunition to conflict zones, though it has a contract with the US government and has previously acknowledged shipments that “contain military-related equipment” derived from “US-Israeli security cooperation.”
The protesters in Tangier also called for the severing of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel, which were normalized in 2020 as part of the US-led Abraham Accords.
There have been several large-scale demonstrations in Morocco demanding ties with Israel be cut since the start of its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.
The North African kingdom has officially called for “the immediate, complete and permanent halt to the Israeli war on Gaza,” but has not publicly discussed reversing normalization.