Lebanon takes border measures in coordination with Damascus to curb smuggling

Special Lebanon takes border measures in coordination with Damascus to curb smuggling
Lebanese and Syrian delegations met in Damascus to discuss procedures for controlling cross-border smuggling. (Supplied)
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Updated 29 May 2025
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Lebanon takes border measures in coordination with Damascus to curb smuggling

Lebanon takes border measures in coordination with Damascus to curb smuggling
  • Discussed developments on the Lebanon-Syria border and ways to enhance cooperation to control it and prevent smuggling operations
  • UNIFIL commander says situation along the Blue Line is tense as ‘violations’ continue

BEIRUT: Lebanese and Syrian delegations met in Damascus this week to discuss procedures for controlling cross-border smuggling, especially drug trafficking.

The Syrian Interior Ministry announced that both sides discussed developments on the Lebanon-Syria border and ways to enhance cooperation to control it and prevent smuggling operations.

It said that Maj. Gen. Ahmed Latouf, assistant minister for police affairs, on Tuesday evening met with a Lebanese army delegation headed by Brig. Gen. Michel Boutros.

Chief of the Syrian army’s general staff, Maj. Gen. Ali Al-Naasan and Boutros had previously held a meeting to enhance military coordination between the two countries.

In a statement released by the Syrian Arab News Agency, the interior ministry said the meeting between Naasan and Boutros was part of a series of ongoing discussions between them.

According to the release, the chief of operations in Syria also attended the talks.

A Lebanese military source said that the Lebanese army was enhancing its presence along the land border with Syria and maintaining strict control over areas known for smuggling, noting that similar measures were being taken on the Syrian side.

Two days ago, Hamish Cowell, the UK ambassador to Lebanon, said on X that he had visited the eastern border of Lebanon with Syria the previous week. During his visit, he observed how the Lebanese army’s new forward operating bases supported counter-smuggling efforts and improved border security.

The ambassador commended the soldiers of the Land Border Regiment for their efforts in defending Lebanon, emphasizing that UK support is ongoing.

The UK had previously provided watchtowers to help secure the borders.

The Lebanese army command had clarified to the Syrian side that the watchtowers were to monitor the border, prevent the infiltration of terrorists, and control the smuggling of people, drugs, weapons, and contraband from and into Lebanon.

The army added that equipment installed in the towers was exclusively connected to the Lebanese military command and that cameras were aimed to monitor Lebanese rather than Syrian territory.

The purpose was to observe the movement of people and vehicles outside official border crossings and to prevent infiltration and smuggling activities on the Lebanese side of the border.

Lebanon shares a border with Syria that extends over 350 kilometers, threading through towns, villages, rugged terrain, and mountainous areas.

Much of this border is unmarked, allowing for the smuggling of people, goods, fuel, weapons, ammunition, wanted individuals, and stolen vehicles.

Hezbollah manages dozens of crossings, because the areas around these crossings are supportive environments for the party.

The Lebanese government has identified 136 illegal border crossings between Lebanon and Syria, a number that increased during the Syrian war. In comparison, there are only six official border crossings between the two countries, which are in the northern and eastern regions.

The Army Command announced on Thursday, the day after the Damascus meeting, that it had thwarted an attempt to smuggle a large quantity of drugs and fuel in the area between Yahfoufa and Baalbek. Nine suspects were arrested.

Army units detained 26 Syrians illegally present in the Bekaa region, along with a Lebanese citizen in the Arsal-Baalbek highlands who was trying to smuggle fuel and other materials.

On Lebanon’s southern border, Israeli breaches of Lebanese sovereignty continued.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on his X account that an air force aircraft struck the Mount Shaqif area, eliminating a Hezbollah operative in southern Lebanon.

The operative was reportedly attempting to reconstruct a site that had previously been used by Hezbollah for fire control and defense.

He said such activity at the site constituted a violation of the understanding between Israel and Lebanon and has been targeted several times in recent weeks.

Adraee said that the army would continue to act to eliminate any threat to Israel.

The warning came as the Lebanese Ministry of Health confirmed the death of “a martyr in an Israeli drone strike … in Nabatieh Al-Fawqa.”

Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, the head of mission and force commander of UNIFIL, said that the situation along the Blue Line is tense as a result of ongoing violations and significant risks, and any mistake could lead to serious consequences.

On International Day of UN Peacekeepers, he said: “We welcome the calm that has prevailed since November, but weapons still roar and the challenges remain significant.”

Israeli forces, which still occupy five hills in the Lebanese border area, advanced on Monday night toward Mays Al-Jabal in a serious land breach and set up earthen barriers in the area.

The Lebanese army contacted the five-member committee overseeing the ceasefire agreement and then the next day proceeded to remove the newly erected barrier.


Iraq holds Kurdish government legally responsible for continued oil smuggling

Updated 40 sec ago
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Iraq holds Kurdish government legally responsible for continued oil smuggling

Iraq holds Kurdish government legally responsible for continued oil smuggling
The ministry reserves the right to take all legal measures in the matter, it added
Control over oil and gas has long been a source of tension between Baghdad and Irbil

BAGHDAD: Iraq’s oil ministry said on Thursday it holds the Kurdish regional government (KRG) legally responsible for the continued smuggling of oil from the Kurdish region outside the country.

The ministry reserves the right to take all legal measures in the matter, it added.

Control over oil and gas has long been a source of tension between Baghdad and Irbil.

Iraq is under pressure from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut output to compensate for having produced more than its agreed volume. OPEC counts oil flows from Kurdistan as part of Iraq’s quota.

In a ruling issued in 2022, Iraq’s federal court deemed an oil and gas law regulating the oil industry in Iraqi Kurdistan unconstitutional and demanded that Kurdish authorities hand over their crude oil supplies.

The ministry said the KRG’s failure to comply with the law has hurt both oil exports and public revenue, forcing Baghdad to cut output from other fields to meet OPEC quotas.

The ministry added that it had urged the KRG to hand over crude produced from its fields, warning that failure to do so could result in significant financial losses and harm the country’s international reputation and oil commitments.

Negotiations to resume Kurdish oil exports via the Iraq-Turkiye oil pipeline, which once handled about 0.5 percent of global oil supply, have stalled over payment terms and contract details.

Jordan, Spain sign partnership deal, affirm support for Palestinian state

Jordan, Spain sign partnership deal, affirm support for Palestinian state
Updated 18 min 50 sec ago
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Jordan, Spain sign partnership deal, affirm support for Palestinian state

Jordan, Spain sign partnership deal, affirm support for Palestinian state
  • King Abdullah meets King Felipe VI, Spanish PM in Madrid
  • Jordan plays vital role in supporting Palestinians, Pedro Sanchez says

LONDON: Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday witnessed the signing of a declaration to establish a strategic partnership between their countries.

The deal is designed to increase cooperation in the economic, commercial, social, cultural and defense fields. A memorandum of understanding for the agriculture sector and an extradition agreement were also signed, the Jordan News Agency reported.

During his visit to Madrid, King Abdullah also met King Felipe VI of Spain. He praised the European nation’s support for Palestinian rights, its efforts to achieve peace in the region and its commitment to ending the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip.

He emphasized the significance of Spain’s decision to recognize the Palestinian state and said Jordan was working to gain greater European support for the Arab plan aimed at rebuilding Gaza without displacing its residents.

Sanchez said Jordan had a vital role in supporting Palestinians and that the war in Gaza must end.

King Abdullah was joined for the talks by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Director of the King’s Office Alaa Batayneh and Jordan’s Ambassador to Spain Raghad Al-Saqqa.


Red Sea marine traffic up 60 percent after Houthis narrowed targets, EU commander says

Red Sea marine traffic up 60 percent after Houthis narrowed targets, EU commander says
Updated 05 June 2025
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Red Sea marine traffic up 60 percent after Houthis narrowed targets, EU commander says

Red Sea marine traffic up 60 percent after Houthis narrowed targets, EU commander says
  • Shipping traffic, which reached a low of 20-23 ships daily in August last year, is still short of an average of 72-75 ships a day, said Gryparis
  • Gryparis said he could not guarantee that merchant ships won’t be attacked

MADRID: Red Sea marine traffic has increased by 60 percent to 36-37 ships a day since August 2024, but is still short of volumes seen before Yemen’s Houthis began attacking ships in the region, according to the commander of the EU’s Aspides naval mission.

The number of merchant ships using the narrow Bab Al-Mandab strait increased after missile and drone attacks by the Houthis slowed and the US and the rebel group signed a ceasefire deal, Rear Admiral Vasileios Gryparis said in an interview in Madrid.

But shipping traffic, which reached a low of 20-23 ships daily in August last year, is still short of an average of 72-75 ships a day seen before the Houthis began attacks in the Red Sea in November in 2023 in support of Palestinians over Israel’s war in Gaza, said Gryparis.

The mission, which was established to safeguard navigation in the strategic trade route linking the Mediterranean with the Gulf of Asia through the Suez Canal, was extended in February when it was also tasked with tracking illegal arms shipments and monitoring vessels carrying sanctioned Russian oil.

The last attack on a merchant ship took place in November 2024 and the Houthis have also narrowed their objectives, saying their targets are Israeli ships and ships that have a connection with Israel or have docked at an Israeli port, Gryparis said.

“If you have a vessel that does not correspond to this criteria... there is a huge possibility — more than 99 percent — that you’re not going to be targeted by the Houthis,” Gryparis said.

Still, Gryparis said he could not guarantee that merchant ships won’t be attacked.

Some companies have been deterred from using the route because of the mission’s lack of ships, which can cause delays of as much as a week for those seeking to be escorted through the area, he said.

He said the mission has between two and three ships operating at one time and has requested the EU provide it with 10 ships to increase its capacity for protection.

The mission has provided close protection to 476 ships, shot down 18 drones, destroyed two remote-controlled boats used to attack ships and intercepted four ballistic missiles, he said.


How many hostages are left in Gaza?

How many hostages are left in Gaza?
Updated 05 June 2025
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How many hostages are left in Gaza?

How many hostages are left in Gaza?
  • Hostages still in captivity: 56, of whom Israel believes 33 are dead

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel has recovered the bodies of two hostages held in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli American Gad Haggai and Judih Weinstein — who was Israeli, American and Canadian — were killed during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack into southern Israel that ignited the war in Gaza. Their remains were returned to

Israel in a special operation by the army and the Shin Bet internal security agency, Netanyahu said.

Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages in the Oct. 7 attack. More than 54,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, have been killed in the ensuing conflict, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Here are details on the hostages:

Total hostages captured on Oct. 7, 2023: 251

Hostages taken before the Oct. 7 attack: 4, including 2 who entered Gaza in 2014 and 2015 and the bodies of 2 soldiers killed in the 2014 war

Hostages released in exchanges or other deals: 148, of whom 8 were dead

Bodies of hostages retrieved by Israeli forces: 43

Hostages rescued alive: 8

Hostages still in captivity: 56, of whom Israel believes 33 are dead. Netanyahu has said there are “doubts” about the fate of several more.

The hostages in captivity include: 5 non-Israelis ( 3 Thais, 1 Nepalese, 1 Tanzanian), of whom 3 (2 Thais and 1 Tanzanian) have been confirmed dead.

 


Egypt, Greece agree to protect status of Mount Sinai monastery, after court ruling

Egypt, Greece agree to protect status of Mount Sinai monastery, after court ruling
Updated 05 June 2025
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Egypt, Greece agree to protect status of Mount Sinai monastery, after court ruling

Egypt, Greece agree to protect status of Mount Sinai monastery, after court ruling
  • Egypt and Greece intend to move forward based on the long-standing tradition and the already established status of an emblematic monastery for its Greek Orthodox character of worship

ATHENS: Greece and Egypt have agreed to safeguard the status of one of the world’s oldest sites of Christian worship, foreign ministers of both countries said late on Wednesday, after an Egyptian court ruling last week cast uncertainty over its future.

The St. Catherine’s Monastery, at the foot of Egypt’s Mount Sinai, was founded in the 6th century and is the oldest Christian monastery still in use for its original function, says UNESCO, which has listed the area as a World Heritage site.

Revered by Christians, Muslims and Jews, the monastery is at the site where by Biblical tradition Moses received the Ten Commandments.

But last week, an Egyptian court ruling seen by Reuters ordered Orthodox monks to vacate several plots of land that the monks have used for years, including vineyards and gardens adjacent to the monastery compound, on the grounds that they were illegally sequestered, prompting a diplomatic flurry between Cairo and Athens over the site’s status.

“We agreed in the immediate future to work toward safeguarding the rights of the monastery, as well as its legal status,” Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said after meeting his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty in Cairo.

“Both Egypt and Greece intend to move forward based on the long-standing tradition and the already established status of an emblematic monastery for its Greek Orthodox character of worship.”

Abdelatty said that the ruling preserves the monastery’s profound spiritual value and religious standing, and confirmed that the monks would continue to have access to and use of the monastery and its religious and historical sites, according to a foreign ministry statement. With a long history of diplomatic ties, Greece and Egypt have deepened cooperation in recent years.

St. Catherine’s is a sprawling complex, and according to tradition it was built around a burning bush where God was said to have spoken to Moses as described in the Book of Exodus. Its library is one of the most extensive worldwide, containing some of the world’s earliest Christian manuscripts.