BEIRUT, July 31 (Xinhua) — A Lebanese warplane struck the Islamic State group (IS) posts in the outskirts of Ras Baalbeck Monday, which resulted in injuries of the militants, the local LBCI TV reported. The strikes come following reports that the Lebanese Army has reinforced areas around the northeastern towns of Ras Baalbeck and Al-Qaa […]
by Philip Issa, The Associated Press – BEIRUT – Hezbollah and a Syrian affiliate to Al-Qaida exchanged the bodies of dead fighters along the Lebanese-Syrian border on Sunday in the first stage of an agreement to restore order to a contested frontier zone. The al-Qaida-linked Fatah al-Sham Front is expected to leave the border region in the coming stages, following two weeks of battles with Hezbollah and the Syrian army. But the Front announced Sunday it had captured three Hezbollah fighters, one day after Hezbollah admitted a group had gone missing in the Arsal border region. It was not immediately clear whether the revelation would affect the deal underway to resettle the Fatah al-Sham Front. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah handed over the bodies of nine al-Qaida fighters in exchange for the bodies of five of its own, according to the Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV station. Lebanese Red Cross spokesman George Kattani says a woman and child were also handed over to the al-Qaida affiliate, known as the Nusra Front and recently rebranded as Fatah al-Sham Front. The exchange, like the battles that preceded it, underscores Hezbollah’s clout in regional affairs as it clears the border of al-Qaida and Islamic State group militants, with the Lebanese government largely a bystander. U.S. President Donald Trump credited the Lebanese government with standing up to Hezbollah, last week, but the Lebanese Army assumed a defensive position behind Hezbollah lines in the course of the battles in the Arsal badlands. Hezbollah is also a member of Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s government. The U.S. classifies Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. The Syrian military provided air support to Hezbollah’s ground operations around Arsal.
Hezbollah’s Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah, said in a speech Wednesday his fighters fought “shoulder to shoulder” with Syrian soldiers on the Syrian side of the border. Twenty-six Hezbollah fighters and between 47 and 90 Al-Qaida fighters were killed in the fighting, Hezbollah media officials told reporters on a tour of the Arsal badlands on Saturday. The fighting ended with a cease-fire Thursday for negotiations to allow refugees, fighters, and family members to leave to Syria’s northwest Idlib province, leaving Hezbollah and the Lebanese and Syrian states in control of this corner of the border. Up to 9,000 Syrians could be seeking resettlement, al-Manar reported.
.- The Middle East needs peace, human rights, and the continued presence of Christians, a Holy See diplomat told the U.N. Security Council Tuesday. “Christian communities have existed for over two thousand years in that region and have peacefully coexisted with the other communities. The Holy See urges the international community, through the Security Council, not to forget them,” Monsignor Simon Kassas, interim chargé d’affaires of the Holy See’s permanent observer mission to the United Nations, said July 25.
“The Holy See believes that the rule of law, including respect for religious freedom and equality before the law based on the principle of citizenship and regardless of one’s race, ethnic origin or religion, is fundamental toward the achievement and maintenance of the peaceful and fruitful coexistence among individuals, communities and nations in the whole region and beyond,” he continued. Msgr. Kassas spoke in an intervention during the U.N. Security Council’s open debate on “The Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question.” He voiced the Holy See’s regret at the loss of lives and property in wars and conflict in the Middle East, particularly in Syria, Yemen, and Iraq. In these places “the dramatic humanitarian situation calls for renewed commitment by all to arrive at a political solution to these conflicts.”
The diplomat said Pope Francis “deeply appreciates the tireless efforts of those toiling to find a political solution to the conflict in Syria.” “He encourages all actors to work toward a Syrian-led political process leading to a peaceful and inclusive transition,” the monsignor said, stressing the benefits of a peaceful settlement that will restore stability, allow for the safe return of refugees and others who are displaced. Peace in Syria will also create an environment for effective counter-terrorism efforts and maintain “the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian state.”
Turning to the Israeli-Palestine conflict, Msgr. Kassas said the Palestinian question is debated four times a year and this debate sometimes sounds like “broken records,” but this will continue until a solution is found. He added: “notwithstanding the multiple challenges facing the Middle East today, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process cannot be allowed to slip out of the top priorities of the international community and this council.” The Holy See voiced support for a two-state solution in which both the Israel and a Palestinian state exist side-by-side “in peace within internationally recognized borders.”
Editor: Mu Xuequan – BEIRUT, July 28 (Xinhua) — Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun stressed Friday that Lebanon was fully committed to the implementation of all the provisions of United Nations’ Security Council Resolution 1701. According to a statement by the presidential media office, Aoun told UN Special Coordinator Sigrid Kaag that “our country is fully […]
The meeting, held at IMF headquarters in Washington, was followed by an expanded one attended by Central Bank Gov. Riad Salameh, Lebanese Charge d’Affaires in Washington Carla Jazzar, Hariri adviser Nadim Munla, and a number of high-ranking officials at the IMF. Hariri’s meeting with Lagarde also tackled the repercussions of the Syrian refugee crisis for Lebanon. “Views were identical between the Lebanese vision on how to deal with the impact of displacement and the recommendation of the IMF that focuses on implementing an investment program in infrastructure to stimulate growth and create new job opportunities,” the statement said. It added that the IMF had issued a recommendation identical to the Lebanese government’s vision and policy on dealing with the presence of more than 1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
During the meeting, Hariri asked the IMF to conduct a study to define the negative impact of the Syrian displacement on the Lebanese state’s budget, the statement added. There are an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees living in Lebanon, according to government estimates, straining the country’s battered economy and weak infrastructure. Before leaving Washington Friday, Hariri met with Sens. James Lankford and Jeff Merkley on Capitol Hill. Discussions with the two senators focused on the legislation related to Lebanon being studied by Congress, a statement issued by Hariri’s office said, referring to the anti-Hezbollah sanctions.
Hariri also met with a delegation from the American Task Force for Lebanon headed by its president, Edward Gabriel. The meeting covered various aspects of the situation in Lebanon, the statement said. Hariri also visited Capitol Hill Thursday, meeting with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by Sen. Bob Corker with ranking member Sen. Ben Cardin. He was joined by Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil and other members of the Lebanese delegation. “Discussions focused on the situation in Lebanon and Lebanese-U.S. relations,” the statement said. Hariri had earlier met with House minority leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, House majority leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Rep. Ed Royce and Rep. Liz Cheney.
by https://phys.org – In the most recent whole-genome study of ancient remains from the Near East, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute scientists and their collaborators sequenced the entire genomes of 4,000-year-old Canaanite individuals who inhabited the region during the Bronze Age, and compared these to other ancient and present-day populations. The results, published today (27 July) in the American Journal of Human Genetics suggest that present-day Lebanese are direct descendants of the ancient Canaanites.The Near East is often described as the cradle of civilisation. The Bronze Age Canaanites, later known as the Phoenicians, introduced many aspects of society that we know today – they created the first alphabet, established colonies throughout the Mediterranean and were mentioned several times in the Bible. However, historical records of the Canaanites are limited. They were mentioned in ancient Greek and Egyptian texts, and the Bible which reports widespread destruction of Canaanite settlements and annihilation of the communities. Experts have long debated who the Canaanites were genetically, what happened to them, who their ancestors were and if they had any descendants today.
In the first study of its kind, scientists have uncovered the genetics of the Canaanite people and a firm link with people living in Lebanon today. The team discovered that more than 90 per cent of present-day Lebanese ancestry is likely to be from the Canaanites, with an additional small proportion of ancestry coming from a different Eurasian population. Researchers estimate that new Eurasian people mixed with the Canaanite population about 2,200 to 3,800 years ago at a time when there were many conquests of the region from outside.
By RT President Trump agreed with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri they will continue to fight terrorism. Falling short of mentioning funding for military support, the president talked only of continued humanitarian support of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Trump told Hariri at a White House news conference on Tuesday the US has helped Lebanon […]
by Alanna Martinez • Observer.com – A private art organization in Beirut has big plans for the city’s downtown: Come 2020, the area will become home to the city’s largest art museum. The Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation has announced plans to build a 10,000- to 15,000-square-meter institution to house its 4,000-piece Modern and […]
by lebaneseexaminer.com = The average starting cost for apartments under construction in Beirut vary from $2,000 to $8,500 per square meter, according to a new study conducted by a Beirut-based real estate advisory firm. The firm RAMCO studied apartment asking prices in 67 Beirut neighborhoods, including popular downtown districts such as Saifi Village and Manara. According to the study, between 2016 and 2017, prices have dropped in 34 out of the 67 Beirut neighborhoods, especially in central neighborhoods between Bachoura and Kaskas. But researchers say there has not been a significant drop in apartment prices in the highest tier of the market. The most expensive neighborhoods, Manara and Saifi Village, have the same asking price as last year.
SEE MAP OF BEIRUT’S MOST EXPENSIVE NEIGHBORHOODS:
The Daily Star BEIRUT: Prime Minister Saad Hariri Monday began his U.S. visit by meeting several senior U.S. officials and politicians to discuss Lebanese and regional matters ahead of his meeting with President Donald Trump later this week. According to a statement from the PM’s media office, Hariri met with Chris Brose, Staff Director at the […]