Source: Agence France Presse
The official website of the Kataeb Party leader
Security & Justice
Mawlawi Ensures Strict Monitoring for Wanted Syrian Regime Figures at Beirut Airport
Caretaker Minister of Interior, Bassam Mawlawi, conducted an inspection tour of Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut to review the security arrangements and measures implemented by the Airport Security Apparatus ahead of the holiday season.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Hezbollah Faces Internal Criticism Over Missing Fighters and Captured Prisoners
Hezbollah is grappling with increasing internal and external pressure as the fate of over 1,000 of its fighters remains uncertain following the recent war with Israel, Asharq al-Awsat newspaper revealed.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Opinion
Lebanon After the Assads
The United States has important equities in Lebanon, including a desire for a generally friendly government’s economic and political stability; security cooperation; long-standing relations with the large Christian community in Lebanon and Lebanese diaspora in the United States; and ultimately peace between Israel and Lebanon within a broader regional settlement. Achieving these objectives will require navigating a tumultuous period in the country’s history following a war between Hezbollah and Israel that has devastated a large part of the country, exacerbating Lebanon’s already challenging economic conditions. But perhaps the most important dynamic will be how a likely Sunni-dominated state of uncertain composition in Syria will differ in its intentions toward Lebanon from the previous Alawite-led minoritarian Assad regime.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Europe’s Syrian Dilemma
The news of the sudden and unexpected demise of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria has met a mixed response in Europe. The jubilation that a murderous dictator and close ally of Russia and Iran has fallen is not just good for the Syrian people but serves as a morale booster for Eastern Europeans wondering whether Russia can be defeated
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Sports
Cristiano Ronaldo Unveils New Private Jet Worth $73 Million
Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the richest global athletes, has unveiled his upgraded private jet reportedly worth $73 million. With its top-notch design, exceptional speed and range of 7500 nautical miles, the Gulfstream G650 is among the fastest jets in the world.
Monday, December 16, 2024
Guardiola Accepts Man City May Need to Sign More Players to Cope with Schedule
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes he will need a bigger squad to handle soccer’s ever-expanding fixture schedule.
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Tuesday 20 August 2024 10:08:05
Blinken Heads to Egypt on Gaza Truce Push
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed to Egypt Tuesday for talks on a Gaza ceasefire as he pushes Hamas to accept a deal.
Blinken, who met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday, will afterward head to Qatar, which along with Egypt is brokering negotiations for a truce in the 10-month Gaza conflict.
His departure from Tel Aviv came as an Israeli kibbutz community announced the death in captivity in Gaza of 79-year-old hostage Avraham Munder, underlining the urgency of a truce and hostage release deal.
Kibbutz Nir Oz said Munder had endured “physical and mental torture for months” and called his death “murder.” There was no immediate comment from his captors.
The top US diplomat flew to El Alamein, the Mediterranean city famous for a World War II battle in 1942, to speak to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at his summer palace.
He will then head to meet Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, in Doha, the scene of ceasefire talks last week.
At the Doha negotiations, the United States presented proposals to bridge the gaps between Israel and Hamas and seal the May 31 ceasefire blueprint laid out by President Joe Biden, who has faced growing domestic criticism over the war.
Blinken said Monday that Israel has accepted the US proposal and that he would speak to Egypt and Qatar to gauge the reaction of Hamas, which has no direct relationship with the United States as it considers the militants a terrorist group.
“There is, I think, a real sense of urgency here, across the region, on the need to get this over the finish line and to do it as soon as possible,” Blinken said Monday in Tel Aviv.
“The United States is deeply committed to getting this job done, to getting it done now.”
Blinken said on Monday that the ceasefire proposal could be the “last chance” as he raised pressure for a deal.
He played down a public rejection by Hamas of the modifications in the latest proposal and said Israel was ready to send a delegation to new talks later this week, which the United States previously said would take place in Cairo.
A series of reports, however, say that Israel has raised new conditions in recent talks, including insisting on control of the Gaza border with Egypt that Israel seized from Hamas.