US congressman discusses with Syrian president return of body of American killed in Syria
Hamadeh's visit to Syria comes as a search has been underway in remote parts of the country for the remains of people who were killed by the Islamic State group that once controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat six years ago.
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News24
28 minutes ago
- News24
Lebanon president tells Iran security chief he 'rejects all interference'
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun rejected Iran's involvement in Lebanese affairs, highlighting opposition to Hezbollah's disarmament plans. Iran vowed continued support for Hezbollah, criticising external influence and the army's disarmament deadline for the group. Hezbollah's power weakened post the 2024 Israel conflict, with the Lebanese government moving to restrain its influence. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told Iran's visiting security chief on Wednesday that he rejected any interference in the country's internal affairs, branding as 'unconstructive' Iran's statements on plans to disarm Hezbollah. Iran's Supreme National Security Council chief Ali Larijani's visit comes after the Lebanese government ordered the army to devise plans by the end of 2025 to disarm the Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Following his arrival in Beirut, Larijani vowed that his government would continue to provide support after it expressed opposition to the disarmament plan. 'We reject any interference in our internal affairs,' Aoun said, adding that 'it is forbidden for anyone... to bear arms and to use foreign backing as leverage', according to a statement from the Lebanese presidency posted on X. Iran and its so-called 'axis of resistance' have suffered a series of blows in their long-running rivalry with Israel. Iran and Israel went to war in June, with the United States stepping in briefly to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities. Hezbollah suffered devastating losses, including the death of its leader Hassan Nasrallah, in a year of hostilities with Israel that ended with a November 2024 ceasefire. A month later, Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, was ousted, depriving Hezbollah of its main conduit for weapons and supplies from Iran. Iran has declared its firm opposition to the Lebanese government's bid to disarm Hezbollah, while the movement itself has slammed the decision as a 'grave sin'. In Beirut, Larijani said that no foreign power should give orders to Lebanon, adding that it was not Iran but the United States that was intervening. Still, he implied Hezbollah should remain involved in state matters. READ | Anti-colonial allies: South Africa deepens ties with Iran amid strained US relations 'Any decision that the Lebanese government makes in consultation with the resistance is respected by us,' he said, while criticising the December deadline for the army to devise plans for Hezbollah's disarmament. 'The one who interferes in Lebanese affairs is the one who plans for you, gives you a timetable from thousands of kilometres away. We did not give you any plan.' Weakening grip Before the war with Israel, Hezbollah was believed to be better armed than the Lebanese military. It long maintained it had to keep its arsenal to defend Lebanon from attack, but critics accused it of using its weapons for political leverage. In Beirut, Larijani vowed continued support. Larijani told reporters: If... the Lebanese people are suffering, we in Iran will also feel this pain and we will stand by the dear people of Lebanon in all circumstances. In addition to President Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Larijani was due to meet parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who is close to Hezbollah. He was also expected to visit the grave of Nasrallah, who was killed in a massive Israeli bombing in south Beirut last year. Hezbollah's grip on power has slipped since the ceasefire with Israel, and the new Lebanese government, backed by the United States, has moved to further restrain it. Iran's 'axis of resistance' is a network of armed groups in the region, including Hamas in Gaza and Yemen's Huthi rebels, united in their opposition to Israel.
Wall Street Journal
an hour ago
- Wall Street Journal
Israel's Military Chief Under Fire From Netanyahu Government
TEL AVIV—Tension is growing between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin's government and the head of the country's military, whom some ministers see as out of step with a plan to expand the war in Gaza after 22 months of fighting. Israeli lawmakers in recent days have stepped up public criticism of the military's chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, who pushed back against a plan to take over Gaza in a security cabinet meeting last week, a person familiar with the matter said.
Forbes
2 hours ago
- Forbes
Israel's Energy Influence Expands Even During Gaza War
Nearly two years after the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023, and the resulting Gaza war that has further isolated Israel diplomatically, the Jewish State announced the largest export deal in its history. NewMed Energy, in connection with Leviathan Partners, announced that it had signed a $35 billion deal to export natural gas from Israel's offshore Leviathan natural gas field to Egypt. The off taker will be Blue Ocean Energy, who will import that gas into Egypt until approximately 2040. The transaction, which will involve the drilling of new wells and the connection of new pipelines to Egypt, deepens the ties between the two nations that border Gaza at a time of extreme stress between them. In fact, the Gaza war has infuriated many in Egypt, but Egypt has so far refused to accept any Gaza refugees or allow more aid to flow from Egypt into Gaza. Regardless of the feelings of many Egyptians, its ruler, General Al-Sisi, understands that his country needs energy. The cheapest and easiest place to find it is in the Leviathan Field. As a result, political considerations like the future of Gaza give way to the everyday needs of the Egyptian people, who struggle to advance, if not simply survive, without a reliable energy supply. The deal involves the sale of approximately 130 bcm of natural gas to Egypt over the next 15 years, which is approximately equal to two years of supply for the Arab nation. To accomplish this, NewMed will increase its sale of gas to Egypt from 4.5 bcm to 6.5 bcm later this year or early next year, a move that will save Egypt an enormous amount of money. A political aspect of the deal is that it shows the centrality of energy in the Middle Eastern region, something of which Lebanon is sure to take note. In 2022, Israel and Lebanon reached an agreement on developing the offshore Karish gas field in Israeli waters and the adjacent Qana gas field in Lebanese waters. While Hezbollah has threatened to torpedo that deal and some Israelis have discussed terminating it as well due to Hezbollah's shelling of northern Israel following October 7, the agreement remains. Now, as Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has been openly discussing disarming Hezbollah, natural gas remains available to Lebanon on which to rebuild its shattered economy. To summarize, despite massive political support in the West, the Palestinians remain extremely isolated in their home region. Egypt's move further amplifies how mere rhetorical support for the Gazans only goes so far. As much as Israeli military pressure may eventually wear down Hamas, it may ultimately be Arab economic needs that finally force Hamas to reevaluate its position of seeming to be willing to "fight to the bitter end,' no matter the cost.
