Raji holds talks with Egyptian counterpart, meets Italian Ambassador
The conversation focused on Egypt's efforts to curb Israel's continued escalation in southern Lebanon and to push for its withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory, in line with the cessation of hostilities agreement.
Minister Rajji also met with Italian Ambassador to Lebanon, Fabrizio Marcelli, on a courtesy visit. Discussions centered on strengthening Lebanese-Italian relations across various sectors.
Rajji expressed Lebanon's deep appreciation for Italy's consistent support, particularly its active role in UNIFIL and peacekeeping operations in southern Lebanon.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
L'Orient-Le Jour
2 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Lebanese Army denies conducting reconnaissance flights over Syria
The Lebanese Army denied, in a statement on Sunday, reports that it conducted reconnaissance flights over Syria to monitor possible military movements at the border. Online information circulating in recent days claimed that 'gangs' threatened to enter Lebanon and kidnap Lebanese soldiers, and reported that the army had flown over Syria to monitor these movements. 'Some media outlets and websites reported that the Lebanese Air Force is violating Syrian airspace in order to monitor military movements on the Syrian side in the border areas, in response to threats from armed Syrian groups to enter Lebanon and carry out security operations there. Army command clarifies that this information is entirely false,' the statement said. 'Military units are monitoring the situation along the border and taking the necessary measures to control and secure it,' noting contacts and coordination with the Syrian authorities 'to follow developments in the situation.' After the rumors about Syrian groups, Gebran Bassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), who has made opposing the new Syrian regime his latest cause, wrote on X that 'Lebanon is surrounded by extremist religious regimes, one wants a 'Greater Israel' and the other a 'Greater Syria.'' 'Our neighbors covet our land and others covet our decisions,' he added, expressing his desire for a 'Greater Lebanon, moderate and diverse.' Reports have circulated regularly, since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, about alleged Syrian ambitions to seize Lebanese territory, but these have been denied. At the end of March, the Lebanese and Syrian defense ministers met in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and agreed to strengthen security and military coordination along their shared border, which is 330 kilometers long, known to be porous, and where various trafficking activities are common. They also signed an agreement in principle to demarcate the border. On April 14, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam traveled to Damascus, where he met the new Syrian president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, to discuss, among other things, border security. In February and March, sporadic clashes took place between clans, reportedly close to Hezbollah, and the new Syrian authorities near border towns.
L'Orient-Le Jour
5 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
After Israeli strikes near Sanaa, Houthis announce 'complete air blockade' of Israel
Creation of a 'coalition of residents of southern border villages,' requesting state aid for reconstruction and compensation for families Presenting itself as "neither affiliated nor opposed to any political party," a "coalition of residents of southern border villages," formed for the occasion, organized a press conference at 11 a.m. in Kfar Jouz (Nabatieh). "We reject all rumors about buffer zones being emptied of their inhabitants, because this land has owners who will not abandon it." Denouncing the fact that "tens of thousands of displaced people are still scattered across the country, some still sheltering in schools," and that the "return rate does not exceed 10 percent of the pre-war population," the "coalition" addressed fourteen demands to the Lebanese state "and to all parties concerned," including the reconstruction of destroyed areas, the payment of compensation to victims, medical care and free education, the withdrawal of deposits blocked in banks, and the payment of a monthly amount of at least $300 per family as a housing allowance. "We will knock on every door and carry out all possible and available forms of mobilization, in a democratic, legal, positive and peaceful manner," the statement said. 14:36 Beirut Time Protests to end Gaza war strengthen Hamas's position Demonstrations in Israel demanding an end to the war in the Gaza Strip and the negotiated release of hostages are strengthening Hamas's position, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. "Those who call today for an end to the war without a defeat for Hamas not only strengthen Hamas's position and delay the release of our hostages, but also guarantee that the horrors of Oct. 7 will happen again and again, and that we will have to fight a war without end," Netanyahu said at the weekly cabinet meeting. Thousands of people took to the streets in Israel on Sunday to demand a ceasefire agreement guaranteeing the release of hostages kidnapped during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, on Israeli soil, which triggered the war. 18 Palestinians killed in Israeli bombings and gunfire The Civil Defense in Gaza said 18 people were killed and dozens were wounded Sunday in Israeli shelling and gunfire. Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesperson for the Civil Defense, told AFP that the dead included seven Palestinians killed at dawn by a drone strike in the courtyard of al-Maamadani Hospital in Gaza City, in the starving northern territory. According to witnesses, the victims were members of the Hamas-affiliated "Sahm Unit." This unit includes hundreds of security personnel and volunteers tasked with "providing aid and combating looters," according to Hamas sources. 13:25 Beirut Time 'For every person killed on Oct. 7, 50 Palestinians must die ... They need a Nakba from time to time,' says former Israeli military intelligence chief Aharon Haliva. In a series of undated recordings broadcast Friday evening by Israel's Channel 12 prime time network, former Israeli military intelligence chief Aharon Haliva, who resigned his post in April 2024, said that "the fact that there are already 50,000 dead in Gaza is necessary and required for future generations," Israeli media reported. "For everything that happened on Oct. 7, for every person killed on Oct. 7, 50 Palestinians must die," he said. "I don't say this out of revenge, but as a message to future generations." "They need a Nakba every now and then to feel the consequences. There is no alternative in this disturbed neighborhood," he added. 12:00 Beirut Time Israeli army announces bombing of Houthi 'energy site' The Israeli army announced this morning that it struck "an energy site" in the Sanaa region, used by Houthi rebels. The Israeli army "carried out this strike at a distance of some 2,000 kilometers from Israel, in the heart of Yemen, targeting an energy infrastructure site used by the terrorist Houthi regime," the army said in a statement. 12:00 Beirut Time Houthis announce 'complete air blockade' of Israel Shortly after the Israeli strike on Sanaa, the Houthi military spokesperson announced "the imposition of a complete air blockade of Israel," saying it was acting "in response to the intensification of operations in Gaza." "We will act to enforce this blockade by repeatedly targeting airports, particularly Lod Airport, known as Ben-Gurion," the spokesperson said, in comments reported by Al Jazeera. Following the threats, Israeli Channel 12 reported that Air Europa, Spain's third-largest airline, canceled all of its flights scheduled for Monday between Madrid and Tel Aviv. Protests in Israel demand the release of Gaza hostages Demonstrations have begun in several Israeli cities calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in the Gaza Strip and secure an agreement for the release of the hostages held there. A huge Israeli flag, adorned with portraits of the kidnapped, was unfurled in Tel Aviv's "Hostage Square," which has become iconic since the start of the war. Sunday's demonstration comes as Israel announced it was preparing to take control of Gaza City and neighboring refugee camps with the stated goal of defeating the Palestinian movement and freeing the hostages. This announcement has sparked fears among hostage families in Israel, who fear the operation could result in the deaths of their loved ones. US suspends humanitarian visas for Gazans The State Department announced yesterday that it was suspending medical visas for Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip pending an investigation, after a far-right influencer, who has Donald Trump's ear, denounced this humanitarian policy. "All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are suspended while we conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used in recent days to grant a small number of temporary medical and humanitarian visas," the State Department said on X. This announcement by the State Department, headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, follows social media posts by Laura Loomer, a far-right journalist and influencer. She announced Friday that she complained to Republican congressmen about the arrival of Palestinians from Gaza to the United States who "work for pro-Hamas Islamic organizations ... affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and funded by Qatar." 12:00 Beirut Time Sharaa meets Patriarch Yazigi In Syria, President Ahmad al-Sharaa met the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, John X Yazigi, in Damascus yesterday, the presidency reported on Telegram. The two men discussed the "role of the Church" in consolidating national unity in Syria and preserving civil peace. This meeting took place nearly two months after the attack on the Saint Elijah Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus on June 22, which left 25 dead and 63 injured. The attack was claimed a few days later by a mysterious Syrian jihadist group calling itself "Saraya Ansar al-Sunna" ("Brigade of Supporters of the Sunnis"). Syrian authorities blamed the Islamic State.
Nahar Net
8 hours ago
- Nahar Net
Report: Aoun to ask Barrack to implement some of Lebanon's demands
by Naharnet Newsdesk 17 August 2025, 12:01 President Joseph Aoun insists on implementing the government's decisions on arms monopolization and his firmness is not aimed at clashing with any component, Kuwait's al-Anbaa newspaper quoted his visitors as saying. 'The Lebanese presidency will propose to U.S. envoy Tom Barrack -- who will be joined by Morgan Ortagus on his visit to Beirut on Monday -- that some of the Lebanese demands be achieved, especially as to the Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory and securing the northern border with Syria, while acknowledging in advance that a full Israeli withdrawal seems to be unlikely,' the visitors added.
