
17 Jul 2025 18:05 PM Berri cables Iraqi Prime Minister offering condolences over Iraq's Kut fire victims
"With feelings of sadness and sympathy, we received the news of the painful tragedy that befell Iraq as a result of the horrific fire that occurred in the city of Kut in Wasit Governorate, where dozens of people were killed and wounded. In the name of the Lebanese people and the Parliament, I share with you, the brotherly Iraqi people, and the families of the victims the sincerest condolences, asking God Almighty to have mercy upon the victims, to grant the wounded speedy recovery, and to bless Iraq with security, safety, and stability,' Speaker Berri said in his cable.
Speaker Berri also sent a similar cable to Iraqi Parliament Speaker, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Nahar Net
2 hours ago
- Nahar Net
Diplomatic circles 'dissatisfied' with 'slow' progress in Hezbollah disarmament, report says
by Naharnet Newsdesk 5 hours U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack and Saudi envoy to Lebanon Yazid bin Farhan have agreed on the need for arms monopoly in Lebanon, diplomatic sources told local al-Jadeed TV channel. The sources said several diplomatic circles are dissatisfied with the Lebanese authorities "slow" and lenient approach in implementing international demands, including reforms and Hezbollah's disarmament. On Sunday, Barrack warned that "the credibility of Lebanon's government rests on its ability to match principle with practice." He said in a post on X that it is critical that "the state has a monopoly on arms", attaching to his post an English-language news story from the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, in which the daily quoted President Joseph Aoun as saying that "things are moving at a slow pace" with Hezbollah.


Nahar Net
2 hours ago
- Nahar Net
Geagea warns of 'bad summer' if Hezbollah disarmament delayed
by Naharnet Newsdesk 7 hours Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea warned, in an interview published Tuesday in Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, of more delays regarding Hezbollah's disarmament. "We'll definitely have a bad summer, if things go on like this," he said, accusing Hezbollah of only bringing harm and destruction to the country, and urging cabinet to immediately convene and take a strict decision concerning the group's arms. Geagea said all armed groups must be disbanded within a period of one to four months, criticizing the president and prime minister's leniency. "There are at least $10 billion worth of Arab investments in Syria now while we are here waiting for (Speaker Nabih) Berri and for (U.S. special envoy Thomas) Barrack's visits," he said, urging President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to take action instead of going to Berri, a Hezbollah ally and key mediator, and wait for his feedback after the latter consults with Hezbollah. Geagea said Lebanon must focus on its relations with Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia and Western countries, led by the United States. "These friends are telling us clearly, both publicly and in closed-door meetings, that the situation cannot continue as it is." "We are at risk of our friends turning their backs on us," he warned, explaining that only Lebanon's good relations with the Gulf, the U.S. and Europe can protect Lebanon from Israel, and not Hezbollah's arms.


L'Orient-Le Jour
2 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Clashes between Syrian clan and government forces in village on Lebanese border
Clashes broke out Monday night between the Syrian Abu Jabal clan and members of the Syrian army in the Syrian village of al-Masriya, on the border with Lebanon, according to information from L'Orient-Le Jour's correspondent in the region. The clashes took place exclusively in Syrian territory. The gunfire, which caused several injuries, could be heard as far as Lebanon, in border areas around Hermel, for a little over an hour, as confirmed by a former member of the municipal council of the Lebanese border village of Qasr. The fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 triggered a spike in violence on Lebanon's northeastern border with Syria, between Lebanese clans and Syrian forces. These tensions have not reoccurred since the Lebanese Army intervened in the region on March 17 and the cease-fire that took effect that same evening. In Syria, restoring security across the country is the most urgent challenge for the new government under President Ahmad Al-Sharaa. In March, in the Alawite stronghold on the Syrian coast, massacres killed around 1,700 people, mostly Alawite civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). In the south of the country as well, a week of deadly violence beginning July 12 between Druze and Bedouin tribes, which escalated with the intervention of government forces who backed the Bedouin, killed more than 1,400, mostly Druze, according to SOHR.