Lebanon reportedly receives US response to its paper amid positive atmosphere
A presidential committee tasked with responding to Tom Barrack's paper convened Tuesday at the Baabda Palace to discuss the U.S. response to the Lebanese paper, which was received by Beirut on Monday, TV networks reported.
The U.S. response 'includes applause of a host of articles contained in the Lebanese response, while asking for clarifications regarding timetables and executive mechanisms related to the arms issue, which means that the Lebanese side has started preparing executive mechanisms,' Al-Jadeed TV said.
Washington has given Lebanon 'until the end of the current year and this point in specific will be discussed with Barrack when he returns' to Lebanon, the TV network added quoted official sources as saying.
The sources added that 'the atmosphere is positive, especially that the Lebanese response is based on synchronized steps and successive stages.'
Sources informed on the Lebanese response meanwhile told MTV that the Lebanese paper 'included a comprehensive agreement that entire Lebanon will commit to, amid optimism that Barrack will carry a positive response from the Israeli side.'
'Communication between President Joseph Aoun and Tom Barrack is taking place on a daily basis and the file is being delicately followed up,' Baabda Palace sources told MTV.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
L'Orient-Le Jour
4 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
At least 6 Lebanese soldiers killed in an explosion in a tunnel near Majdal Zoun
At least seven Lebanese soldiers were killed in an ammunition explosion in the Wadi Hassan area near Majdal Zoun, in the Sour district of southern Lebanon, our correspondent in the south reports, citing local residents. The blast also injured several troops. According to residents, it appears that a group of soldiers entered a tunnel containing ammunition, which then exploded. Our correspondent specifies that four of the soldiers killed were part of the 5th Brigade, and two belonged to the engineering regiment. The injured were quickly transferred to regional hospitals to receive necessary medical care. The Lebanese Army has not yet officially commented on the tragedy. Salam's tribute Prime Minister Nawaf Salam paid tribute on X (formerly Twitter) to the fallen soldiers. 'With great pain, Lebanon mourns the sons of its valiant army who fell as martyrs in the South while fulfilling their national duty.' 'All of Lebanon, state and people, bows in homage to their sacrifices and precious blood, which reaffirm that our army is the guarantor of security, the bulwark of sovereignty, and the protector of the nation's unity and its legitimate institutions,' he wrote. Demining operations Since the end of the war between Israel and Hezbollah, the troops have continued deploying thousands of soldiers south of the Litani River, a region from which the party-militia is also expected to withdraw as stipulated in the cease-fire agreement that came into effect at the end of November 2024, ending over 13 months of conflict. Despite the truce, Israeli violations continue almost daily, with strikes and fire from the Israeli army, which still occupies five positions in Lebanese territory. Since the start of the truce, the Lebanese army has been conducting demining operations in areas bombarded by Israel. On several occasions, the troops have had to unearth ammunition and missiles buried underground after passing through buildings that were hit. The army also reports nearly daily detonations of munitions explosions in its training fields. On Thursday, the French army's general staff and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced that the Blue Helmets and the Lebanese army discovered in southern Lebanon a 'network' of Hezbollah tunnels as well as weapons and hundreds of munitions. Last April, three Lebanese soldiers were killed and five civilians injured in an explosion of munitions being transported in a van belonging to the Lebanese Army's engineering department in Breiké, in the Nabatieh region. Additionally, automatic gunfire was reportedly fired on Saturday from the Israeli site known as the 'radar' located on the Shebaa Farms — part of the Syrian Golan Heights annexed by Israel and disputed between Damascus, Beirut, and Tel Aviv — towards its surroundings, according to our correspondent. According to a tally by L'Orient Today, based on figures from the U.N. and the Ministry of Health, the number of people killed in Lebanon by Israeli attacks, strikes, and fire amounts to at least 302 deaths since the ceasefire came into effect. This adds to the 4,047 deaths and 16,638 injuries officially recorded by the Ministry of Health in a report published in early December.
L'Orient-Le Jour
4 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Civil Defense reports 10 Palestinians killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes
The spokesperson for Gaza Strip's Civil Defense, Mahmoud Bassal, reported Saturday that 10 people were killed, including eight by Israeli army fire near aid centers in the Palestinian territory. At least six bodies, including that of a child, were transferred to Al-Awda hospital in the Nusseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, along with 30 injured, Bassal told AFP. The victims were targeted by Israeli gunfire during gatherings of civilians near an aid distribution point operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) on the main Salah al-Din road in central Gaza, Bassal said. Two others, including a woman, were shot dead by Israeli forces near another aid center northwest of Rafah in southern Gaza, according to the same source. Witnesses said several thousand people gathered Saturday morning around GHF aid centers — supported by the U.S. and Israel — in central Gaza and in areas west of Rafah and Khan Younis in the south, hoping to receive food supplies. A woman was also killed by an airstrike 'that targeted an apartment across from Al-Khair hospital' in Khan Younis, the Civil Defense spokesperson said. A young man was killed by a missile fired from an Israeli drone that targeted a group of civilians near Abu Helou school, which shelters displaced people in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, Bassal added. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the reports. Restrictions imposed by Israel on media access, as well as difficulties on the ground amid its siege of Gaza since the war against Hamas began, have prevented AFP from independently verifying information from all parties.
L'Orient-Le Jour
4 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
'Cairo and Ankara agree on the need to end the Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon,' Egyptian Foreign Minister says
Egypt and Turkey have agreed on the need to end the Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aaty said in a joint statement on Saturday. Israel continues to occupy five points in southern Lebanon and has carried out almost daily attacks there since a ceasefire on Nov. 27 ended nearly 13 months of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. Israel has also launched attacks in the Bekaa Valley and the southern suburbs of Beirut since the cease-fire. On Thursday, the Lebanese government adopted the 'objectives' of a U.S. envoy Tom Barrack's roadmap, setting a deadline to restore the state's monopoly on arms by the end of the year. Abdel Aaty highlighted that relations between Egypt and Turkey are entering a crucial phase of strategic convergence. He noted that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi discussed regional issues with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during his visit. Both countries emphasized the importance of addressing the situation in Gaza, opposing Israeli actions, and reaffirmed their support for the Palestinian right to establish an independent state. Meanwhile, amid international criticism, Israel's army prepared to take control of Gaza City to defeat Hamas and secure the release of hostages, while also distributing humanitarian aid to civilians outside combat zones. Egypt and Turkey also expressed their desire for Syria's stability across its entire territory. After a visit to Damascus, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan praised Syria's efforts since the ousting of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December and expressed interest in deepening ties. Turkey has built close relations with Syria's current authorities, who are working to attract investment for reconstructing infrastructure damaged during the country's civil war.
