Abdallah introduces two bills concerning public sector employees
The first bill allows public sector contract workers to choose, at the end of their service, between a severance indemnity paid by the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), or a retirement pension.
The second bill enables civil servants employed and covered by the retirement system to 'accumulate their previous years of service' in public administration, the Lebanese University, Parliament or the Public Sector Employees' Cooperative, whether that service was permanent or temporary, contractual, daily, or on a per-task basis.
Civil servants held a strike in July after the government approved a series of pay raises for several categories of high-ranking officials, a move that several public sector unions described as 'contemptuous,' as public employees' salaries have still not been adjusted to their pre-2019 crisis levels, when the Lebanese pound underwent a severe depreciation.
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Nahar Net
4 hours ago
- Nahar Net
Barrack and Hezbollah offer condolences over army troops killed in blast
The Lebanese Army said a blast at a weapons depot near the Israeli border killed six soldiers on Saturday, with a military source saying the troops were removing munitions from a Hezbollah facility. Under the truce that ended last year's war between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanese troops have been deploying in the country's south and dismantling the Iran-backed militant group's infrastructure in the region. The deaths come after the Lebanese government decided this week to disarm Hezbollah and tasked the army with drawing up a plan to complete the process by year end. Hezbollah has said it will ignore the cabinet's decision, which came under heavy U.S. pressure, while the group's backer Iran said Saturday it opposed the effort. A military statement gave a preliminary toll of six soldiers killed "while an army unit was inspecting a weapons depot and dismantling its contents in Wadi Zibqin," in Tyre district near the Israeli border. Investigations were underway to determine the cause of the blast, it added. A military source, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to brief the media, told AFP the blast took place "inside a Hezbollah military facility." Troops were "removing munitions and unexploded ordnance left over from the recent war" when the blast occurred, the source added. President Joseph Aoun said he was informed by Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal of the "painful incident." Prime Minister Nawaf Salam paid tribute to the troops who were killed "while performing their national duty," calling the army the protector of Lebanon's "unity and its legitimate institutions." U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, who has led Washington's efforts to press for Hezbollah's disarmament, extended the administration's "deepest condolences" over the "loss of these brave servicemen." Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Ammar likewise offered his "sincerest condolences to the Lebanese Army." - 'Doing their job' - The commander of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Major General Diodato Abagnara, said the soldiers were "simply doing their job to restore stability and avoid a return to open conflict." The blast came days after UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti said troops had "discovered a vast network of fortified tunnels" in the same area. U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters that the troops uncovered a cache of artillery, rockets, mines and improvised explosive devices. In April, the Lebanese military said three soldiers were killed in a munitions blast, just days after another was killed in an explosion as troops dismantled mines in a tunnel. Under the November ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, arms are to be restricted to Lebanese state institutions. The government has tasked the army with presenting a plan by the end of August for disarming non-state actors. - Ongoing strikes - A senior adviser to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saturday that Tehran "is certainly opposed to the disarmament of Hezbollah." "Iran has always supported the people and the resistance of Lebanon and continues to do so." international affairs adviser Ali Akbar Velayati told Iran's Tasnim news agency. Lebanon's foreign ministry slammed the comments as "flagrant and unacceptable interference", reminding "the leadership in Tehran that Iran would be better served by focusing on the issues of its own people". On Thursday, the government discussed a U.S. proposal that includes a timetable for Hezbollah's disarmament. The government endorsed the introduction of the U.S. text without discussing specific timelines, and called for the deployment of Lebanese troops in border areas. It also called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from five areas of the south they continue to occupy. Israeli has kept up its strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon despite the truce and has vowed to continue them until the militant group has been disarmed. The Lebanese health ministry said one person was killed in an Israeli strike on Saturday on a vehicle in the town of Ainata near the border.
Ya Libnan
8 hours ago
- Ya Libnan
Lebanon's last chance: Disarm Hezbollah and cut ties with Iran
Funeral of the 6 Lebanese soldiers killed in blast at Hezbollah arms depot near the Israel border in South Lebanon By Ali Hussein, Lebanese politica analyst The killing of six Lebanese soldiers in Wadi Zibqin should shock the nation into action. These soldiers were not fighting an invading army—they were dismantling a Hezbollah weapons depot concealed in a residential neighborhood near the Israeli border. Their mission, part of the November ceasefire's disarmament mandate, ended in a deadly explosion that once again exposed the lethal cost of allowing an Iran-backed militia to operate above the law. According to the Lebanese Army, the soldiers died while dismantling the depot's contents. The fact that such stockpiles exist at all—let alone in civilian areas—confirms that Hezbollah's weapons are not only a threat to Israel but also to Lebanon itself. Every hidden cache is a potential bomb waiting to kill Lebanese soldiers, civilians, and children. Hezbollah is not merely a political party—it is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council, Canada, the UK, Germany, and several other nations. Its track record includes hijackings, bombings, assassinations, and serving as a proxy for Iran's regional military agenda. By keeping its own armed forces outside the control of the Lebanese state, Hezbollah undermines Lebanon's sovereignty and drags it into conflicts it did not choose. Lebanon must now take decisive action: cut off diplomatic relations with Iran, formally designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization under its own laws, and request direct international assistance—whether through the United Nations or allied nations—to disarm the group. Anything less is an abdication of the state's duty to protect its people and preserve its sovereignty. MP Pierre Bou Assi put it plainly: 'Disarming Hezbollah has become an absolute necessity, even by force. Its continued presence poses an existential threat to Lebanon.' He warned that the absence of a functioning state fuels instability and risks plunging Lebanon into civil war. If the state reclaims its authority, Hezbollah will have no choice but to surrender its arms—because disarmament is no longer optional, it is survival. For decades, Hezbollah's arms have dragged Lebanon into wars it did not choose—2006, Syria's war, and repeated border clashes. The group has hidden weapons in Beirut's port, in schools, and in family neighborhoods. Now, six soldiers have paid with their lives to dismantle just one of those arsenals. Lebanon cannot survive as both a state and a battleground for a militia's regional agenda. Either the Lebanese state finally takes full control of all weapons, or Hezbollah's weapons will control Lebanon's fate. The choice is stark, the time is now—and the cost of delay will be measured in more Lebanese lives.
Ya Libnan
9 hours ago
- Ya Libnan
Six soldiers killed — Lebanon must disarm Hezbollah before it's too late
By : Ya Libnan The killing of six Lebanese soldiers in Wadi Zibqin should shock the nation into action. These soldiers were not fighting an invading army—they were dismantling a Hezbollah weapons depot concealed in a residential neighborhood near the Israeli border. Their mission, part of the November ceasefire's disarmament mandate, ended in a deadly explosion that once again exposed the lethal cost of allowing an Iran-backed militia to operate above the law. Funeral of the 6 Lebanese soldiers killed in blast at Hezbollah arms depot near Israel border in South Lebanon According to the Lebanese Army, the soldiers died while dismantling the depot's contents. The fact that such stockpiles exist at all—let alone in civilian areas—confirms that Hezbollah's weapons are not only a threat to Israel but also to Lebanon itself. Every hidden cache is a potential bomb waiting to kill Lebanese soldiers, civilians, and children. Hezbollah is not merely a political party—it is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council, Canada, the UK, Germany, and several other nations. Its track record includes hijackings, bombings, assassinations, and serving as a proxy for Iran's regional military agenda. By keeping its own armed forces outside the control of the Lebanese state, Hezbollah undermines Lebanon's sovereignty and drags it into conflicts it did not choose. MP Pierre Bou Assi put it plainly: 'Disarming Hezbollah has become an absolute necessity, even by force. Its continued presence poses an existential threat to Lebanon.' He warned that the absence of a functioning state fuels instability and risks plunging Lebanon into civil war. If the state reclaims its authority, Hezbollah will have no choice but to surrender its arms—because disarmament is no longer optional, it is survival. For decades, Hezbollah's arms have dragged Lebanon into wars it did not choose—2006, Syria's war, and repeated border clashes. The group has hidden weapons in Beirut's port, in schools, and in family neighborhoods. Now, six soldiers have paid with their lives to dismantle just one of those arsenals. Lebanon cannot survive as both a state and a battleground for a militia's regional agenda. Either the Lebanese state finally takes full control of all weapons, or Hezbollah's weapons will control Lebanon's fate. The choice is stark, the time is now—and the cost of delay will be measured in more Lebanese lives.
