Jumblatt meets Ogero Employees' Union over job security concerns
Discussions focused on the situation of Ogero employees, particularly the implications of Law 431, especially Article 49, and its impact on job stability and the future of workers across all positions within the organization.
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L'Orient-Le Jour
4 days ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Druze leaders in Lebanon condemn execution in National Hospital of Sweida after video circulated
Druze leaders in Lebanon, including the Progressive Socialist Party, headed by MP Taymour Jumblatt, former minister and MP, Talal Arslan, and Sheikh Akl Sami Abi al-Mouna condemned the attack on the National Hospital in Sweida, southern Syria, in separate statements on Monday. A widely circulated video of a field execution inside the National Hospital in Sweida, southern Syria, carried out allegedly by government forces in mid-July has sparked widespread outrage on social media platforms. The video recorded by surveillance cameras at the National Hospital during clashes in mid-July, but circulated on social media platforms Sunday, shows individuals dressed in Syrian army and general security uniforms rounding up several members of the hospital's medical staff and forcing them to kneel. As the staff members were gathered, a young man is seen attempting to sit before one of the officers calls out to him, drags him, and another punches him in the face. The young man then tries to fight back, attempting to knock one of the officers down, but the others quickly intervene and restrain him. One of them then shoots him at point-blank range, killing him. Another officer then drags his body away in front of the rest of the staff. 'Barbaric act' The media office of Sheikh Akl said in a statement that the video "leaves no room for doubt that the heinous, inhumane, immoral and barbaric act committed by security personnel against a member of the hospital's medical staff requires an urgent and thorough investigation. Responsibilities must be clearly identified, and legal accountability enforced against those who committed this atrocity, as well as others responsible for the crimes and brutalities that occurred in the city and those behind them." The media office called on "relevant international bodies, human rights organizations, and specialized international institutions to examine the files related to the violations and assaults documented by images and videos against unarmed civilians, including elders, women, and children, and to take the necessary actions accordingly." It also praised the "U.N. Security Council's resolution regarding the accountability of all those responsible for acts of violence against civilians in Sweida and the need to bring them to justice." The PSP said in a statement that "these actions are, at the very least, devoid of humanity and morality." The party said that it was the first to call for the formation of a serious investigative committee into the assaults that took place in the Sweida Governorate, and for genuine accountability of those responsible — regardless of their affiliations." 'Repulsive and disgusting scenes' Arslan commented on the video on X Monday, saying that the "repulsive and disgusting scenes that reflect the extent of savagery and brutality carried out by individuals claiming to represent the General Security forces. This crime adds to the ongoing series of horrific atrocities they continue to commit against the people of Syria, regardless of their sectarian or ethnic background." "These perpetrators must be held accountable before the eyes of the entire world. If Syria is to remain unified in its diversity, they must be executed in Marjeh Square in Damascus — in front of the public and under the gaze of the Syrian, Arab, Islamic, and international communities — so they may serve as an example." In response, the Syrian Interior Ministry issued a statement saying: "The Ministry of Interior is following up on the distressing video circulating on social media, which is said to have been filmed inside the National Hospital in Sweida some time ago." The ministry added: "We strongly condemn this act in the harshest terms and affirm that the perpetrators will be held accountable and referred to the judiciary to receive their fair punishment, regardless of their affiliations." The ministry concluded its statement by saying: "Under the direction of the Minister of Interior, Major General Abdul Qader Al-Tahan, Assistant Minister for Security Affairs, has been assigned to directly oversee the investigation to ensure the perpetrators are identified and apprehended as swiftly as possible." The week of bloodshed began on July 13 with clashes between local Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes, but the violence rapidly escalated as it drew in outside forces, eventually killing some 1,400 people, many of them Druze civilians, according to a war monitor. Syrian authorities have said their forces intervened to stop the clashes, but witnesses, Druze factions and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights have accused them of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses against the Druze, including summary executions. Brutal videos have previously circulated on social media, with some appearing to show civilians killed at the hands of armed men in military or security forces uniforms.
L'Orient-Le Jour
30-07-2025
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Rumors, tension over Syrian Druze militia leader's whereabouts in Lebanon: What we know
BEIRUT — Dozens of angry people gathered in front of the Raj hotel in Aley on Tuesday night following rumors claiming that Syrian Druze military leader Laith al-Balous — who some accuse of being expelled from the Syrian city of Sweida over disputes with Druze factions — was staying there. However, Balous told the Saudi news channel Al-Hadath on Wednesday that he was still in the province of Sweida. A source at the establishment and another close to the main Druze political party, Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), told L'Orient Today on Wednesday that Sheikh al-Balous was not present at the scene. Earlier this month, clashes took place between Druze armed groups and Sunni Bedouin tribes in Sweida, backed by governmental forces, leading to massacres that killed more than 1,300 people, including hundreds of civilians. Al-Balous leads a Druze faction called the "forces of dignity," a group that split from the Men of Dignity (a federation of Druze tribes led by Laith's father, Wahid al-Balous). He has cooperated with Damascus and is seen as the regime's primary liaison in Sweida. During the clashes, he has facilitated the army's entry into Druze-held villages. However, after the regime forces pulled out from Sweida and reports of atrocities against Druze emerged, researcher Cédric Labrousse claimed that Laith "may fear for his life." Al-Balous in the Raj hotel? On Tuesday, reports on social media claimed that the Lebanese Army imposed a cordon around the Raj Hotel in Aley after the arrival of Laith al-Balous and that dozens of young men tried to storm the hotel amid gunfire. Contacted by L'Orient Today, a security source was "unable to confirm" these reports on Wednesday. Meanwhile, three mokhtars of Aley said they had no information on the alleged incident. The rumors intensified when the founder of the Druze Tawhid party and former minister Wiam Wahhab wrote on X on Tuesday: "We heard that party members brought a Sheikh, who was expelled from Sweida and pursued by the people [of the city], to Lebanon without stamping his papers at the border. We will follow up on this matter because it is dangerous and unacceptable, and we hope no one is trying to spark strife between people, as whoever is expelled from Sweida will not be welcomed here. The blood of our people is a red line, and whoever tampers with it will be punished." During the Sweida clashes, Wahhab, who says he does not oppose Israeli support to Druze factions in Syria, took a controversial stance, calling for the creation of a militia dubbed the 'Tawhid Army" to support the Druze community there militarily. In comments made to Al-Hadath, Balous stated that he was 'within the geographical boundaries of the province of Sweida' and that he was 'overseeing what is happening there.' Denying that he was in Lebanon, he claimed that these rumors 'were spread by figures with ties to ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Iran and Hezbollah,' in a probable reference to Wahhab. He finally accused 'certain parties,' without naming them, of 'wanting to push Lebanon into sedition.' Contacted by L'Orient Today on Wednesday, a source at the Raj Hotel said that the Lebanese army was dispatched to the hotel for two hours after around 100 men gathered near it. The source added that there was no attempt to storm the hotel and no gunfire took place. It noted that those who gathered in the area, as well as the Lebanese Army, left the premises after the latter confirmed that al-Balous was not in the hotel. PSP involved? A source close to PSP also denied the reports about the sheikh's stay at the Raj hotel and the alleged gunfire: "The rumor is not true, it is a fabrication," it said, noting that the army was present to prevent those who gathered near the hotel from approaching it. An X account, under the name of "Mira Medusa" claimed on Tuesday, without citing any source, that al-Balous was smuggled out through the hotel's parking garage, adding that he was secretly moved to the residence of PSP MP Akram Chehayeb in preparation for his transfer to Mukhtara in the Chouf, which is the political stronghold of the Joumblatt family. The source close to PSP denied these claims, saying that the party does not know anything about al-Balous nor does it have a direct relationship with him. The source added that, to its knowledge, the sheikh is not even in Lebanon. The PSP is politically opposed to Wiam Wahhab, who was a close ally of the Assad regime before its collapse in December 2024. While Wahhab is a strong critic of the new Syrian authorities, Walid Joumblatt, the former leader of PSP, has stressed the importance of preserving Syria's unity and promoting understanding among all its citizens under the authority of the Syrian state. These rumors take place as fears from a sectarian spillover from Syria to Lebanon are being voiced by several political leaders, notably Joumblatt, who has been calling for unity and calm.
L'Orient-Le Jour
28-07-2025
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Derian and Sunni religious leaders visit Joumblatt
BEIRUT — Former leader of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), Walid Joumblatt, on Monday received the grand mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian, who was accompanied by a delegation from Dar al-Fatwa at his home in Beirut's Clemenceau district. The head of the Lebanese Democratic Party, Talal Arslane, and other Sunni muftis from Lebanese regions were also present at the meeting, after which Sheikh Derian stated that it was "friendly and constructive" and that others would follow, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA.) This meeting between the Druze leader and the highest representative of Sunni Islam in Lebanon comes amid recent sectarian tensions that have led to clashes between Druze factions and Sunni Bedouin tribes, backed by forces of the Damascus government, which left more than 1,200 people dead in a week in the Sweida region of southern Syria. This latest episode of sectarian violence in the neighboring country had raised fears that these tensions could spill over into Lebanon. In a joint statement issued following their meeting, the participants reaffirmed their commitment to 'national and Islamic unity in the face of those who seek to harm Lebanon and sisterly Syria,' and rejected 'any attempt to sow discord.' They condemned the 'bloody clashes between Syrian brothers in the Sweida region,' calling them 'unacceptable and deplorable,' and expressed sorrow for 'the martyrs who fell during these painful events.' The signatories called on 'all Lebanese forces to work toward strengthening the state, its people, and its institutions, to unite in efforts to revive the state so that it can fully fulfill its unifying role, and to come together in confronting the Zionist aggression that targets Lebanon, Syria, and other Arab countries, in pursuit of its hostile goals and sectarian, ethnic, and confessional agendas, which serve only the enemies of our countries, societies, and Arab and Islamic nation.' They also praised the 'wise and patriotic positions of all Lebanese parties that have called for Syrian unity, the prevention of internal conflict, and the preservation of Syria's territorial integrity, with the same concern they express for Lebanon — its people, state, and institutions.' Finally, the statement emphasized the importance of 'Lebanon's sovereignty, freedom, Arab identity, and independence, as well as its cooperation with all fellow Arab nations and friendly states committed to Lebanon, its people, and its civilizational role in the region.'
