Latest news with #LailaBassam
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hezbollah seeks boost in Lebanon vote as disarmament calls grow
By Laila Bassam and Emilie Madi NABATIEH, Lebanon (Reuters) - Amid the rubble left by Israeli bombardment of south Lebanon, campaign posters urge support for Hezbollah in elections on Saturday as the group aims to show it retains political clout despite the pounding it took in last year's war. For Hezbollah, the local vote is more important than ever, coinciding with mounting calls for its disarmament and continued Israeli airstrikes, and as many of its Shi'ite Muslim constituents still suffer the repercussions of the conflict. Three rounds of voting already held this month have gone well for the Iran-backed group. In the south, many races won't be contested, handing Hezbollah and its allies early wins. "We will vote with blood," said Ali Tabaja, 21, indicating loyalty to Hezbollah. He'll be voting in the city of Nabatieh rather than his village of Adaisseh because it is destroyed. "It's a desert," he said. The south's rubble-strewn landscape reflects the devastating impact of the war, which began when Hezbollah opened fire in support of Hamas at the start in October 2023 of the Gaza conflict and culminated in a major Israeli offensive. Hezbollah emerged a shadow of its former self, with its leaders and thousands of its fighters killed, its influence over the Lebanese state greatly diminished, and its Lebanese opponents gaining sway. In a measure of how far the tables have turned, the new government has declared it aims to establish a state monopoly on arms, meaning Hezbollah should disarm - as stipulated by the U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Israel. Against this backdrop, the election results so far indicate "the war didn't achieve the objective of downgrading Hezbollah's popularity in the community", said Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center, a think tank. "On the contrary, many Shia now feel their fate is tied to Hezbollah's fate." Hezbollah's arms have long been a source of division in Lebanon, sparking a brief civil conflict in 2008. Critics say Hezbollah has unilaterally dragged Lebanon into hostilities. Foreign Minister Youssef Raji, a Hezbollah opponent, has said that Lebanon has been told there will be no reconstruction aid from foreign donors until the state establishes a monopoly on arms. Hezbollah, in turn, has put the onus on the government over reconstruction and accuses it of failing to take steps on that front, despite promises that the government is committed to it. DISARMAMENT TERMS Hage Ali said that conditioning reconstruction aid on disarmament was intended to expedite the process, but "it's difficult to see Hezbollah accepting this". Hezbollah says its weapons are now gone from the south, but links any discussion of its remaining arsenal to Israel's withdrawal from five positions it still holds, and an end to Israeli attacks. Israel says Hezbollah still has combat infrastructure including rocket launchers in the south, calling this "blatant violations of understandings between Israel and Lebanon". A French diplomatic source said reconstruction would not materialise if Israel continues striking and the Lebanese government does not act fast enough on disarmament. Donors also want Beirut to enact economic reforms. Hashem Haidar, head of the government's Council for the South, said the state lacks the funds to rebuild, but cited progress in rubble removal. Lebanon needs $11 billion for reconstruction and recovery, the World Bank estimates. In Nabatieh, a pile of rubble marks the spot where 71-year-old Khalil Tarhini's store once stood. It was one of dozens destroyed by Israeli bombardment in Nabatieh's central market. He has received no compensation, and sees little point in voting. Expressing a sense of abandonment, he said: "The state did not stand by us." The situation was very different in 2006, after a previous Hezbollah-Israel war. Aid flowed from Iran and Gulf Arab states. Hezbollah says it has aided 400,000 people, paying for rent, furniture and renovations. But the funds at its disposal appear well short of 2006, recipients say. Hezbollah says state authorities have obstructed funds arriving from Iran, though Tehran is also more financially strapped than two decades ago due to tougher U.S. sanctions and the reimposition of a "maximum pressure" policy by Washington. As for Gulf states, their spending on Lebanon dried up as Hezbollah became embroiled in regional conflicts and they declared it a terrorist group in 2016. Saudi Arabia has echoed the Lebanese government's position of calling for a state monopoly of arms. Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said it was up to the government to secure reconstruction funding and that it was failing to take "serious steps" to get the process on track. He warned that the issue risked deepening divisions in Lebanon if unaddressed. "How can one part of the nation be stable while another is in pain?" he said, referring to Shi'ites in the south and other areas, including Beirut's Hezbollah-dominated southern suburbs, hard hit by Israel. (Additional reporting by John Irish in Paris, Tom Perry in Beirut and Maha El Dahan in Dubai; writing by Tom Perry; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lebanon hopes to meet foreign bondholders in coming year, finance minister says
By Laila Bassam and Maya Gebeily BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese officials hope to meet international bondholders to talk about restructuring debt in the next 12 months but are not planning any meetings at the World Bank/IMF Spring meetings next week, finance minister Yassin Jaber said on Tuesday. Jaber spoke to Reuters just days before travelling to Washington for the Spring meetings - one of the biggest gatherings for financial policy makers and investors - where Lebanon will seek to show it has made progress on economic reforms to address the underlying causes of its financial crash. Lebanon's economy began unravelling in 2019 after years of corruption and profligate spending by the country's ruling elite, and tipped into a sovereign default on its $31 billion of outstanding international bonds in March 2020. Asked whether he planned to meet international bondholders in the next year, Jaber said, "definitely, definitely, this is as they say the elephant in the room." "You can't escape it in the end. Lebanon is keen to resolve this issue, God willing," he said. But the country needed to make progress on reforms - including reforming the banking sector and boosting government revenues through reforms to tax systems and customs collection - before it could start talks, Jaber said. "We wanted, first of all, to do our homework, to put the whole reform process on the right track to get started. You can't have a house in total disorder and then say, 'I want to negotiate,'" he said. The Lebanese delegation to the spring meetings will be the first outing at an IMF/World Bank meeting for Lebanon's new government, which took the reins in February and pledged to seek a new IMF programme. Jaber said it would be the first time a Lebanese finance minister attends in more than a decade. Economy Minister Amer Bisat is scheduled to give an outlook on Lebanon's economy at a JPMorgan investor conference held on the sidelines, according to documents seen by Reuters. The creditor group - which includes the heavyweight funds Amundi, Ashmore, BlackRock, BlueBay, Fidelity and T-Rowe Price as well as a group of smaller hedge funds - has recently appointed a financial advisor in preparation for debt talks. Shortly after the bondholder group originally formed in 2021, it said it held a "blocking stake" of more than 25% across a number of Lebanon's bonds, making it a critical player in any debt restructuring. The chunk of the bonds are also held by domestic commercial banks or the Lebanese central bank, which bought $3 billion of debt directly from a previous government in 2019. Lebanon's bonds trade at deeply distressed levels of around 15-16 cents in the dollar. However, that is a sharp uptick from the single digits they traded in before Israel's military campaign badly weakened Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, long viewed as an obstacle to overcoming Lebanon's political paralysis. In January, Lebanon's cabinet extended the statute of limitations on legal action over Eurobonds for another three years. Jaber said the move "reassured the bondholders". He declined to comment on whether the government would seek haircuts, extensions or write-offs on the debt, saying the first focus was on reforms. Jaber said Lebanon's central bank governor was exploring different approaches to addressing the country's financial losses, estimated to be around $84 billion. The government was not at this stage considering liquidating its gold reserves, which were estimated in April 2022 at 286 tonnes and whose value has increased due to record high prices this year.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Exclusive-Facing calls to disarm, Hezbollah ready to discuss weapons if Israel withdraws, senior official says
By Laila Bassam, Tom Perry and Maya Gebeily BEIRUT (Reuters) - As calls for Lebanon's Hezbollah to disarm gain momentum, a senior Hezbollah official told Reuters the group is ready to hold talks with the Lebanese president about its weapons if Israel withdraws from south Lebanon and stops its strikes. U.S.-backed President Joseph Aoun, who vowed when he took office in January to establish a state monopoly on the control of arms, intends to open talks with Hezbollah over its arsenal soon, three Lebanese political sources said. Discussion of disarmament has intensified since the power balance was upended by last year's war with Israel and the ousting of Hezbollah's Syrian ally, ex-President Bashar al-Assad. Hezbollah emerged severely weakened from the 2024 conflict with Israel when its top leaders and thousands of its fighters were killed and much of its rocket arsenal destroyed. The senior Hezbollah official said the group was ready to discuss its arms in the context of a national defence strategy but this hinged on Israel pulling out its troops from five hilltops in south Lebanon. "Hezbollah is ready to discuss the matter of its arms if Israel withdraws from the five points, and halts its aggression against Lebanese," the senior official told Reuters. Hezbollah's position on potential discussions about its arms has not been previously reported. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity due to political sensitivities. Hezbollah's media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The presidency declined to comment. Israel, which sent ground troops into south Lebanon during the war, has largely withdrawn but decided in February not to leave the five hilltop positions. It said it intended eventually to hand them over to Lebanese troops once it was sure the security situation allowed. RENEWED FOCUS ON HEZBOLLAH'S ARMS Despite a ceasefire since November, Israeli airstrikes have kept pressure on the group while Washington has demanded Hezbollah disarm and is preparing for nuclear talks with Hezbollah's Iranian backers. Hezbollah has been the most powerful of the paramilitary groups Iran has backed across the region, but its supply lines to Iran via Syria have been cut by Assad's ouster. Reuters reported on Monday that several Iranian-backed militia groups in Iraq are prepared to disarm for the first time to avert the threat of an escalating conflict with the Trump administration in the U.S. Hezbollah has long rejected calls from its critics in Lebanon to disarm, describing its weapons as vital to defending the country from Israel. Deep differences over its arsenal spilled into a short civil war in 2008. The group's critics say the group has unilaterally dragged Lebanon into conflicts and the presence of its large arsenal outside of government control has undermined the state. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Israel requires the Lebanese army to dismantle all unauthorised military facilities and confiscate all arms, starting in areas south of the Litani River, which flows into the Mediterranean some 20 km (12 miles) north of the Israeli border. Two sources familiar with Hezbollah's thinking said it is weighing handing to the army its most potent weapons north of the Litani, including drones and anti-tank missiles. CALL FOR A DISARMAMENT TIMETABLE Aoun has said Hezbollah's weaponry must be addressed through dialogue because any attempts to disarm the group by force would prompt conflict, the sources said. Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, the head of Lebanon's Maronite church, said last week it was time for all weapons to be in state hands but this would need time and diplomacy because "Lebanon cannot bear a new war". Communication channels with relevant stakeholders are being opened to "begin studying the transfer of weapons" to state control, after the army and security services had extended state authority across Lebanon, a Lebanese official said, saying this was a move to implement Aoun's policy. The issue was also being discussed with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an important Hezbollah ally, who plays a key role in narrowing differences, she said. U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus, who visited Beirut at the weekend, repeated Washington's position that Hezbollah and other armed groups should be disarmed as soon as possible and the Lebanese army was expected to do the job. "It's clear that Hezbollah has to be disarmed and it's clear that Israel is not going to accept terrorists shooting at them, into their country, and that's a position we understand," Ortagus said in an April 6 interview with Lebanon's LBCI television. Several Lebanese government ministers want a disarmament timetable, said Kamal Shehadi, a minister affiliated with the anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Forces party. Shehadi told Reuters disarmament should take no more than six months, citing post-civil war militia disarmament as a precedent. A timetable -- which presumably would impose deadlines on the process -- is, he said, the "only way to protect our fellow citizens from the recurring attacks that are costing lives, costing the economy and causing destruction". The most recent conflict began when Hezbollah opened fire in support of Hamas at the start of the Gaza war in October 2023. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem in a March 29 speech said his group no longer has an armed presence south of the Litani, and had stuck to the ceasefire deal while Israel breached it "every day". Israel has accused Hezbollah of maintaining military infrastructure in the south. Hezbollah has put the onus on the Lebanese state to get Israel to withdraw and stop its attacks. Qassem said there was still time for diplomatic solutions. But he warned that the "resistance is present and ready" and indicated it could resort "to other options" if Israel doesn't adhere to the deal. (Additional reporting by James Mackenzie in Jerusalem; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lebanon judge paves way for indictment of ex-central bank chief Salameh
By Laila Bassam and Maya Gebeily BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Lebanese judge published a new court decision in the charges against former central bank chief Riad Salameh for embezzlement of public funds, according to a copy of the decision seen by Reuters on Tuesday, paving the way for an indictment. Judge Bilal Halawi published a "presumptive decision" concluding that Salameh, who served as central bank governor for 30 years before his term ended in disgrace in July 2023, had engaged in "illicit enrichment" by knowingly transferring funds from the central bank to private accounts. Salameh's media office said the decision was the result of a "hastily prepared file" and was "marred by numerous and blatant legal flaws". The ex-governor, who was detained in September and remains in custody, has denied all wrongdoing. He did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters on Tuesday. After taking the helm of the central bank following a devastating 15-year civil war, Salameh built a reputation as a competent steward of the financial system and was once seen as a possible president. But his legacy was tainted by the collapse of Lebanon's financial system in 2019, as well as Lebanese and European charges that he and his brother Raja embezzled public funds over more than a decade. The brothers deny the accusations. Salameh was arrested in September over alleged financial crimes linked to a brokerage company known as Optimum Invest, a Lebanese firm that offers income brokerage services. Optimum Invest said at the time that a financial audit completed in late 2023 had found "no evidence of wrongdoing or illegality" in the company's dealings with the central bank. Thursday's decision paves the way for an indictment in the case, according to a judicial source with direct knowledge of the court proceedings.
Ya Libnan
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
Israel hits Hezbollah drone storage in southern Beirut suburb
Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs following Israeli strike after issuing an evacuation warning for the area, as seen from Baabda, Lebanon. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir By Laila Bassam, Jana Choukeir and Tala Ramadan HIGHLIGHTS Israel said it hit a Hezbollah drone storage in Beirut suburb Strike followed three smaller warning shots Panicked residents fled on foot amid gridlock Beirut – Israel's air force conducted a large strike on a building in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital on Friday, a Reuters reporter said, the first heavy bombardment there since a truce deal in November ended a war between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel's military said it hit a drone storage facility in the area belonging to Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah. The strike, which was heard across Beirut and produced a large column of black smoke, followed an evacuation order by the Israeli military for the neighbourhood and three smaller targeted drone strikes on the building intended as warning shots, security sources told Reuters. The evacuation order sent residents of the area into a panic, rushing to escape on foot as traffic clogged the streets out of the area, Reuters reporters in the area said. Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh, were pounded last year by Israeli strikes that killed many of the group's top leaders, including its powerful chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a September air attack. A U.S.-brokered truce in November put an end to the fighting and mandated that southern Lebanon be free of Hezbollah fighters and weapons, that Lebanese troops deploy to the area and that Israeli ground troops withdraw from the zone. But the truce has been shaken over the last week by two cases of outgoing fire from southern Lebanon – several rockets fired on March 22 and another set fired on Friday morning. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the Lebanese government bore direct responsibility for the attack and said that as long as there was no peace in Galilee, 'there will be no peace in Beirut either.' Israeli ministers have vowed to ensure that the tens of thousands of Israelis who evacuated their homes in border areas when Hezbollah began bombarding the area in 2023 would be able to return safely. But with more Israeli units deployed around Gaza, where a separate ceasefire has also broken down, it remained unclear whether Israel was prepared for any wider intervention. Hezbollah denied links to either attack. No other group has claimed responsibility. But Israel's statement confirming its raid on Dahiyeh said that the Friday morning rocket fire 'constitutes a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and a direct threat to the citizens of the State of Israel.' It added that the Lebanese state bears responsibility for upholding the agreement. Israel also bombarded Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon on Friday after intercepting the incoming rocket fire, the Israeli military said. Israel has vowed a strong response to any threats to its security, prompting fears that last year's conflict, which displaced more than 1.3 million people in Lebanon and destroyed much of the country's south – could resume. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, in Paris to meet his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, said in a written statement from France that the onus was on the international community to 'put an end to these attacks and force Israel to abide by the agreement, just as Lebanon is committed to it.' The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said the exchange of fire across the southern border on Friday was 'deeply concerning.' 'Any exchange of fire is one too many. A return to wider conflict in Lebanon would be devastating for civilians on both sides of the Blue Line and must be avoided at all costs,' she said in a written statement. Reuters
