Latest news with #Lebanese-Syrian
L'Orient-Le Jour
6 hours ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Voluntary return of around 100 Syrian refugees from the Bekaa to Syria
More than a hundred Syrian refugees who were in Lebanon returned to their country on Tuesday, as part of a voluntary return coordinated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the U.N. migration agency (IOM), and the General Security Directorate, L'Orient-Le Jour's correspondent in the region reported. Logistical preparations began as early as 5 a.m. at the secondary school and the al-Nahda club in Bar Elias. After a thorough inspection of their luggage, the refugees boarded buses to travel to the Lebanese-Syrian border. More than six million Syrians have fled their country since the conflict began in 2011, mainly to Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon, which hosts about 1.5 million Syrians for a population of around four million Lebanese, is the country with the highest number of refugees per capita in the world. At the beginning of July, nearly 11,000 people had already registered to return to Syria, while the Lebanese government is aiming for "between 200,000 and 400,000 returns" by the end of the year, according to Social Affairs Minister Hanine Sayyed. Until recently, U.N. agencies said that Syria did not offer safe conditions for mass returns, particularly because of the risk of persecution under the former Assad regime, which systematically imprisoned men who had not performed their military service. But since coming to power, the new Syrian government, led by an Islamist coalition, claims that all Syrians can return to their country.
L'Orient-Le Jour
4 days ago
- Business
- L'Orient-Le Jour
France to contribute $88 million to reconstruction in Lebanon
French President Emmanuel Macron informed Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam that France will contribute €75 million (about $88.16 million) to the Lebanon Emergency Aid Project (LEAP), launched by the World Bank to support reconstruction following last autumn's war between Hezbollah and Israel. During Salam's first visit to Paris since taking office, Macron stressed the need to pursue reforms to organize an international donor conference and mobilize further reconstruction aid. In early June, Lebanon secured a $250 million World Bank loan and, with U.N. agencies, launched projects totaling more than $350 million, focused on the South. Villages in the South, the Bekaa, and Beirut's southern suburbs were partially or fully destroyed by Israeli attacks. The World Bank estimates war-related damage in Lebanon at $11 billion, covering the period from Oct. 8, 2023, to Dec. 20, 2024. UNIFIL, Israeli violations, and army support According to a statement from the Grand Serail on Friday, both sides emphasized the need to renew the U.N. peacekeeping mission (UNIFIL) mandate — due for a Security Council vote in the coming weeks — and to reinforce cease-fire monitoring. Macron and Salam reaffirmed the need for a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory and an end to cease-fire violations. They also backed strengthening the Lebanese Army to ensure it alone holds authority on the ground. On judicial reform, Macron expressed readiness to offer technical and financial support, including sending a French expert to the Justice Ministry and launching a partnership between France's National School for the Judiciary and Lebanon's Institute of Judicial Studies. Lebanese-Syrian border As security concerns along the Lebanese-Syrian border grow, France reiterated its willingness to support border control cooperation between Beirut and Damascus. This includes offering technical assistance for border demarcation, based on France's historical archives. Earlier this week, Lebanese and Syrian military intelligence chiefs met in Riyadh amid rising tensions on the border. The area has seen recent clashes — in February and March — between clans reportedly close to Hezbollah and newly formed Syrian security units. Several parts of the 330-kilometer border remain undemarcated, fueling smuggling and recurring conflicts in areas like Hosh al-Sayyed Ali.
L'Orient-Le Jour
22-07-2025
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Border and prisoner repatriation: Beirut and Damascus resume discussions
The issues of border security and Syrian detainees in Lebanon have resurfaced in recent days, prompting a meeting in Riyadh between the heads of military intelligence for the Lebanese and Syrian armies, Gen. Tony Kahwagi and Hussein Salameh. Once again, Saudi Arabia is playing a mediating role in the relationship between the two countries by sponsoring such meetings, months after a similar one took place on March 27 in Jeddah between Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menassa and his Syrian counterpart, Mourhaf Abou talks come amid rising tensions along the Lebanese-Syrian border. In addition to rampant smuggling, the area has seen several clashes in February and March between clans reportedly aligned with Hezbollah and Syria's newly formed security forces, resulting in casualties on both sides. Lebanon shares a 330-kilometer...
Ya Libnan
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
One Lebanese was killed in Sweida Syria while fighting with the bedouin tribes against the Druze
Mustafa Suleiman Al-Mullihan, from the Wadi Khaled region of Akkar of North Lebanon , was killed while fighting alongside the Bedouin tribes against the Druze of Sweida, Syria As clashes escalate in the Sweida Governorate in southern Syria, indications have begun to emerge of Lebanese involvement in the fighting alongside local groups. This comes amid widespread information circulating on social media about fighters of Lebanese Bedouin tribal origins participating in the ongoing clashes alongside Syrian tribal forces. In detail, a photo of young Mustafa Suleiman Al-Mullihan has been circulating in the past few hours, reportedly killed while participating in the Sweida battles. According to information provided by 'Lebanon Debate,' Mustafa, a young Lebanese man from the Wadi Khaled region of Akkar, was fighting alongside Bedouin tribal groups involved in the battles, which have been witnessing violent clashes for days. The information confirms that the participation of Lebanese in these clashes is not limited to individual cases, but rather includes a number of young men from northern regions with tribal or familial ties to Syrian tribes, particularly in border villages such as Wadi Khaled, where social and geographical connections intertwine. While no official Lebanese position has been issued to date regarding Mustafa's death or the participation of Lebanese in these battles, information indicates that 'this issue is highly sensitive, given its potential repercussions on Lebanese reality, both in terms of border security and Lebanese-Syrian relations, particularly in areas socially and geographically intertwined with the Syrian interior.' The question remains open: Are we witnessing a new shift in the role of some Lebanese in the Syrian conflict, or is what happened still limited to individual cases? Lebanon Debate
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
French court backs release of Lebanese militant jailed for US, Israeli diplomat murders
By John Irish and Dominique Vidalon PARIS (Reuters) -A French court on Thursday ruled in favour of releasing Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah from prison, after he served almost 40 years of a life sentence for attacks on U.S. and Israeli diplomats in France. The Paris Appeals court agreed to Abdallah's release on July 25 on the condition he leaves France, a judicial source said. A second source familiar with the case said he would be deported to Lebanon. Abdallah is the former head of the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions. He was jailed in 1987 for his role in the 1982 murders in Paris of U.S. military attache Charles Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov and for the attempted murder of U.S. Consul General Robert Homme in Strasbourg in 1984. The U.S. Department of Justice and France's general prosecutor have for years vigorously opposed his release, and eight previous release requests had been rejected. Neither Abdallah's lawyer nor the Lebanese and U.S. embassies were immediately available for comment. In a hearing in February, the Paris court said Abdallah should make an effort to compensate his victims' families, according to a person familiar with the matter. His lawyer said in June that around 16,000 euros ($18,546) had been disbursed into his account, an amount the U.S. Department of Justice and France's general prosecutor said was insufficient and did not come from Abdallah. A source familiar with the case said on Thursday that Abdallah will not have to pay compensation to the victims. It was not clear if there could be further appeals. Abdallah, 74, has remained a staunch defender of the Palestinian cause. The Paris court has described his behaviour in prison as irreproachable and said in November that he posed "no serious risk in terms of committing new terrorism acts." However, the U.S. Department of Justice has asserted that his release would pose a threat to the safety of U.S. diplomats. Washington has also used Abdallah's previous comments that he would return to his hometown Qobayyat on the Lebanese-Syrian border as a reason not to release him, given the recent conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters. ($1 = 0.8627 euros)
