Latest news with #LebaneseRedCross
LBCI
22-05-2025
- LBCI
Lebanese Army recovers body of drowned diver off Halat shore
Lebanese Army personnel recovered the body of a man off the coast of Halat in Jbeil, days after he went missing while diving on May 17. The body was handed over to the Lebanese Red Cross.
LBCI
09-05-2025
- General
- LBCI
Georges Kettaneh tells LBCI: Lebanese Red Cross fully prepared but warns of declining international support amid global crises
Lebanese Red Cross Secretary-General Georges Kettaneh told LBCI that the organization always remains fully prepared. Speaking on LBCI's "Nharkom Said" TV show, he said volunteers undergo intensive training and are subject to monitoring and accountability, adding that every mission is evaluated after it ends. He explained that the ongoing internal fundraising campaign—conducted through on-the-ground efforts—supports the Red Cross branches, noting that local branches rely on assistance from the central office to carry out their work. Kettaneh acknowledged that while the Red Cross continues receiving international support, growing concerns exist that this aid could decline amid global crises. He said planning is underway in coordination with the broader international movement to ensure future missions remain effective. He also noted that the Red Cross operates five mobile clinics in southern Lebanon and four in the north, including Akkar, and emphasized that their services are provided to all who need them, regardless of nationality. He concluded by saying the biggest challenge remains ensuring safe access during humanitarian missions.
L'Orient-Le Jour
07-05-2025
- Health
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Aoun donates month's salary to Lebanese Red Cross for 2025 fundraising campaign
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun announced on Wednesday that he would donate a month's salary to the Lebanese Red Cross, as part of the launch of the organization's annual fundraising campaign for 2025, the state-run National News Agency reported. The announcement was made during a meeting at Baabda Palace, which was attended by First Lady Nemat Aoun and a delegation from the Lebanese Red Cross, led by Dr. Antoine Zoghbi, President of the Lebanese Red Cross. Aoun said, "Allow me to offer my salary as a contribution to your cause. No matter how much we talk, we will never be able to do justice to your hard work, effort and sacrifices." While praising the Lebanese Red Cross's services to citizens "from the far north to the far south, across the entire country, without looking at sectarian or political affiliations, whether with time or physical effort," Aoun noted that "there are those who have sacrificed their lives, those who were injured, yet no one hesitated to continue providing medical and humanitarian services." He considered it "the duty of all in Lebanon to stand by the Red Cross." He added, "Everyone knows that when I was the head of the army, every time we called upon you, you were always close to us, sometimes even ahead of us. That image is engraved in my mind, and I will never forget it, in addition to what we witness every day of your swift responses to calls for help from any patient, injured person, or citizen." Zoghbi said that "Today, we are launching the annual fundraising campaign for the Lebanese Red Cross for 2025, and this is a significant step for us under your presidency. In times of fraternity, solidarity and cooperation, values you have carried in your heart and embodied throughout your journey, wherever you have been." Zoughbi also said, "We engage with the youth of Lebanon by educating them based on respect for human values, societal ethics and the global principles of our organization. We have schools, a university nursing college and an exemplary training center to solidify the academic structure within our organization, as well as over 5,000 first responders available around the clock across the country to respond to all types of emergencies." "We have 12,000 volunteers across the country, and we've worked with everyone: security forces, civil authorities, ministries, governors, municipal councils and local municipalities. We've worked with everyone, especially during the recent war, to alleviate the shock and pain during our crises and to rationalize humanitarian responses. For all of this, we now seek the support of all Lebanese to help us continue our mission in maintaining health and security to ensure we remain a national volunteer organization, supporting the Lebanese state and army during both times of peace and war," Zoughbi concluded. In early November, amid the war between Hezbollah and Israel, the Red Cross urgently appealed for more than $115 million to address towering needs in Lebanon amid Israel's dramatic escalation in hostilities targeting Hezbollah. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said it had launched an appeal for 100 million Swiss francs ($115.8 million) to help provide immediate and long-term relief to around 600,000 people affected by the war.
The National
25-04-2025
- Politics
- The National
Eight wounded in drone strike on Lebanon-Syria border
Lebanon's state news agency has reported that eight people were injured in a drone attack in a border village, as Syria said it responded to artillery fire from Lebanon. Eight Syrian refugees were wounded and transported by the Lebanese Red Cross to hospitals in the north-east area of Hermel, after an 'explosives-laden drone blew up' in the village of Hawsh Al Sayyed Ali, near the border with Syria, the National News Agency said. The army sent reinforcements to the area after the sound of gunfire was heard, the agency added. Syrian state news agency Sana, carrying a statement from an unnamed defence ministry source, said Lebanon's Hezbollah group had launched artillery shells at Syrian army positions in the Qusayr area of Homs province, near the Lebanese border. 'Our forces immediately targeted the sources of the fire,' the statement read. 'We are in contact with the Lebanese army to evaluate the incident and stopped targeting the sources of fire' at the Lebanese army's request after it took responsibility for 'pursuing the terrorist groups responsible for targeting Syrian territory', the statement added. Lebanon and Syria's defence ministers signed an agreement last month to address border security threats after clashes left 10 dead. Earlier in March, Syria's new authorities accused Hezbollah of abducting three soldiers into Lebanese territory and killing them. The Iran-backed group, which fought with the forces of toppled Syrian president Bashar Al Assad, denied involvement, but the ensuing cross-border clashes left seven Lebanese dead. Lebanon is under international pressure to disarm Hezbollah and bring all weapons under state control. The group, once a dominant force in Lebanon, has been weakened by a year-long war with Israel. Earlier this month, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stated that 'the decision has been taken' to give the state a monopoly over weapons in the country, albeit through dialogue and not force.
National News
14-04-2025
- Politics
- National News
Army chief discusses general situation with Finnish Ambassador, receives military attachés delegation
NNA - Lebanon's Army Commander, General Rodolphe Haykal, on Wednesday received at his Yarzeh office, Finnish Ambassador to Lebanon, Anne Meskanen. The pair reportedly discussed the general situation in Lebanon and the region. Maj. Gen. Haykal also received a delegation of military attachés in Lebanon, with whom he discussed ways to enhance cooperation with the Lebanese Army. Among the Army Commander's itinerant visitors for today had been the Secretary-General of the Lebanese Red Cross, George Kettaneh, and the President of the Beirut Marathon Association, May Khalil, with various matters topping their discussions.
