Latest news with #NorthLebanon
Arab News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
In north Lebanon, Syrian Alawites shelter among graves
HISSA, Lebanon: Behind a ramshackle mosque in Hissa, north Lebanon, the living are making a home for themselves among the dead. Beside mounds of garbage in the shade of towering trees, men, women and children from Syria's minority Alawite community seek shelter among the graves surrounding the half-built mosque — grateful to have escaped the sectarian violence at home but fearing for their future. 'We each have our own horror story that drove us to this place,' said a man with sunken eyes. One such story was of a mother who had been killed in front of her children by unknown militants as they crossed the border, said others staying at the mosque. All of the refugees that spoke to Reuters requested anonymity for fear of retribution. Around 600 people have sought shelter at the Hissa mosque. Hundreds sleep in the main hall, including a day-old baby. On the building's unfinished second story, plastic sheets stretched over wooden beams divide traumatized families. Others sleep on the roof. One family has set up camp under the stairwell, another by the tomb of a local saint. Some sleep on the graves in the surrounding cemetery, others under trees with only thin blankets for warmth. They are among the tens of thousands refugees who have fled Syria since March, when the country suffered its worst bloodshed since Bashar Assad was toppled from power by Islamist-led rebels in December. Almost 40,000 people have fled Syria into north Lebanon since then, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said in a statement. The outflow comes at a time when humanitarian funding is being squeezed after US President Donald Trump's decision to freeze foreign aid and dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID) earlier this year. NEEDS BUT NO RESOURCES The recent violence in Syria, which has pitted the Islamist-led government's security forces against fighters from the Alawite minority, the sect to which Assad's family belongs, has killed more than 1,000 people since March. For more than 50 years, Assad and his father before him crushed any opposition from Syria's Sunni Muslims, who make up more than 70 percent of the population. Alawites, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, took many of the top positions in government and the military and ran big businesses. Alawites now accuse the new government of President Ahmed Al-Sharaa of exacting revenge, but Sharaa says he will pursue inclusive policies to unite the country shattered by civil war and attract foreign investment. Trump said last week he would lift sanctions on Syria, triggering hopes of economic renewal. But this has provided little comfort to the refugees in northern Lebanon, who are struggling to meet their basic needs. 'UNHCR, but also other agencies, are not now in a position to say you can count on us,' said Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR representative in Lebanon, in an interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation in April. 'So, in response to new arrivals, yes, we will try, but it will be less (than before).' More refugees come from Syria every day. Almost 50 people arrived over two days last week, said one camp representative, who asked not to be named for security reasons. UNHCR is equipping new arrivals with essential items like mattresses, blankets and clothes, as well as providing medical help and mental health support, said a spokesperson. 'UNHCR is also conducting rehabilitation works in shelters to make sure families are protected,' the spokesperson added. 'FORGOTTEN' REFUGEES At the mosque, food is scarce and the portable toilets provided by an aid group have flooded. Garbage is piling up and is attracting vermin. Snakes have been killed in the camp, and one refugee spoke of the 'biggest centipedes we have ever seen.' The camp's children have nowhere to go. It can be difficult for refugee children to access Lebanon's school system, Human Rights Watch has said, while the refugees at the mosque say private schools are too expensive and may not accept children enrolling mid-year. 'We are becoming a refugee camp without realizing it,' said another man, also speaking on condition of anonymity. 'We need schools, we need toilets, we need clinics.' He said he fled his home in Damascus after being warned by his neighbor that militants were asking about him. He never expects to go back and is hoping to move abroad. But in the meantime, he said he needs to create a life for his children. 'What's his fault?' he asked, beckoning to his nine-year-old son. 'He was a computer whiz and now he is not even going to school.' The refugees sheltering in the mosque are among the millions of people affected by Trump's decision to freeze US funding to humanitarian programs in February. The UNHCR has been forced to reduce all aspects of its operations in Lebanon, Freijsen said, including support to Syrian refugees. The UNHCR had enough money to cover only 14 percent of its planned operations in Lebanon and 17 percent of its global operations by the end of March, the UN agency said in a report. 'Our assistance is not what it is supposed to be,' Freijsen said. 'In the past, we always had the resources, or we could easily mobilize the resources. These days are over, and that's painful.' The people in the mosque fear that they have been forgotten. 'Human rights are a lie,' a third man said, his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep. 'It is just something (that the powerful) instrumentalize when they want.'
LBCI
16-05-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Lebanon's deadly tradition: Stray bullets and lost lives in the 'epidemic' of celebratory gunfire
Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian Celebratory gunfire remains a deeply rooted and dangerous practice in Lebanese society. So far, the Lebanese army has arrested 86 individuals, most for firing shots in celebration of municipal and mukhtar election results in the North Lebanon and Akkar governorates. This reflects a deeply rooted mindset in which individuals show little regard for human life, opening fire in celebration of a mayor, a municipal council member, or during any joyful or somber occasion, turning gunfire into a deadly ritual. One such victim is Mohammad Khaled, a young man from Ain al-Dahab in Akkar, who remains hospitalized after being wounded by a stray bullet fired by someone celebrating the election results last Sunday. These individuals show no remorse and appear indifferent to the families devastated by their reckless actions. Among the most heartbreaking examples is 7-year-old Naya Hanna, who was killed by a stray bullet during a celebration marking official exam results. Her death, along with numerous other tragedies involving children and women across the country, underscores the deadly consequences of this entrenched practice. The 86 people arrested—likely a number that will rise—will not be subject to the new legal provisions passed by Parliament last Thursday. Those provisions double the penalties for discharging firearms or facilitating gunfire, but they do not apply retroactively. Instead, current law will apply: one month in prison for firing a weapon, unless the shooter is proven responsible for causing a death. While increasing penalties, imposing fines, and enforcing legal action are all important, more critical is the development of a long-term plan to address the root causes of this phenomenon. This effort must involve coordination between the government, institutions, security agencies, civil society, NGOs, and influential community figures. Random gunfire and the killing of innocent people represent a cultural problem that must be addressed seriously, beginning in schools and through direct awareness campaigns in affected areas. Religious authorities must also be regularly warned about the dangers. As for the widespread possession of illegal firearms, a national strategy is needed to confiscate, regulate, and reduce their circulation, as part of a broader effort to prevent the tragedies they continue to cause.
LBCI
16-05-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
86 arrested over post-election shootings in North, Akkar, and Mount Lebanon: Sources tell LBCI
Sources told LBCI that 86 individuals have been arrested so far by the Lebanese Army on suspicion of involvement in shootings that occurred in the wake of the municipal and local elections. The incidents took place in the governorates of North Lebanon, Akkar, and Mount Lebanon, shortly after election results were announced.
Arab News
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Lebanon's parliament doubles penalty for celebratory gunfire
BEIRUT: Lebanon's parliament on Thursday approved an amendment to the law that aims to curb celebratory gunfire by doubling the penalties for those who fire shots into the air. The new law imposes stricter penalties for individuals involved in actions that have led to numerous injuries and fatalities in recent years. The action comes after Lebanese Army Command announced the arrest of eight people as part of efforts to identify those who fired gunshots during last Sunday's municipal elections in the North Lebanon and Akkar governorates. Army units, with support from a Directorate of Intelligence patrol, raided the homes of several suspects and seized weapons and ammunition they possessed. The skies over the North and Akkar governorates were illuminated last Sunday night by gunfire, celebrating candidates' victories in the municipal elections, where local families traditionally compete for seats on the city councils that govern their affairs. The celebratory gunfire caused injury to a young man, Mohammed Jihad Khaled, from the town of Ain Al-Dahab in Akkar. He is still fighting for his life after a bullet struck his head. He remains in a coma after being moved to the intensive care unit of a hospital. Journalist Nada Andraos was also injured by celebratory gunfire, as a bullet struck her leg after piercing the car she was in while covering the elections with her team from the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International. Andraos, who seemed stunned by the incident — especially since the bullet could have struck her head instead of her leg — commented on social media: 'In Lebanon, a stray bullet represents the value of life.' Victims' families often file lawsuits in court and with security agencies against unidentified people. Many offenders escape punishment, leading to repeated tragedies where celebratory gunfire accompanies even minor school achievements. The law prohibiting the firing of firearms into the air specifies that if such actions lead to a person's illness or incapacity that causes them to miss work for fewer than 10 days, the offender will face a prison sentence of nine months to three years, in addition to a fine ranging from 10 to 15 times the official minimum wage. MP Wadah Al-Sadiq said that the amendment had increased the penalty duration. Previously, the penalty ranged from six months to three years; now it begins at one year in prison and can go up to six years. The final decision will be made by the judge who issues the ruling. Information Minister Paul Morcos, an international human rights defender, welcomed the amendment. It serves as an additional deterrent, moving toward prohibiting such practices and ensuring accountability for perpetrators, he said. Lawyer Imad Al-Masri, who specializes in criminal cases, said: 'Any individual who discharges firearms or fireworks in populated areas or in the presence of a crowd, regardless of whether their firearm is licensed, will face a prison sentence of six months to three years. 'Additionally, they will incur a fine ranging from eight to 15 times the official minimum wage. 'The weapon shall be confiscated in all cases, and the perpetrator shall be referred to the military court for trial.' Al-Masri said that the military court imposes penalties on individuals who fire bullets into the air, ranging from fines to prison sentences of six months to two years. A judicial source said that the military court has numerous cases related to firing into the air. These offenses are punishable by law and escalate from a misdemeanor to a felony if the shooting results in casualties. Al-Masri said: 'Increasing the penalty is a deterrent if it is accompanied by strict prior measures and the enforcement of immediate prosecution and, most importantly, changing social behavior regarding this dangerous practice.' Riots continued for a second day in Roumieh Prison, Lebanon's largest prison, coinciding with the parliamentary session. Inmates are demanding the approval of a general amnesty law and a reduction in their imprisonment period. Tensions ran high among both convicts and detainees, some of whom hung symbolic gallows inside their cells as a form of protest. Lawyer Rabih Qais, the program manager at the Lebanese Foundation for Permanent Civil Peace and a longtime observer of prison affairs, said: 'The law proposal submitted by several MPs addresses the issue of delayed trials for detainees. 'Many of these people have spent years in prison, even though the sentences they might receive if tried could be significantly shorter than the time they have already served.' Qais said Lebanon 'evaluates every decision through the lens of sectarian power-sharing. 'As a result, many of those advocating for amnesty are Islamists and individuals from the Baalbek-Hermel region, many of whom are facing in absentia arrest warrants related to clashes with security forces or drug-related offenses. 'This may explain why the draft amnesty law was sent to parliamentary committees. However, what is truly needed is justice for the oppressed.'
LBCI
14-05-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
President Aoun chairs Cabinet meeting at Baabda Palace, holds series of political and security consultations
President Joseph Aoun is presiding over a Cabinet session at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Baabda Presidential Palace. The agenda includes 28 items covering agreements, draft laws, decrees, appointments, and administrative matters. Earlier in the day, the president held a series of meetings at the palace focused on political, security, administrative, and cultural issues. Among the visitors was Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri, who updated President Aoun on the outcomes of his recent meetings in Qatar and France. The two also discussed government affairs and the work of several ministerial committees chaired by Mitri, including those focused on refugees, public sector reform, digital transformation, and international humanitarian law. Mitri noted that a report prepared by the International Humanitarian Law Committee addresses Israeli violations of international law. The discussions also covered regional and international developments. President Aoun also chaired a security and administrative meeting attended by Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar, Director General of the Presidency Antoine Choucair, State Security chief Hassan Choucair, Internal Security Forces chief Raed Abdullah, the Presidency's Director General of Legal Affairs Judge Yahya Karkatli, and the president's military and security advisor Antoine Mansour. The meeting focused on the Interior Ministry's work, including preparations for the second phase of the municipal and local elections recently held in the North and Akkar governorates. Culture Minister Ghassan Salame met with President Aoun to discuss cultural and national issues, the ministry's agenda, and future plans.
