Author: Afazi

Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker, Nabih Berri, has asserted that Lebanon’s position on any potential settlement is “a ceasefire and the implementation of Resolution 1701, with no additions or omissions,” Rai Al-Youm reported, citing an interview that Berri gave to Al-Jomhouria newspaper. “Our position is unequivocal: we demand a ceasefire and the enforcement of Resolution 1701. It is unreasonable to think we would accept a settlement that benefits Israel at the cost of Lebanon’s sovereignty and interests,” he stressed. In response to Israeli Defence Minister Yisrael Katz’s claim that Israel has defeated Hezbollah, Berri asked: “What victory are they speaking of? Did they achieve victory in…

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened that any possible escalation by Lebanese Iran-backed militia Hezbollah on the Israel-Lebanon border may result in the “destruction” of Lebanon. Netanyahu said the Israeli army was being proactive in fighting the Iran-backed terror group and had adopted a policy of “strong deterrence in the north” against Hezbollah, according to the Times of Israel. “We are acting in the north all the time against all efforts by Hezbollah to operate against us. We are eliminating terror cells, pushing them away from the border, destroying munitions. We will continue with strong deterrence in the north, and total victory in…

Major hospitals in north Gaza remained cut off by Israel’s onslaught against Hamas on Sunday, while at the largest a Palestinian official said five premature babies had died and dozens more were at risk from lack of power. Al-Shifa and other hospitals in north Gaza, the focus of Israel’s month-old war to wipe out the militants and free hostages, were barely able to care for patients, medical staff said. More people are killed and wounded daily by Israeli bombardment but there are fewer and fewer places for the injured to go. A girl wounded in Israeli strikes rests at Al…

Lebanon has seized more than half a tonne of drugs destined for Kuwait, authorities said Sunday, as Beirut seeks to combat narcotics trafficking, particularly to Gulf countries. Authorities “seized around 800 kilogrammes (1,760 pounds) of drugs” bound for Kuwait via the Netherlands, the office of Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said in a statement carried by Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA). The drugs were “professionally” concealed in wooden figures inside a bulletproof box, the statement said, without specifying the type of narcotics seized. An individual allegedly involved in the trafficking operation was arrested, it added. The move came as part…

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday said an Israeli strike that killed a Lebanese reporter’s sister and her three young granddaughters should be investigated as an “apparent war crime.” The border area between the two countries has seen daily exchanges of fire, in particular between Iran-backed group Hezbollah and Israel, since the start of the Israel-Hamas war last month. On November 5, an Israeli strike on a car in south Lebanon killed the sister of radio correspondent Samir Ayoub and her three granddaughters, aged 10, 12 and 14, Lebanese state media said. “This attack by Israeli military forces that struck a car carrying…

The French daily Liberation recently published a rare and comprehensive interview with Quentin Tarantino, where the director discussed his life in Israel. The conversation took place at the Cannes Film Festival, where the filmmaker was the guest of honor. The French Riviera has a large Jewish population, with the newspaper noting that passers-by who spotted him  asked him about life in Israel. His response: “I like being American.” Afterwards, interviewer Guillaume Gendron asked him to clarify. Just like us: Quentin Tarantino lives in Israel but doesn’t know Hebrew Reportedly, Tarantino explained that since he doesn’t speak Hebrew, he lives in his own bubble, cut…

Ramzi Choueiri, a Lebanese chef who became a culinary ambassador across the Arab world with top-selling cookbooks and an innovative television cooking show that had viewers calling in for advice or to dish out critiques on his recipes, died June 18 at his home in Beirut. He was 52. His sister, Myriam Shwayri, confirmed the death but gave no specific cause. Lebanese media reported that Mr. Choueiri had a heart attack. With a big personality and sly humor that included references to his expanding belly, Mr. Choueiri was the Middle East’s preeminent media-star chef for decades with a show that…

The recently concluded China-Central Asia Summit—the first of its kind—reflects China’s Middle-Kingdom aspirations—aiming to restore China’s historical position of prominence and influence in world affairs. What helps China support its Middle-Kingdom aspirations—strategic, economic, and connectivity—in Central Asia is the veil of reviving the ancient ‘Silk Route’. As Beijing clears its intent in Central Asia amidst Russia’s critical strategic dependency on China due to sanctions from the West, Moscow’s position in the region may be altering. At the first China-Central Asia Summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping presented a “vision of a China-central Asia community with a shared future” based on a…

Twelve EU member states protest against financial aid worth tens of millions of euros to member states that have blocked the import of grain from Ukraine. The group believes that money given to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia to convince them to lift bans on imports of Ukrainian grain could threaten the EU’s single market and motivate member states to ask for different treatment in the future. The countries include Denmark, France, Germany, Belgium, Estonia, Greece, the Netherlands, Croatia, Ireland, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Austria, which on May 10 sent a letter to the European Commission, reports AFP. They stated in this…

The Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, received the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Elias Bou Saab, who confirmed after the meeting that his visit is “exploratory.” He expressed his regret “because the officials who deal with the presidential file are not interested in the time factor.” He said, “We have not yet reached the stage of names because the parties, based on the Patriarch’s initiative, did not reach a common name to propose for the presidency,” stressing that “things must begin with dialogue.” He pointed out that “our crisis is greater and deeper than the name of a…