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Tag: Lebanon

  • Aoun Warns Israel Over Kairsh Field

    Aoun Warns Israel Over Kairsh Field

    Lebanese President Michael Aoun warns Israel against oil drilling in disputed areas

    Lebanese President Michel Aoun has warned that any drilling activities by Israel in the territorial disputed area with Lebanon “constitute a provocation and a hostile act”.

    In a statement released by Lebanon’s Presidency on Sunday, Aoun said that Lebanon has already sent a letter to the UN Security Council, warning that any drilling activities by Israel in disputed areas may pose threat to international peace and security, Xinhua news agency reported.

    Aoun added that talks to demarcate maritime borders between the two countries had not been completed yet.

    Aoun’s remarks came after an Energean Power ship entered the Karish oil field, a disputed area between Lebanon and Israel, to start oil and gas exploration.

    Israel had initially claimed the Karish North field as its own property, but later Lebanon expanded its claim in territorial waters, which would include at least part of the oil field.

    This has resulted in the halting of indirect negotiations for the demarcation of the maritime borders between the two countries.

    Israel rejects

     Israel said on Monday that the Karish gas field in the Mediterranean Sea where drilling has been planned is “in Israel’s territorial waters,” rejecting Lebanon’s claim that at least part of the field is disputed.

    “The Karish field is in Israel’s territorial waters even according to a map submitted by Lebanon to the United Nations in 2011,” Shaked Eliyahu, spokeswoman of Israeli Energy Minister Karine Elharrar, told Xinhua.

    “The field is located south of the two border lines both Israel and Lebanon submitted to the United Nations in 2011,” she said.

    The Israeli government issued a drilling license for the Karish field as early as 2008, according to the Israeli spokesman.

    Earlier in the day, the Israeli Energy Ministry announced in a statement that a natural gas rig has reached its destination in the Karish gas field.

    The rig is expected to connect Karish and other nearby fields and supply about half of the demand for natural gas in Israel’s economy, said the ministry statement, adding commercial production from Karish is expected to begin in September.

    Israel had initially claimed the Karish field as its own property, but later Lebanon expanded its claim in territorial waters which would include at least part of the oil field.

    This has resulted in the halt of indirect negotiations for the demarcation of the maritime borders between the two countries.

    In another development, Lebanese authorities decided to invite U.S. Energy Envoy Amos Hochstein to resume its indirect border demarcation talks with Israel in a bid “to prevent any escalation that would not serve the stability in the region,” the National News Agency reported.

    The decision came after a meeting between Lebanese President Michel Aoun and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati following that Israel sent an Energean Power ship to enter the Karish oil field, a disputed area between Lebanon and Israel, to start oil and gas exploration.

    ALSO READ:Israel rejects Lebanon’s claim on Mediterranean gas field

    The two officials also agreed to carry out a series of diplomatic contacts with the major countries and the United Nations to explain Lebanon’s position and affirm the country’s adherence to its maritime rights and wealth.

    They also considered that any exploration, drilling or extraction activities carried out by Israel in the disputed areas constitute a provocation and an act of aggression that threatens international peace and security, and obstructs negotiations.

    Israel had initially claimed the Karish North field as its own property, but later Lebanon expanded its claim in territorial waters, which would include at least part of the oil field.

    This has resulted in the halting of indirect negotiations for the demarcation of the maritime borders between the two countries.

  • Lebanon may stop hosting Syrian refugees without ‘homecoming roadmap’

    Lebanon may stop hosting Syrian refugees without ‘homecoming roadmap’

    Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said that his country may not continue to host displaced Syrians if Europe fails to adopt a clear roadmap for returning them to their homeland…reports Asian Lite News

    “We’ve been hosting refugees for nearly 11 years while the Europeans still do not have a clear roadmap to end this crisis,” Bou Habib was quoted as saying in a presidential statement.

    The Minister said Lebanon can no longer tolerate the presence of massive displaced Syrians on its territories which have weighed heavily on the country’s economy and society, reports Xinhua news agency.

    “All we want from international organisations is to stop paying refugees in Lebanon while assisting them upon their return to their homeland,” he added.

    ALSO READ:Israel rejects Lebanon’s claim on Mediterranean gas field

    Lebanon remains the country hosting the largest number of refugees per capita, with a government estimate of 1.5 million Syrian refugees.

    In Lebanon, nine out of 10 refugees now live in extreme poverty. There are no formal refugee camps and, as a result, Syrians are scattered throughout urban and rural communities and locations, often sharing small basic lodgings with other refugee families in overcrowded conditions.

    The country is suffering a steep financial crisis that has plunged more than 74 per cent of the population into poverty.

  • Lebanon warns Israel against oil drilling in disputed areas

    Lebanon warns Israel against oil drilling in disputed areas

    Lebanese President Michel Aoun has warned that any drilling activities by Israel in the territorial disputed area with Lebanon “constitute a provocation and a hostile act”…reports Asian Lite News



    In a statement released by Lebanon’s Presidency on Sunday, Aoun said that Lebanon has already sent a letter to the UN Security Council, warning that any drilling activities by Israel in disputed areas may pose threat to international peace and security, Xinhua news agency reported.

    Aoun added that talks to demarcate maritime borders between the two countries had not been completed yet.

    Aoun’s remarks came after an Energean Power ship entered the Karish oil field, a disputed area between Lebanon and Israel, to start oil and gas exploration.

    Israel had initially claimed the Karish North field as its own property, but later Lebanon expanded its claim in territorial waters, which would include at least part of the oil field.

    This has resulted in the halting of indirect negotiations for the demarcation of the maritime borders between the two countries.

    Refugee crisis

    Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said that his country may not continue to host displaced Syrians if Europe fails to adopt a clear roadmap for returning them to their homeland.

    “We’ve been hosting refugees for nearly 11 years while the Europeans still do not have a clear roadmap to end this crisis,” Bou Habib was quoted as saying in a presidential statement.

    The Minister said Lebanon can no longer tolerate the presence of massive displaced Syrians on its territories which have weighed heavily on the country’s economy and society, reports Xinhua news agency.

    “All we want from international organisations is to stop paying refugees in Lebanon while assisting them upon their return to their homeland,” he added.

    ALSO READ: Lebanon, Iraq to boost legal, judicial cooperation

    Lebanon remains the country hosting the largest number of refugees per capita, with a government estimate of 1.5 million Syrian refugees.

    In Lebanon, nine out of 10 refugees now live in extreme poverty. There are no formal refugee camps and, as a result, Syrians are scattered throughout urban and rural communities and locations, often sharing small basic lodgings with other refugee families in overcrowded conditions.

    The country is suffering a steep financial crisis that has plunged more than 74 per cent of the population into poverty.

  • Lebanon, Iraq to boost legal, judicial cooperation

    Lebanon, Iraq to boost legal, judicial cooperation

     Lebanon and Iraq have agreed to bolster legal and judicial cooperation between their Justice ministries, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.



    The cooperation, agreed upon during a meeting between Lebanese Justice Minister Henri Khoury and his visiting Iraqi counterpart Salar Abdul Sattar Muhammad on Wednesday, includes judicial notifications, penal fields and extradition issues between the two countries, according to NNA.

    “The Iraqi and Lebanese Justice ministries have authentic and deep-rooted relations … We must collaborate, cooperate and support each other in international and regional forums and in the League of Arab States,” said Muhammad.

    For his part, Khoury said his Ministry’s relation with the Iraqi Justice Ministry and the Supreme Judicial Council in Iraq is very special, highlighting Lebanon’s aspiration to “further consolidate these ties in the near future,” Xinhua news agency reported.

    Last week, the World Bank warned that Lebanon will face significant challenges in running its state institutions and maintaining social peace if the country fails to undertake a comprehensive reform.

    “Despite early warnings, Lebanon has lost precious time and numerous opportunities to adopt a path to reform its economic and financial system,” Xinhua news agency quoted World Bank Mashreq Regional Director Saroj Kumar Jha quoted as saying in a statement.

    “The cost of inaction is colossal not only on the daily lives of citizens, but also on the future of the Lebanese people,” Jha added.

    Failing basic public services, rising unemployment and severely dented human resources have become the “long-lasting scars” on the Lebanese economy and society because of the country’s enduring crisis, the statement said.

    The World Bank statement came less than a week after the Lebanese pound sank to a new historic low on the parallel market amid the country’s unprecedented financial crisis.

    Meanwhile recently, the Iraqi Parliament had passed a bill to criminalise institutions, officials and ordinary people for normalising relations with Israel.

    A statement issued by Parliament said that 275 lawmakers voted unanimously to pass the bill.

    The bill is supposed to preserve the principles of the Iraqi people in defending Palestine and its people as well as the Arab peoples, whose lands are occupied by the Jewish state, the statement added.

    It aims to deter all those working on normalising or establishing relations with Israel.

    ALSO READ: MBZ lauds health officials for anti-Covid efforts

    The bill also prohibits Iraqis from travelling to Israel and having any kind of communications with the country, or they will face harsh penalties of up to life imprisonment and death penalty on violations, according to some articles of the new law revealed by local media.

    The approval comes weeks after Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called on the members of the Sadrist Movement, which won the largest number of seats in last year’s elections, to formulate such a bill.

    In September 2021, the Iraqi government announced its opposition to normalising its relations with Israel.

  • Life in a refugee camp

    Life in a refugee camp

    Children pose for a photo in an alley in the Mar Elias refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon.

    (Xinhua/Liu Zongya)

  • Lebanon’s Hezbollah lose majority in parliament elections

    Lebanon’s Hezbollah lose majority in parliament elections

    Lebanon’s Interior Ministry has announced the final results of the 2022 parliamentary elections, which showed the loss of majority in the parliament by Hezbollah and its allies…reports Asian Lite News

    The Interior Ministry declared the parliamentary elections on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

    Hezbollah and its allies secured 59 seats, down from 71 in the previous elections in 2018, which are fewer than the 65 seats needed to secure a majority in the 128-seat parliament.

    The Free Patriotic Movement, a major Hezbollah ally, is no longer the largest Christian parliamentary bloc in the country as it won 18 seats compared to its rival the Lebanese Forces, which won 20 seats.

    Moreover, Hezbollah lost key allies, including Druze leader Talal Arslan and Sunni leader Faysal Karame in Tripoli.

    The results published by the Interior Ministry also highlighted the unprecedented gains achieved by 15 reformist candidates, in a breakthrough reflecting the public anger at the financial collapse.

    This year’s elections are characterised by the absence of Saad Hariri, the most prominent Lebanese Sunni figure, former Prime Minister and leader of the Future Movement.

    Hariri announced on January 24 his withdrawal from Lebanon’s political life, attributing his decision “to the absence of any positive opportunity for Lebanon in light of Iranian influence, national division and sectarianism”.

    ALSO READ: Ballot boxes distributed in Lebanon for parliamentary elections

    The Ministry noted that the voter turnout in the 2022 parliamentary elections reached 42 per cent, down from 49 per cent in the 2018 elections.

    This year’s parliamentary elections were the first held since the financial and economic collapse and the 2019 protests against the ruling political class, blamed for the deteriorating situation in the country.

    A total of 718 candidates, including 118 female candidates, who were distributed among 103 lists, competed for this year’s parliamentary elections in Lebanon.

  • Will Sunday polls weaken Hezbollah’s grip on Lebanon?

    Will Sunday polls weaken Hezbollah’s grip on Lebanon?

    The outcome of the elections could determine if the international community will give Lebanon the funds it desperately needs for its survival, a report by John Solomou

    Lebanon, a country plagued by state mismanagement and rampant corruption, the currency of which lost 90 per cent of its value and 80 per cent of its population live below the poverty line, on Sunday had its first elections since 2018.

    The outcome of the elections could determine if the international community will give Lebanon the funds it desperately needs for its survival, which is conditional on the country making a host of legal and economic reforms.

    One of the biggest questions the long-suffering Lebanese people will be called upon to decide is whether they will elect enough reformers who will challenge the Iran-backed Hezbollah and its allies and as a result stop their stranglehold on the country’s antiquated sectarian system, where seats are confessionally distributed to 11 groups.

    At the time of writing this article, the results of the elections are not known but based on published polls and a variety of reports about trends in Lebanon, which in the past was a model for the Arab world but now is very close to being described as “a failed state,” attention is drawn to the following facts:

    Expatriate Lebanese who left the country since 2018 and number about 200,000, have already voted on May 8. As these people left Lebanon because they realized that the dire economic situation will not improve in the foreseeable future and that after the elections there could be a complete economic and security collapse, they are believed to have cast their vote overwhelmingly in favour of reformist candidates.

    In addition to the economic collapse, the restrictions banks imposed on depositors, who are now allowed to withdraw only small amounts of money from their accounts, and the fact that electricity is supplied for only two to three hours a day, two major events have enraged ordinary people and convinced a lot of them that the current sectarian system cannot continue any longer.

    The first was the huge blast on 4 August 2020 at Beirut’s port, when hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate negligently stored at the port for six years, exploded, killing 218 people, injuring more than 7,000, leaving about 300,000 people homeless and causing property damage exceeding 15 billion US dollars. So far nobody has been held accountable for the blast.

    The second event was the drowning three weeks ago of six people, including a little girl, when Lebanese naval patrols tried to force an overloaded migrant boat with Lebanese and Syrian refugees to turn back. The captain made a dangerous manoeuvre that capsized the boat. The incident shows that some Lebanese are so desperate with the situation prevailing in their country that they risk their lives to get away and find a better future elsewhere.

    So far one thing is certain: The Sunni-dominated Future Movement Party, run by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, which in the past had quite strong ties with Saudi Arabia and the United States will lose its representation in parliament due to Hariri’s personal decision to “suspend” his political career. The Future Movement party, which was strongly opposed to Hezbollah and demanded its disarmament, had 20 seats and was the largest Sunni parliamentary bloc in the country’s 128- seat parliament, equally distributed between Christians and Muslims.

    Hariri, who served as Prime Minister three times, announced his withdrawal from political life saying: “I’m convinced that there is no room in Lebanon for an opportunity in light of Iranian influence, international confusion, national division, sectarianism, and state weariness.” He also called the members of the Future Movement Party to abstain from voting.

    The party that may get at least some of Hariri’s Sunni votes will be the right-wing Lebanese Forces Party, of Samir Geagea, the Christian warlord at the time of the civil war (1975-90). After the blast at Beirut port, the party, which presents itself as a “Party for all Lebanese”, withdrew from the government.

    Geagea can count on Saudi support in case he forms a government and promises to carry out negotiations with the International Monetary Fund and France to secure the necessary amount of money to revive the Lebanese economy.

    Hezbollah – the Iran-backed Shiite party designated as a terrorist organization by many Western governments – since 2016 has been the kingmaker in Lebanon as it controlled 71 seats in the parliament. Hezbollah presents itself as the only party of armed resistance to Israel defending Lebanon.

    Saad Hariri on several occasions had accused Hezbollah of using its weapons for intimidation and political leverage and he and other leaders demanded that it be disarmed also because of its involvement in the Syrian conflict on the side of Bashar al Asad.

    ALSO READ: Ballot boxes distributed in Lebanon for parliamentary elections

    The demand to disarm Hezbollah was echoed last March by Gulf countries and was set as a condition for resolving their diplomatic crisis with Lebanon. However, the Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib had said that such a demand would lead to a civil war.

    David Daoud, the expert on Hezbollah of the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) stresses that the group’s influence within Lebanon is a critical factor that would undermine chances of genuine economic and governmental reform and says, “Through its continued possession of unregulated arms, Hezbollah dominates Lebanon’s decisions of war and peace… Hezbollah is not the singular cause of Lebanon’s dysfunction and economic collapse. The sources of that run much deeper. But the group is both a symptom of those maladies intrinsic to the Lebanese system as it is currently constituted and the primary impediment to remedying them…However, what is clear is that Lebanon cannot begin to recover until the group’s grip over the country is loosened.”

    Analysts point out that it is not likely that Sunday’s voting will bring meaningful change, as the numerous new candidates who are expected to get the “revenge vote” of the desperate Lebanese people have failed to form a coalition, and besides, lack the money and experience to defeat the existing parties. So, Lebanon may enter a new long period of paralysis before the various factions agree on a new power-sharing cabinet. (ANI)

  • Ballot boxes distributed in Lebanon for parliamentary elections

    Ballot boxes distributed in Lebanon for parliamentary elections

    Authorities in Lebanon have distributed thousands of ballot boxes all over the country for Sunday’s much-awaited parliamentary elections…reports Asian Lite News

    Thousands of soldiers have deployed near the polling stations to ensure a smooth electoral process and maintain peace and security during the elections, reports Xinhua news agency.

    “The security situation is under control, and a tight security plan has been developed to guarantee the protection of centres and the integrity of the electoral process,” Minister of Interior and Municipalities Bassam Mawlawi said late Saturday night.

    A total of 718 candidates, including 118 females, are running for the 128-seat Lebanese Parliament.

    Ahead of Sunday’s polls, the first round of voting for the Lebanese expats took place on May 6 in nine Arab countries and Iran, and the second phase began on May 8 in 49 countries across Asia, Africa and Europe.

    ALSO READ: Lebanon starts second phase of expat voting in parliamentary elections

    Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system allocates seats for its mosaic of religious sects in its Parliament, including Sunni and Shia Muslims, various Christian denominations, and the Druze.

    The president must always be a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister a Sunni and the Speaker of Parliament a Shia.

    The elections come amid an unprecedented economic crisis that emerged about three years ago, leading to the currency to lose more than 90 per cent of its value since 2019, while also plunging over 70 per cent of the population into poverty.

  • Lebanese President vows to hold transparent, free polls

    Lebanese President vows to hold transparent, free polls

    Lebanese President Michel Aoun vowed has vowed that the May 15 parliamentary polls will be conducted in a transparent and free manner…reports Asian Lite News

    Aoun made remarks during his meeting with a delegation from the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) at the Baabda Palace, reports Xinhua news agency.

    “All measures have been taken to conduct the electoral process in an atmosphere of transparency, freedom and democratic competition,” Aoun was quoted as saying.

    Lebanon is a member of the OIF, a Paris-based organization established to facilitate cooperation among its members, most of which were French-speaking countries or regions.

    Aoun said that the OIF delegation’s visit is a proof of the organisation’s firm belief in Lebanon’s respect for democracy.

    Alda Greoli, head of the OIF delegation, thanked Aoun for the country’s cooperation in facilitating the delegation’s mission, which will remain in Lebanon for 10 days to monitor the elections and write a report on the event.

    Ahead of the May 15 polls, the first round of voting for the Lebanese expats took place on May 6 in nine Arab countries and Iran, and the second phase began on May 8 in 49 countries across Asia, Africa and Europe.

    Parliamentary elections are held in Lebanon every four years.

    A total of 718 candidates, including 118 females, are in the fray for the polls to the 128-seat Parliament.

    ALSO READ: Lebanon starts second phase of expat voting in parliamentary elections

    Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system allocates seats for its mosaic of religious sects in its Parliament, including Sunni and Shia Muslims, various Christian denominations, and the Druze.

    The president must always be a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister a Sunni and the Speaker of Parliament a Shia.

    The elections come amid an unprecedented economic crisis that emerged about three years ago, leading to the currency to lose more than 90 per cent of its value since 2019, while also plunging over 70 per cent of the population into poverty.

  • Lebanon starts second phase of expat voting in parliamentary elections

    Lebanon starts second phase of expat voting in parliamentary elections

    The second phase of Lebanese expatriates voting in parliamentary elections kicked off in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and 48 other countries on Sunday…reports Asian Lite News

    More than 25,000 Lebanese voters residing in the UAE are eligible to vote and long queues were reported outside polling stations, Xinhua news agency reported, citing Lebanese news platform L’Orient Today.

    According to the official Lebanese National News Agency (NNA), a total of 194,348 Lebanese expatriates have registered to cast their votes in the ballot boxes in Lebanese embassies and consulates in Canada, the US, Australia, and other countries in Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia.

    Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun visited Sunday the Foreign Ministry to inspect its monitoring of the second phase of expat parliamentary elections that got underway in the morning, noting he hoped “the elections will end without any problems or objections.”

    The first phase of expatriates’ voting took place on Friday in 10 countries, namely Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Iran.

    The voter turnout in the 10 countries was 59.49 per cent on Friday, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib was quoted by the NNA as saying.

    ALSO READ: Lebanon Gears Up For Polls

    The Lebanese elections, which are slated for May 15 at home, come amid an unprecedented economic crisis that emerged about three years ago, leading to the currency collapse and plunging over 70 per cent of the population into poverty.

    Holding the elections is among the many requirements from the international organizations and donor countries for extending their support to the crisis-hit country.

    Parliamentary elections are held in Lebanon every 4 years, and a total of 718 candidates, including 118 females, are running for the elections of the 128-seat Lebanese parliament scheduled for May 15.