Syrian FM to Visit Iraq on Saturday

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Al-Mokdad (AFP)
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Al-Mokdad (AFP)
TT

Syrian FM to Visit Iraq on Saturday

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Al-Mokdad (AFP)
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Al-Mokdad (AFP)

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Al-Mokdad is set to visit the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Saturday, Syria’s Al-Watan newspaper said on Thursday.

Quoting unnamed sources, the paper said that during his visit the Minister will meet with Iraqi officials including Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, Prime Minister Mohamed Al-Sudani, his counterpart Fouad Hussein and Parliament Speaker Mohamed Halbusi.

Discussions will reportedly focus on promoting bilateral relations between the two countries, and the latest developments in the region.

Mokdad’s visit to Iraq comes amid “positive” developments in the region following the Arab League summit in Jeddah.

The Arab League member states agreed to welcome Syria back into the Arab fold earlier in May after a 12-year suspension.

Syrian President Bashar Assad attended the summit.

 



UN Rights Chief ‘Gravely Concerned’ by Lebanon Escalation

Smoke billows above Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli airstrike on November 26, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
Smoke billows above Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli airstrike on November 26, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
TT

UN Rights Chief ‘Gravely Concerned’ by Lebanon Escalation

Smoke billows above Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli airstrike on November 26, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
Smoke billows above Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli airstrike on November 26, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)

The UN rights chief on Tuesday voiced concern about the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, where his office said nearly 100 people had been reported killed by Israeli airstrikes in recent days, including women, children and medics.

Israel has been locked in fighting with Lebanese armed group Hezbollah since Oct. 2023, and fighting has escalated dramatically since late September of this year.

"UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk is gravely concerned by the escalation in Lebanon with at least 97 people reportedly killed in Israeli airstrikes between the 22nd and 24th of November," Jeremy Laurence, a spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, told a Geneva press briefing.

He said that at least seven paramedics had been reported killed in three Israeli strikes in the south of Lebanon on Nov. 22-23, adding to 226 healthcare worker deaths since Oct. 7, 2023. He did not specify how many of the recent deaths had been verified by UN human rights monitors.

Israel says it targets military capabilities in Lebanon and Gaza and takes steps to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians. It accuses Hezbollah, like Hamas, of hiding among civilians, which they deny.