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Abdollahian, Mekdad Demand Immediate Withdrawal of ‘Occupying Forces’ from Syria

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian welcomes his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Tehran on Monday (AFP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian welcomes his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Tehran on Monday (AFP)
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Abdollahian, Mekdad Demand Immediate Withdrawal of ‘Occupying Forces’ from Syria

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian welcomes his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Tehran on Monday (AFP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian welcomes his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Tehran on Monday (AFP)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called on Monday for the immediate pull out of “the occupying military forces” from Syrian soil.

He made the remarks at a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad following their meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran earlier in the day.

The Iranian FM said that immediate pullout of foreign forces from Syria will be highly conducive to stability and security in the region, also emphasizing that peace and security will be guaranteed only in the absence of foreign forces' interference.

Mekdad, for his part, said Syria is satisfied with the developments in the region.

“Active diplomacy at the Iranian level predicts well for people of the region,” he noted.

The Syrian foreign minister said he discussed with his Iranian counterpart the destructive role of the US and its direct occupation in northwest Syria.

He stressed that Syria wants the US forces and those of the US-led international coalition to leave its territory.

Also, Mekdad said his country supports all initiatives for the return of Syrian refugees, but Western countries impede that goal under the pretext that conditions are not suitable.

He also stressed that there is no hostility with the Turkish people, but added, “We want the departure of any illegal foreign force from our land.”

The Syrian foreign minister said the Turkish army occupies part of the Syrian land in the north, noting that since 2011, 300,000 to 400,000 of those he described as “terrorists” have entered Syria.

Meanwhile, Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash announced on Monday that Iran and Syria have eliminated bilateral trade tariffs, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

The Syrian foreign minister arrived in Tehran Sunday, along with the communications and technology minister and economy and trade minister, to follow up on the implementation of the bilateral agreements signed during the visit by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Damascus in early May.

The visit of the Syrian delegation to Tehran comes amid reports saying Iran plans to establish an Iranian free zone in central Syria to meet Iranian investments and to strengthen economic relations between the two countries.

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Arab World

‘War Ruined Me’: Lebanon’s Farmers Mourn Lost Season

This photo shows burnt agricultural fields that were hit during Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun, on October 30, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
This photo shows burnt agricultural fields that were hit during Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun, on October 30, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
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‘War Ruined Me’: Lebanon’s Farmers Mourn Lost Season

This photo shows burnt agricultural fields that were hit during Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun, on October 30, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
This photo shows burnt agricultural fields that were hit during Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun, on October 30, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)

Lebanese farmer Abu Taleb briefly returned to his orchard last month to salvage an avocado harvest but ran away empty handed as soon as Israeli air raids began.

"The war broke out just before the first harvest season," said Abu Taleb, displaced from the village of Tayr Debba near the southern city Tyre.

"When I went back in mid-October, it was deserted... it was scary," said the father of two, who is now sheltering in Tripoli more than 160 kilometers to the north and asked to be identified by a pseudonym because of security concerns.

Abu Taleb said his harvesting attempt was interrupted by an Israeli raid on the neighboring town of Markaba.

He was forced back to Tripoli without the avocados he usually exports every year.

Agricultural regions in Lebanon have been caught in the crossfire since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah ramped up in October last year, a full-scale war breaking out on September 23.

The UN's agriculture agency, FAO, said more than 1,909 hectares of farmland in south Lebanon had been damaged or left unharvested between October last year and September 28.

The conflict has also displaced more than half a million people, including farmers who abandoned their crops just when they were ready to harvest.

Hani Saad had to abandon 120 hectares of farmland in the southern region of Nabatiyeh, which is rich in citrus and avocado plantations.

"If the ceasefire takes place within a month, I can save the harvest, otherwise, the whole season is ruined," said Saad who has been displaced to the coastal city of Jounieh, north of Beirut.

When an Israeli strike sparked a fire in one of Saad's orchards, he had to pay out of his own pocket for the fuel of the fire engine that extinguished the blaze.

His employees, meanwhile, have fled. Of 32 workers, 28 have left, mainly to neighboring Syria.

- 'Worst phase' -

Israeli strikes have put at least two land crossings with Syria out of service, blocking a key export route for produce and crops.

Airlines have suspended flights to Lebanon as insurance costs soar.

This has dealt a deadly blow to agricultural exports, most of which are destined for Gulf Arab states.

Fruit exporter Chadi Kaadan said exports to the Gulf have dropped by more than 50 percent.

The supply surplus in the local market has caused prices to plummet at home, he added.

"In the end, it is the farmer who loses," said Saad who used to earn $5,000 a day before the war started. Today, he barely manages $300.

While avocados can stay on the tree for months, they are starting to run out of water following Israeli strikes on irrigation channels, Saad said.

Citrus fruits and cherimoyas have already started to fall.

"The war has ruined me. I spend my time in front of the TV waiting for a ceasefire so I can return to my livelihood," Saad told AFP.

Gaby Hage, a resident of the Christian town of Rmeish, on the border with Israel, is one of the few farmers who decided to stay in south Lebanon.

He has only been able to harvest 100 of his 350 olive trees, which were left untended for a year because of cross-border strikes.

"I took advantage of a slight lull in the fighting to pick what I could," he told AFP.

Hage said agriculture was a lifeline for the inhabitants of his town, which has been cut off by the war.

Ibrahim Tarchichi, president of the farmers' union in the Bekaa Valley, which was hit hard by the strikes, believes that agriculture in Lebanon is going through the "worst phase" of its recent history.

"I have experienced four wars, it has never been this serious," he said.