Abdollahian Says Iran Willing to Solve Lebanon’s Electricity Crisis

Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri receives on Friday Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian (Parliament office)
Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri receives on Friday Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian (Parliament office)
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Abdollahian Says Iran Willing to Solve Lebanon’s Electricity Crisis

Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri receives on Friday Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian (Parliament office)
Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri receives on Friday Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian (Parliament office)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian expressed on Friday his country’s readiness to enhance economic cooperation with Lebanon and help solve its electricity crisis, also stressing that the election of a President is a Lebanese internal matter.

During his second day visit to Beirut, Abdollahian first met with Speaker Nabih Berri and discussed the current general situation and the latest political developments in Lebanon and the region, according to a statement by the Parliament presidency.

Later, Al-Manar TV, the mouthpiece of Hezbollah, said Abdollahian handed Berri an invitation from his Iranian counterpart to visit Tehran, stressing that the Iranian-Saudi ties are progressing and will positively affect the regional developments.

The Iranian FM also held talks with Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Abdullah Bou Habib at the ministry headquarter where the two officials held a joint press conference.

Abdollahian said Lebanese leaders possess the necessary competence and wisdom to reach an agreement and elect a president, adding that foreign actors can help to strengthen the path of dialogue in Lebanon.

He then called on Lebanese officials and political parties to speed up the election of the president and the formation of a new government.

“During the meeting with the Lebanese Foreign Minister, we expressed the full readiness of Iranian companies to solve the electricity problem in Lebanon,” the Iranian FM said.

He noted that Lebanon is an important country in the region and any country that interacts with this country will benefit from its advantages.

“Today we are in Beirut to announce that we will continue our strong support for the Lebanese government, nation and army,” Abdollahian affirmed, adding that Iran wants nothing but welfare for Lebanon.

“Lebanon is an important country in the region and any country that interacts with this country will benefit from its advantages,” he added.

Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah had met with Abdollahian and the accompanying delegation, the Lebanese party announced on Friday.

It said Nasrallah discussed with the Iranian FM the latest development in Lebanon and the region.



Damascus Condemns Deadly Majdal Shams Strike, Holds Israel Responsible

A man stands near a damaged gate around a football pitch after a reported strike from Lebanon fell in Majdal Shams village in the Israeli-occupied Golan area on July 28, 2024. (AFP)
A man stands near a damaged gate around a football pitch after a reported strike from Lebanon fell in Majdal Shams village in the Israeli-occupied Golan area on July 28, 2024. (AFP)
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Damascus Condemns Deadly Majdal Shams Strike, Holds Israel Responsible

A man stands near a damaged gate around a football pitch after a reported strike from Lebanon fell in Majdal Shams village in the Israeli-occupied Golan area on July 28, 2024. (AFP)
A man stands near a damaged gate around a football pitch after a reported strike from Lebanon fell in Majdal Shams village in the Israeli-occupied Golan area on July 28, 2024. (AFP)

Damascus accused on Sunday Israel of “creating excuses to expand its aggression” in the region, holding it “fully” responsible for the recent escalation after the attack on the Majdal Shams area in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

A rocket strike that killed 12 teenagers and children in the Golan Heights on Saturday has added to concerns that Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah could engage in a full-scale war.

Israel's security cabinet on Sunday authorized the government to respond to the strike. Hezbollah vehemently denied any responsibility for the attack, the deadliest in Israel or Israeli-annexed territory since Hamas' Oct. 7 assault sparked the war in Gaza, which has since spread to several fronts.

In a statement on Sunday, the Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the attack in the predominantly-Druze region.

“Our people in the occupied Syrian Golan, who for decades have rejected Israeli proposals to abandon their Syrian Arab identity, will not be fooled by the lies of the occupation and false accusations against the Lebanese national resistance that it was behind the Majdal Shams attack,” said the statement.

“That is because our people in the Syrian Golan have and still remain an authentic part of the resistance against the occupation, its policies and aggression,” it went on to say.

It stressed that Israel’s accusations that Hezbollah was behind the strike were part of attempts to escalate the situation in the region. It instead accused Israel of being behind the attack.

Earlier, the spiritual leadership of the Druze in Syria condemned the attack, calling on the international community to uncover the criminals behind it.

The perpetrators are “clear to everyone” it said in a statement without elaborating.

The statement was signed by Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, one of the leading Druze figures in Syria’s Sweida that has been a hub for anti-government protests.

Protestors took to the streets in Sweida to voice their solidarity with the people of Majdal Shams.

Israel occupied the Golan in 1967. Majdal Shams is home to around 12,000 people, according to 2022 figures.

Israel has offered the residents of the area the Israeli citizenship, but the majority have refused it. As of 2018, only 20 percent of the population have obtained the citizenship.

Israel does not recognize the Syrian identity of the remainder of the population. The Damascus government considers them Syrian, while the people have maintained their ties with Syria and its people.