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Turkish Foreign Minister to Visit Lebanon on Tuesday

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan looks on during a joint press conference with the Egyptian foreign minister in Cairo on October 14, 2023. (AFP)
Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan looks on during a joint press conference with the Egyptian foreign minister in Cairo on October 14, 2023. (AFP)
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Turkish Foreign Minister to Visit Lebanon on Tuesday

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan looks on during a joint press conference with the Egyptian foreign minister in Cairo on October 14, 2023. (AFP)
Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan looks on during a joint press conference with the Egyptian foreign minister in Cairo on October 14, 2023. (AFP)

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will make an official visit to Lebanon on Tuesday to discuss regional, global and bilateral issues, the foreign ministry said on Monday.

Fidan will visit Lebanon at the invitation of his Lebanese counterpart, the ministry said.

The visit comes as Israel gears up for a ground offensive into Gaza in response to an attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct. 7.

Earlier on Monday, Fidan discussed Israeli attacks on Gaza and the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in a call with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said, according to Reuters.

The source provided no further information.

Türkiye has said it was ready to mediate the conflict and that it was in contact with Hamas on the release of civilians being held hostage by the group.

It has also sent humanitarian aid to Gaza, which is currently held in Egypt while borders are closed.

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Syrian Christians Celebrate Christmas in Damascus Amid Tight Security

An aerial picture shows a view of a crowd around a Christmas tree in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
An aerial picture shows a view of a crowd around a Christmas tree in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
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Syrian Christians Celebrate Christmas in Damascus Amid Tight Security

An aerial picture shows a view of a crowd around a Christmas tree in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
An aerial picture shows a view of a crowd around a Christmas tree in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)

Syrian Christians gathered at churches in the country's capital Damascus on Wednesday amid tight security measures to celebrate their first Christmas after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

"Today there is a large deployment of security to protect the churches, fearing sabotage, but things are normal," Nicola Yazgi told dpa, while attending a mass in eastern Damascus.

Security forces affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is now leading Syria's interim government, were deployed outside churches and in the streets in Christian-majority neighborhoods in the capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

According to the UK-based war monitor, churches across Syria - including in the southern city of al-Sweida, and in the northern cities of Aleppo and Idlib - opened their doors for Christmas celebrations.

Yazgi said he was celebrating two things this year: "Christmas and the victory of the revolution and the fall of the tyrant. We hope that today will be the day of salvation from the era of al-Assad family injustices."

Suad al-Zein, an engineer, also joined the mass in Damascus. She expressed her joy despite the lack of decorations in the streets: "For us, joy is in our hearts."

Civil war broke out in Syria in 2011 following pro-democracy protests against al-Assad's regime.

In late November, HTS and other opposition groups launched a rapid offensive, making major territorial gains before capturing Damascus earlier this month. Al-Assad fled to Russia with his family.

Since then, HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has tried to reassure minorities in Syria, promising moderation and respect for all religious sects.

A group of people burnt a Christmas tree in Hama province on Monday evening, prompting hundreds of protesters to take to the streets in several cities.