Syrians to Lose WFP Food Assistance in January

Bulent Kilic, AFP | A Syrian Kurdish woman crosses the border between Syria and Türkiye on September 23.
Bulent Kilic, AFP | A Syrian Kurdish woman crosses the border between Syria and Türkiye on September 23.
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Syrians to Lose WFP Food Assistance in January

Bulent Kilic, AFP | A Syrian Kurdish woman crosses the border between Syria and Türkiye on September 23.
Bulent Kilic, AFP | A Syrian Kurdish woman crosses the border between Syria and Türkiye on September 23.

Food assistance across Syria will end in January due to a funding crunch that had already curtailed its aid program in the war devastated country, the World Food Program (WFP)said on Monday.
The organization said a record level of humanitarian needs globally meant its donors are unable to provide the same level of support, Reuters said.
In September, WFP officials had warned that it required $134 million to provide food assistance for the next six months to combat hunger and malnutrition in 3.2 million people in Syria. In previous years, the organization had fed 5.5 million.
The UN food body says over 12 million Syrians were in the grip of hunger in a country that had already significantly cut aid in recent years.
The WFP however said it would continue to support families affected by natural disasters through smaller programs alongside maintaining some child nutrition and livelihood support schemes for farmers.
Over the last 10 years, WFP said it had spent $3 billion on delivering 4.8 million metric tons of food and over $300 million in cash-based assistance and $800 million in goods and services.



Lebanese Army Blames Israel for Delay in Deploying Troops in Southern Lebanon

Smoke rises from the site of controlled explosions during demolition activities undertaken by the Israeli army in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila on January 24, 2025. (AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of controlled explosions during demolition activities undertaken by the Israeli army in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila on January 24, 2025. (AFP)
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Lebanese Army Blames Israel for Delay in Deploying Troops in Southern Lebanon

Smoke rises from the site of controlled explosions during demolition activities undertaken by the Israeli army in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila on January 24, 2025. (AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of controlled explosions during demolition activities undertaken by the Israeli army in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila on January 24, 2025. (AFP)

The Lebanese army on Saturday said it has been unable to deploy its forces throughout southern Lebanon as laid out in a ceasefire agreement that halted the Israel-Hezbollah war because of Israel’s “procrastination in withdrawal” from the area.

Under the deal reached in November, Israel is supposed to complete its withdrawal from Lebanon by Sunday, after which the Lebanese armed forces would patrol the buffer zone in southern Lebanon alongside UN peacekeepers to prevent Hezbollah from reestablishing a military presence there.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested Friday that Israel might not withdraw by the deadline, and Washington appears prepared to push for an extension.

Netanyahu said the Lebanese government hasn’t yet “fully enforced” the agreement, an apparent reference to the deployment of Lebanese troops.

The Lebanese army statement said that “procrastination in the withdrawal by the Israeli enemy complicates the army’s deployment mission.” It added that it “maintains readiness to complete its deployment immediately after the Israeli enemy withdraws.”

It called on displaced Lebanese not to return to their areas until they receive instructions, citing the danger of landmines and explosives. Some 112,000 Lebanese remain displaced. There have been calls for protests on Sunday if Israel does not fully withdraw.