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20 Killed In Syria Clashes, Says War Monitor

A rival armed group led by an individual who previously belonged to ISIS entered Sanamayn and clashes erupted - AFP
A rival armed group led by an individual who previously belonged to ISIS entered Sanamayn and clashes erupted - AFP
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20 Killed In Syria Clashes, Says War Monitor

A rival armed group led by an individual who previously belonged to ISIS entered Sanamayn and clashes erupted - AFP
A rival armed group led by an individual who previously belonged to ISIS entered Sanamayn and clashes erupted - AFP

At least 20 people were killed in clashes Sunday in Syria's Daraa province a day after an explosion killed a group of children, a rights monitor said.

Daraa was the cradle of the 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad but it returned to government control in 2018 under a ceasefire deal backed by Russia.

The southern province has since been plagued by unrest.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said Ahmed al-Labbad, who "leads an armed group", was accused by a rival group of planting an explosive device that killed eight children Saturday in the city of Sanamayn.

Labbad, who previously worked for a state security agency, denied involvement, according to the Britain-based monitor.

On Sunday, a rival armed group led by an individual who previously belonged to ISIS and is now "affiliated with military intelligence", entered Sanamayn and clashes erupted, the monitor said, AFP reported.

The attackers burned the homes of the Labbad family and killed people living there, it added.

Among the 20 dead were three members of Labbad's family and 14 of his fighters, the observatory said.

Syrian state media did not immediately report the clashes.

The official SANA news agency quoted police as saying seven children died in Saturday's explosion in the town, which it blamed on "terrorists".

Attacks, armed clashes and assassinations, some claimed by ISIS, regularly occur in Daraa.

In January, the observatory said a local leader and seven members of an ISIS-affiliated militia were killed in clashes with local groups.

More than 500,000 people have died in Syria's civil war since it erupted in 2011. Millions have been displaced.

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Shiite Forces Boycott Meeting with Vatican Secretary on Lebanon’s Presidential Crisis

Parolin, al-Rai and other officials during the meeting at Bkirki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Parolin, al-Rai and other officials during the meeting at Bkirki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Shiite Forces Boycott Meeting with Vatican Secretary on Lebanon’s Presidential Crisis

Parolin, al-Rai and other officials during the meeting at Bkirki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Parolin, al-Rai and other officials during the meeting at Bkirki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Representatives of Lebanon's Supreme Islamic Shiite Council and Shiite deputies boycotted a meeting of the heads of sects and parliamentary blocs with Vatican Secretary Cardinal Pietro Parolin at the seat of the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkirki on Tuesday.

The meeting, which focused on the presidential crisis, was held at Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai's invitation.

Addressing the gatherers, Parolin underlined the need to preserve the “Lebanese model” in the turbulent region. He called on the different parties to cooperate to resolve the crisis and reach solutions that “bring hope to Lebanon and its people.”

“I convey to you the greetings of His Holiness Pope Francis, who is carefully following the developments in Lebanon...” he stated, adding: “Today, Lebanon must remain a model of coexistence and unity in light of the ongoing crises and wars.”

He said he was in Lebanon to help end the crisis, namely the failure to elect a president of the republic.

The presidency has been vacant since Michel Aoun’s term ended in October 2022.

For his part, al-Rai emphasized that the meeting was a “gathering of the Lebanese family” and an opportunity for dialogue and mutual understanding, especially during these challenging times.

Shiite representatives boycotted the meeting despite an invitation being sent to the Supreme Shiite Islamic Council.

An informed source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the decision was a response to remarks made by al-Rai during the Sunday mass sermon, in which he said that the resistance against Israel in the South has turned the area into an arena for terrorist acts that destabilize the security and stability of the region.

According to the same source, the Shiite community has no problem with the Vatican, as Parolin is scheduled to meet with Speaker Nabih Berri - a Shiite - on Wednesday.

Jaafari Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan sent a letter to the Vatican secretary, criticizing al-Rai’s position without naming him and saying: “Some spiritual leaders in my country view what the group of its resisters are doing as abhorrent terrorism that must be deterred and prevented.”

“We do not accept that the Church uses positions that serve Zionist terrorism and global crime,” he added.

Regarding the election of a president, Qabalan stressed: “We want a Christian president for the Muslims, who is as eager as the Muslim resistance [Hezbollah] and its sacrifices for the sake of the Christian churches. This can only be achieved through consensus that safeguards the homeland of Muslims and Christians.”

Christian parties quickly slammed Qabalan’s remarks. In a statement, the Kataeb Party said the letter “contained clear incitement against the role of Bkirki and hateful sectarianism that we have never heard before even at the peak of the Lebanese [civil] war.”