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Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Israel Rejected Lebanon’s Proposal for a Ceasefire

A handout picture released by the Lebanese parliament press office, shows Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (R) meeting with the head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Aroldo Lazaro Saenz in Beirut on November 1, 2024. (Lebanese parliament/AFP)
A handout picture released by the Lebanese parliament press office, shows Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (R) meeting with the head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Aroldo Lazaro Saenz in Beirut on November 1, 2024. (Lebanese parliament/AFP)
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Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Israel Rejected Lebanon’s Proposal for a Ceasefire

A handout picture released by the Lebanese parliament press office, shows Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (R) meeting with the head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Aroldo Lazaro Saenz in Beirut on November 1, 2024. (Lebanese parliament/AFP)
A handout picture released by the Lebanese parliament press office, shows Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (R) meeting with the head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Aroldo Lazaro Saenz in Beirut on November 1, 2024. (Lebanese parliament/AFP)

Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said on Friday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a Lebanese ceasefire proposal.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Berri revealed that Netanyahu “rejected the Lebanese roadmap that we agreed over with (US envoy to Lebanon) Amos Hochstein.”

Political efforts to resolve the conflict in Lebanon will have to wait until after the US presidential election on Tuesday, he added.

Berri refused to make predictions over what the situation in Lebanon will be like after the election, saying that one thing is certain, that the issue has been postponed until after the polls.

Lebanon will now have to contend with the developments on the ground, he added, saying he fears the country could be “turned into another Gaza.”

Moreover, he revealed that Hochstein had not contacted him since he left Israel earlier this week.

Lebanon remains committed to United Nations Security Council resolution 1701, he stressed.

Berri held talks on Friday with head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Aroldo Lazaro Saenz.

He told him that Israel has “wasted since September several viable opportunities to reach a ceasefire and implement resolution 1701 and allow the displaced on both sides of the border to return to their homes.”

A statement from the speaker’s office said he briefed the UNIFIL commander on the agreement that was reached with Hochstein in his efforts to reach a ceasefire and implement resolution 1701.

He reiterated his commitment to the resolution, saying it was the “only option” to achieve security and stability in the region.

Lazaro also met with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who underlined the international peacekeeping force’s role in the South and condemned Israel’s attacks and threats against it.

Lebanon remains committed to resolution 1701, he declared, while “Israeli statements and diplomatic signals received by Lebanon indicate that Tel Aviv refuses the solutions that are on the table and is insistent on its policy of killing and destruction.”

“The situation demands that the international community assume its historic and moral responsibilities in stopping this assault,” he continued.

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Arab World

Israel Army Says Struck Hezbollah Sites in South Lebanon

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the village of Sohmor, in southern Lebanon on January 15, 2026. (AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the village of Sohmor, in southern Lebanon on January 15, 2026. (AFP)
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Israel Army Says Struck Hezbollah Sites in South Lebanon

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the village of Sohmor, in southern Lebanon on January 15, 2026. (AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the village of Sohmor, in southern Lebanon on January 15, 2026. (AFP)

Israel's army said it carried out several strikes against Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon on Monday, despite Lebanon this month announcing progress in disarming the party.

Israel has continued to launch regular strikes in the area even after a ceasefire was agreed with Hezbollah in November 2024 to end more than a year of hostilities.

"A short while ago, the (Israeli military) struck terror infrastructure in several areas of southern Lebanon... used by Hezbollah to conduct drills and training for terrorists" to attack Israeli forces and civilians, the military said in a statement.

It did not specify the exact locations, but Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported "a series of Israeli strikes" on at least five villages -- Ansar, Zarariyeh, Kfar Melki, Nahr al-Shita and Buslaya.

Last week, the Lebanese army said it had completed disarming Hezbollah south of the Litani River in the first phase of a nationwide plan, though Israel described those efforts as insufficient.

The five villages mentioned by NNA lie north of the Litani, an area not included in the first phase of disarmament.

On Friday, another Israeli strike killed one person in Lebanon's south, according to the country's health ministry.

Arab World

Türkiye Sees Deal between Syria, Kurdish Forces as ‘Historic Turning Point’

A group of civilians smash a statue of a Syrian Democratic Forces fighter in the city of Tabqa after the Syrian army took control of it, in Tabqa, Syria, January 18, 2026. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
A group of civilians smash a statue of a Syrian Democratic Forces fighter in the city of Tabqa after the Syrian army took control of it, in Tabqa, Syria, January 18, 2026. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
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Türkiye Sees Deal between Syria, Kurdish Forces as ‘Historic Turning Point’

A group of civilians smash a statue of a Syrian Democratic Forces fighter in the city of Tabqa after the Syrian army took control of it, in Tabqa, Syria, January 18, 2026. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
A group of civilians smash a statue of a Syrian Democratic Forces fighter in the city of Tabqa after the Syrian army took control of it, in Tabqa, Syria, January 18, 2026. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Türkiye sees an integration deal between Syria's government and Kurdish forces there as an "historic turning point", ahead of which the Turkish intelligence agency played an intensive role to ensure restraint by parties involved, Turkish security sources said on Monday.

Türkiye, a strong supporter of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, sees the deal ‌as critical ‌to restoring state authority across ‌Syria ⁠and to ‌its own goal of eliminating terrorism at home, including advancing its long-running efforts toward securing peace with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the sources said.

Ankara is the strongest foreign backer of the administration in neighboring Damascus ⁠and had threatened its own military operation against the ‌Syrian Kurdish Democratic Forces (SDF) in the ‍north if the ‍group did not agree to come under ‍central government control, Reuters said.

On Sunday, Syria and the SDF struck a wide-ranging deal to integrate the Kurdish civilian and military authorities, ending days of fighting in which Syrian troops captured territory including key oil fields.

The Turkish security ⁠sources said the fight against ISIS group in Syria would continue uninterrupted despite the agreement.

Türkiye's intelligence agency MIT had been in dialogue with the United States - which mediated the Sunday agreement - and the Syrian government ahead of the deal, the sources said. MIT also maintained intensive contacts to ensure restraint among parties, including protecting civilians and critical infrastructure, in ‌Syria in the run-up to the deal, they added.

Arab World

Syrian Army Deploys in Deir Ezzor Province After Kurdish Withdrawal

A military vehicle of the Syrian army is parked on the highway near Tabqa, after the Syrian army took control of it, Syria, January 19, 2026. (Reuters)
A military vehicle of the Syrian army is parked on the highway near Tabqa, after the Syrian army took control of it, Syria, January 19, 2026. (Reuters)
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Syrian Army Deploys in Deir Ezzor Province After Kurdish Withdrawal

A military vehicle of the Syrian army is parked on the highway near Tabqa, after the Syrian army took control of it, Syria, January 19, 2026. (Reuters)
A military vehicle of the Syrian army is parked on the highway near Tabqa, after the Syrian army took control of it, Syria, January 19, 2026. (Reuters)

Syria's army on Monday deployed its forces in parts of the eastern Deir Ezzor province formerly controlled by Kurdish forces following their withdrawal from the area.

After two days of rapid gains in Kurdish-controlled territory, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced on Sunday a deal with their leader Mazloum Abdi that includes a ceasefire and the integration of the Kurdish administration and forces into the central state.

The government push captured Arab-majority areas that came under Kurdish control during the fight against the ISIS group.

In Deir Ezzor, an AFP correspondent saw dozens of military vehicles heading to the east of the Euphrates river, which once separated Damascus-controlled areas to the west from the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to the east.

Lines of cars, trucks and motorcycles formed in front of a small bridge leading to the eastern bank.

Some people were also heading there on foot.

"Our joy over liberation is indescribable," Mohammed Khalil, a 50-year-old driver in Deir Ezzor, told AFP.

"We hope things will be better than before. There was... no freedom under the SDF."

Safia Keddo, a 49-year-old teacher, told AFP "the past few years, but today we must turn the page".

"We want children to return to school without fear, and for electricity, water, and bread to be restored. We're not asking for a miracle; we just want stability and a normal life."

The Syrian army said in a statement that it "started the deployment" into the eastern Jazira region "to secure it under the agreement between the Syrian state and the SDF".

The agreement calls for the immediate handover of the provinces of the Arab-majority Raqqa and Deir Ezzor provinces.

The SDF had announced on Sunday that it was withdrawing from areas under its control in the eastern Deir Ezzor countryside, including the Al-Omar and Tanak oil fields.

The SDF had taken control of part of Deir Ezzor after defeating the ISIS group with the support of an international coalition led by the United States.