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Salam Inspects Military Units South of Litani: No Capable Lebanese State without One Strong Army

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam during his visit to South Lebanon on Friday. (NNA)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam during his visit to South Lebanon on Friday. (NNA)
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Salam Inspects Military Units South of Litani: No Capable Lebanese State without One Strong Army

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam during his visit to South Lebanon on Friday. (NNA)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam during his visit to South Lebanon on Friday. (NNA)

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam tied the restoration of state authority in South Lebanon to a broader process extending beyond military deployment to strengthening institutions, restoring services and advancing reconstruction.

During a visit to the Benoit Barakat Barracks in Tyre, Salam stressed that “every position where the army deploys in the South is a place where the state regains its authority.”

“Restoring sovereignty requires building a capable state, and there can be no capable state without one strong army,” he added, arguing that sovereignty restored through security must also be consolidated economically and socially.

One authority

“We want the South, like all of Lebanon, to be under one authority, and Lebanese citizens there to feel safe because they have an army protecting them,” the PM declared, linking lasting stability to the state and its constitutional institutions regaining control over decisions of war and peace.

At the same time, he acknowledged the challenges confronting the military amid continuing Israeli attacks. “True sovereignty is neither taken nor given; it is built,” he emphasized.

Salam reaffirmed his government’s commitment to building a national state faithful to the constitution, describing efforts to strengthen the army as “a strategic choice at the heart of our project to restore the state,” rather than a secondary priority.

The government continues to mobilize Arab and international support to develop the army’s personnel capabilities, improve its equipment and enhance service members’ living conditions, he went on to say.

He described the military as one of the few institutions around which Lebanese citizens remain united.

Addressing troops, Salam urged them to shield the army from political and sectarian divisions.

“Preserve the unity of the army. Do not allow politics to divide you and accept only the constitution and the law as your guide,” he told them, warning against allowing “the evils of sectarianism” to infiltrate their ranks.

Lebanon could emerge from its current predicament only by having “one army, one flag and one state,” he maintained.

Salam also paid tribute to fallen service members, telling their families: “Your sons are not only martyrs of the military institution; they are martyrs of the entire nation.”

Beyond army deployment

“The return of the state to the South is not limited to the deployment of the army, but extends across all sectors, including education, reconstruction and everything else,” he added, reiterating the government’s commitment to providing the military with everything needed to carry out its mission successfully.

He pledged that the state would spare no effort to secure Israel’s complete withdrawal from Lebanese territory, recover prisoners and advance reconstruction.

Defense Minister Michel Menassa similarly framed Salam’s visit as an affirmation of state sovereignty.

“Our visit to the South is not merely an inspection tour. We are here today to reaffirm our unwavering position seeking to restore state sovereignty,” he vowed.

He identified the government’s primary negotiating objective as “the complete withdrawal of the Israeli enemy from Lebanon.”

Menassa praised the army as a symbol of “dignity, sacrifice and loyalty” that brings Lebanese citizens together and safeguards national unity and civil peace.

He also commended its professionalism in carrying out missions despite difficult conditions and pressure.

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Arab World

Hamas Leader Says Israel to Use Gaza 'Blood' in Election

Head of Hamas's political bureau, Khalil al-Hayya (archive - AP)
Head of Hamas's political bureau, Khalil al-Hayya (archive - AP)
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Hamas Leader Says Israel to Use Gaza 'Blood' in Election

Head of Hamas's political bureau, Khalil al-Hayya (archive - AP)
Head of Hamas's political bureau, Khalil al-Hayya (archive - AP)

The leader of Hamas brushed aside the possibility of change from Israel's upcoming election in an interview on Saturday, saying he expected Israelis to campaign off Gaza's "blood".

"Whether this or that person comes to power, or this party or another -- our people have suffered at the hands of all Israeli parties," Khalil al-Hayya told the Qatari station Al-Araby.

"We absolutely refuse to allow the blood, suffering, and cause of the Palestinian people to serve as fuel for Israeli elections. What matters to us is that our people achieve their goals, aspirations, and legitimate rights."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is locked in a tight contest as he seeks to stay in power in the October 27 elections.

The Israeli premier has vowed in the run-up to the vote not to withdraw troops from Gaza and rejected a US-led peace initiative in which Hamas said it would surrender weapons, a promise Israel views with skepticism.

The vote is the first since Hamas led the deadliest ever attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, with militants storming into southern Israel and killing 1,221 people and dragging 251 others as hostages to Gaza.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has displaced virtually the entire population of Gaza, damaged or destroyed the vast majority of buildings and killed more than 73,900 people, according to the Gaza health ministry, which operates under Hamas and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.

Polls show Netanyahu's most formidable challenger to be Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief who served in Netanyahu's war cabinet but has accused him of failing strategically.

- 'Ready to sit down' with Abbas -

The Palestinian Authority in turn has scheduled a legislative election for November 28, which would be the first in two decades, although there are widespread doubts about whether it will go ahead.

Hamas won the last election, held in 2006, defeating Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah. Abbas, 90, has since been ruling by decree, with the legislature not allowed to convene and Hamas seizing control of Gaza.

Abbas is based in the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority wields limited autonomy.

"We are ready to sit down with President Abbas to lay the foundations for a national program and achieve genuine unity," Hayya said.

"If the Palestinian elections are postponed, that step must serve as an entry point for putting the Palestinian house in order."

Hamas has been working on an alliance with Mohammed Dahlan, a former Fatah figure born in Gaza who has been an interlocutor with the United States on its peace plan.

"In the event of a postponement, the alliance will remain intact and open to all, aiming to forge a unified national front," Hayya said.

It remains uncertain if Hamas could even run in the election as Abbas has required all candidates to accept the platform of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which has recognized Israel's right to exist since 1993 at the start of the Oslo peace accords.

Arab World

Yemeni Government Rallies International Support to Confront Humanitarian Crisis

Yemeni displaced people who fled Houthi attacks on the western coast (AP) 
Yemeni displaced people who fled Houthi attacks on the western coast (AP) 
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Yemeni Government Rallies International Support to Confront Humanitarian Crisis

Yemeni displaced people who fled Houthi attacks on the western coast (AP) 
Yemeni displaced people who fled Houthi attacks on the western coast (AP) 

International warnings over the humanitarian impact of the latest Houthi escalation in Yemen intensified as the Yemeni government sought urgent international support in New York for the health, food and development sectors. Britain also pledged £10 million in response to the UN emergency humanitarian appeal for Yemen.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Afrah Al-Zouba held a series of meetings on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York to highlight the growing impact of the escalation on civilians, displaced people and essential services, warning that continued fighting was placing further strain on an already under-resourced health system.

At a high-level event organized by UNICEF, Al-Zouba said the government faced the dual challenge of maintaining essential health services and providing medicines and vaccines while responding to the growing needs of people displaced by the latest escalation.

She noted that thousands of civilians were forced from their homes, with some families displaced for a third or fourth time, adding pressure on limited resources and the state budget and hampering plans to improve health services.

Al-Zouba warned that Houthi practices were obstructing the delivery of vaccines to children in areas under the group’s control despite supplies being available for distribution. She added that the detention of health workers involved in childhood immunization campaigns threatened disease-prevention efforts.

The minister said the Health Ministry was preparing a national health strategy for 2026-2030 focused on primary care, maternal and child health, nutrition, immunization and building a health system capable of withstanding and responding to crises.

Food, displacement and detainees

In talks with World Food Program (WFP) acting executive director Carl Skau, Al-Zouba discussed food security and the growing needs of displaced and conflict-affected communities, stressing the importance of ensuring that food and humanitarian assistance reaches those in need safely, regularly and without obstruction.

According to the government, she outlined violations affecting civilians, displacement camps and humanitarian facilities, as well as the looting of food and medical supplies.

Al-Zouba called for additional funding for humanitarian programs and urged the release of UN and humanitarian workers detained by the Houthis.

Skau, for his part, reaffirmed the WFP’s continued support for the Yemeni people and coordination with the government and its partners to strengthen food security and meet humanitarian needs.

Al-Zouba also met International Committee of the Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger to discuss humanitarian conditions and the consequences of the escalation.

She warned of continued Houthi pressure on international organizations and humanitarian workers and urged the ICRC to intensify efforts to gain access to detainees held by the group and assess their conditions.

From relief to recovery

On development, the minister discussed infrastructure, essential services and recovery projects with Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive director of the UN Office for Project Services.

Their talks covered the impact of recent developments in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb on living and economic conditions as the government seeks to steer international assistance toward longer-term projects rather than limiting the response to humanitarian emergencies.

At a separate meeting on the Global Development Initiative, Al-Zouba urged international donors and development institutions to translate pledges into projects in infrastructure, health, education, water and energy, while supporting economic recovery and job creation.

Meanwhile, the UK announced £10 million in emergency assistance in response to the UN appeal for Yemen.

The British government said the funding would provide food and nutrition support, emergency health care and vaccines for people displaced or otherwise affected by the latest escalation.

UK Minister for the Middle East Stephen Doughty said the Houthi escalation had caused devastating consequences, undermined regional stability and killed civilians, adding that the new assistance was aimed at Yemenis most vulnerable to the latest developments.

 

 

 

Arab World

Power Cuts, Rubble: Millions Come Home to Find Sudan's Capital Unlivable

Millions have returned to Khartoum but the city is still reeling from Sudan's war. Ebrahim HAMID / AFP
Millions have returned to Khartoum but the city is still reeling from Sudan's war. Ebrahim HAMID / AFP
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Power Cuts, Rubble: Millions Come Home to Find Sudan's Capital Unlivable

Millions have returned to Khartoum but the city is still reeling from Sudan's war. Ebrahim HAMID / AFP
Millions have returned to Khartoum but the city is still reeling from Sudan's war. Ebrahim HAMID / AFP

They came home to a war-ruined city determined to rebuild their lives, but a chronic lack of power, water, jobs and medicine has left many residents of Sudan's capital wishing they had stayed away.

About four million people fled Khartoum after war broke out between the army and a paramilitary force in 2023, in fighting that reduced large parts of the city to rubble, said AFP.

But the estimated 2.7 million who have returned since the army recaptured Khartoum last year are caught between joy at being home and the harsh realities of living there.

Businessman Emad Khaled said he was sending his family back to Egypt, while he remains in Khartoum for his work.

"Bringing my family back was a mistake," the 43-year-old told AFP near the city center, which is filled with blackened, bombed-out buildings.

Multiple government officials, ordered back to Khartoum, told AFP they were also leaving their families outside the country.

Fighting between the armed forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is still raging elsewhere in Sudan, including in the Darfur, Kordofan and Blue Nile regions.

The army, strongly encouraging Khartoum's residents to return, rebuilt the airport and reopened it for domestic flights, and patched up infrastructure.

However, electricity and water still go out for days at a time. And while markets across the capital are open again, many people are unemployed and have little money to spend.

- 'Price goes up every day' -

By June, only one percent of Khartoum had been declared safe by the UN, with dozens of children killed and injured by booby-traps and unexploded shells lurking within walls and on street corners.

Nearly half a million people have returned from neighboring Egypt, where 1.5 million Sudanese sought shelter but faced soaring living costs, racial persecution, arrests and deportations.

Khartoum's working-class neighborhoods have seen the highest numbers of returnees, while most of those who can afford to stay away.

Consequently, upscale districts such as Khartoum 2 lie abandoned. Along tree-lined avenues, glass crackles underfoot and only birdsong fills the air between empty villas, entire corners of them blown out by missiles.

Thuraya Babiker, 86, thought she had returned for good. But three months later, "my husband, my youngest daughter and I are leaving for the United Arab Emirates", she told AFP.

"We don't want to leave," she said, explaining that the lack of medical care makes it impossible to stay.

As people started returning last year, Sudanese charities rushed to rebuild hospitals, some of which are now "better than before", health workers say.

But despite their best efforts, physician Haifa Omar says "some things just aren't available".

"We have to ask patients to buy some medicines on their own dime. I have a lump in my throat as I say it, we know how difficult people's situations are."

College professor Imam Babiker has to visit 10 pharmacies to find his father's blood pressure medication, "and every day it's a different price", he said.

The 34-year-old bought a refrigerator to store his diabetic mother's insulin, "but the electricity goes out for 12 hours a day, so it gets ruined," he told AFP.

Others like Souad Mohamed, 49, had her fridge stolen by looters and couldn't afford a replacement.

"So now I have to buy vegetables and meat every day, and the price goes up every day," she said.

- 'Things really aren't fine' -

Khartoum, once a major African capital home to more than eight million people, is a shell of its former self.

In the city center, a veteran UN official told AFP the level of destruction dwarfs every other crisis they had seen, including Ukraine.

Although occasional RSF drone strikes continue, Khartoum's university students have been told they must return, after authorities ended remote learning in July.

Khartoum University medical professors have threatened to resign en masse in protests, while students complain they are being forced back.

"The university's refusing to let me defend my thesis online, even though my supervisor is also in a different country and doesn't want to return," one master's student told AFP, requesting anonymity.

An undergraduate management student, who should be starting her senior year, said she missed in-person exams this summer and is now scrambling for scholarships in Egypt to restart college from scratch.

"They wouldn't listen to us, all they cared about was for people to return," she told AFP.

"To me it's political, they want people back to show that things are fine, when things really aren't fine."