Sabhan in Beirut to Discuss Saudi-Lebanese Relations

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri meets with Saudi Minister Thamer al-Sabhan in Beirut (Dalati & Nohra)
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri meets with Saudi Minister Thamer al-Sabhan in Beirut (Dalati & Nohra)
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Sabhan in Beirut to Discuss Saudi-Lebanese Relations

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri meets with Saudi Minister Thamer al-Sabhan in Beirut (Dalati & Nohra)
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri meets with Saudi Minister Thamer al-Sabhan in Beirut (Dalati & Nohra)

Saudi Minister of State for Arab Gulf Affairs Thamer Al-Sabhan has met with a number of Lebanese officials during a visit to Beirut that he kicked off on Wednesday.

The Saudi official reviewed with Prime Minister Saad Hariri latest developments in Lebanon and the region, before meeting with Kataeb Party chief Sami Gemayel.

On Thursday, Sabhan visited the head of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, at his residence in the Keserouan village of Maarab, where he said in brief comments: “The weather is always beautiful in Maarab”.

For his part, Gemayel underlined the need to preserve the sovereignty of the Lebanese State throughout its territories. He also raised the issue of the Lebanese working in Gulf countries in general and the Kingdom in particular, stressing that they should not be held responsible for policies and positions that are not approved by all Lebanese people.

Well-informed Arab sources told Al-Markaziah news agency that Sabhan, who had visited Beirut in October, would discuss with Lebanese officials latest developments in the region, mainly the progress achieved in the Syrian file.

He will also emphasize that regional balances do not mean allowing Iran to expand its influence in any Arab country and that there is no truth in any information about concessions in favor of Iran, either in Yemen, Iraq, Syria or Lebanon, according to the sources quoted by the agency.



Türkiye Says Over 273,000 Syrian Refugees Have Returned Home

FILE - Syrian refugee Ahmed al-Kassem and his family drive a truck loaded with their belongings from Türkiye, on the their way back to the family's home in Aleppo, Syria, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)
FILE - Syrian refugee Ahmed al-Kassem and his family drive a truck loaded with their belongings from Türkiye, on the their way back to the family's home in Aleppo, Syria, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)
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Türkiye Says Over 273,000 Syrian Refugees Have Returned Home

FILE - Syrian refugee Ahmed al-Kassem and his family drive a truck loaded with their belongings from Türkiye, on the their way back to the family's home in Aleppo, Syria, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)
FILE - Syrian refugee Ahmed al-Kassem and his family drive a truck loaded with their belongings from Türkiye, on the their way back to the family's home in Aleppo, Syria, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)

More than 273,000 Syrians who fled their country's civil war to neighboring Türkiye have returned home since the fall of president Bashar al-Assad in December, Türkiye's vice-president said Friday.

"The number of people who have voluntarily returned to Syria since December 8, 2024 has exceeded 273,000," Cevdet Yilmaz was quoted as saying by the official Anadolu news agency.

Some 2.7 million Syrian refugees are still in Türkiye, according to interior ministry figures released in May.

The Turkish government, which supports Syria's new rulers, is hoping to accelerate the return of refugees to ease tensions generated by their presence in parts of the country.