Report: ‘Hezbollah’ Pushed for Postponement of Lebanon Arsal ‘Victory Festival’

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri held talks on Tuesday with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev at the Gorki-9 residence outside Moscow. (Dalati & Nohra)
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri held talks on Tuesday with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev at the Gorki-9 residence outside Moscow. (Dalati & Nohra)
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Report: ‘Hezbollah’ Pushed for Postponement of Lebanon Arsal ‘Victory Festival’

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri held talks on Tuesday with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev at the Gorki-9 residence outside Moscow. (Dalati & Nohra)
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri held talks on Tuesday with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev at the Gorki-9 residence outside Moscow. (Dalati & Nohra)

The Lebanese Tourism and Defense Ministries announced on Tuesday the postponement of the “Victory Festival,” which was scheduled for Thursday to celebrate the Lebanese army triumph against ISIS in the northeastern border region of Arsal.

The development came in spite of calls, mainly by Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, on Tuesday for a huge turnout at the celebration.

“Following consultations with the leaders and for purely logistic reasons, the Victory Festival celebration- which was scheduled for Thursday September 14 at the Martyrs Square in downtown Beirut - has been postponed,” the two ministries said in a statement on Tuesday.

However, reports said that “Hezbollah” had pushed in the direction of canceling the festival.

A website opposed to the party wrote: “‘Hezbollah’ was upset with the idea of holding a similar festival to prevent bolstering the role of the army.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Saad Hariri was in Moscow on Tuesday where he requested military cooperation from Russia.

During talks held on Tuesday with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev, Hariri said: “We are in the process of rearming the Lebanese army and we want military cooperation between Lebanon and Russia.”

“But what is important for us is to preserve Lebanon’s neutrality regarding all the problems around it because we are living in a very turbulent region.”

The Lebanese prime minister said his country was until now able to protect its stability and stay away from any problems that may come from Syria or any country in the region, particularly Israel.

For his part, Medvedev said: “I want to congratulate you on your success in eliminating the extremist groups inside your borders and this is very important.”

The Russian minister said Moscow was ready to continue enhancing cooperation in fighting terrorism and in other sensitive fields.

Hariri also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and informed him that his visit to Moscow aims to develop the economic and military relations between the two countries and to discuss the purchase of some weapons from Russia to strengthen the Lebanese army.

This is the first time that Lebanese officials discuss in Russia the issue of purchasing weapons for the army.



Gaza Ceasefire Talks Held Up by Israel Withdrawal Plans

Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli army bombardment in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli army bombardment in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
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Gaza Ceasefire Talks Held Up by Israel Withdrawal Plans

Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli army bombardment in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli army bombardment in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Indirect talks between Hamas and Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza are being held up by Israel's proposals to keep troops in the territory, two Palestinian sources with knowledge of the discussions told AFP on Saturday.

Delegations from both sides began discussions in Qatar last Sunday to try to agree on a temporary halt to the 21-month conflict sparked by Hamas's deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Both Hamas and Israel have said that 10 living hostages who were taken that day and are still in captivity would be released if an agreement for a 60-day ceasefire were reached, reported Reuters.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he hoped to clinch a deal "in a few days", which could then lead to talks for a more permanent end to hostilities.

But one Palestinian source, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the talks, said Israel's refusal to accept Hamas's demand to withdraw all of its troops from Gaza was holding back progress.

Another said mediators had asked both sides to postpone the talks until the arrival of US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Doha.

"The negotiations in Doha are facing a setback and complex difficulties due to Israel's insistence, as of Friday, on presenting a map of withdrawal, which is actually a map of redeployment and repositioning of the Israeli army rather than a genuine withdrawal," one Palestinian source said.

The source said Israel was proposing to maintain military forces in more than 40 percent of the Palestinian territory, forcing hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians into a small area near the city of Rafah, on the border with Egypt, they added.

"Hamas's delegation will not accept the Israeli maps... as they essentially legitimize the reoccupation of approximately half of the Gaza Strip and turn Gaza into isolated zones with no crossings or freedom of movement," the source said.

A second Palestinian source accused the Israeli delegation of having no authority, and "stalling and obstructing the agreement in order to continue the war of extermination".

- Latest strikes -

The Gaza war began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of at least 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Of the 251 hostages seized, 49 are still being held, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

At least 57,823 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, have been killed since the start of the war, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.

Gaza's civil defense agency said at least 14 Palestinians were killed in the latest wave of Israeli strikes across the territory on Saturday.

More than 30 people were killed on Friday, including 10 people who were waiting for aid handouts, the agency said.

The Israeli military on Saturday said it had attacked "approximately 250 terrorist targets throughout the Gaza Strip" in the last 48 hours.

Targets included "terrorists, booby-trapped structures, weapons storage facilities, anti-tank missile launch posts, sniper posts, tunnels and additional terrorist infrastructure sites", it added.

Two previous ceasefires -- a week-long truce beginning in late November 2023 and a two-month one from mid-January this year -- led to the release of 105 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The second Palestinian source said "some progress" had been made in the latest talks on plans for releasing Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and getting more aid to Gaza.

Netanyahu, who is under domestic and international pressure to end the war, said this week that neutralizing Hamas as a security threat was a prerequisite for any long-term ceasefire talks.

That included the group giving up weapons, he said, warning that failure to do so would mean Israel would have to do so by force.