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Netanyahu Demands Int’l Recognition of Golan as Israeli Territory

This picture taken from Ein Zivan settlement in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights shows Syrian army soldiers retaking their position near Syria on July 26, 2018. AFP
This picture taken from Ein Zivan settlement in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights shows Syrian army soldiers retaking their position near Syria on July 26, 2018. AFP
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Netanyahu Demands Int’l Recognition of Golan as Israeli Territory

This picture taken from Ein Zivan settlement in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights shows Syrian army soldiers retaking their position near Syria on July 26, 2018. AFP
This picture taken from Ein Zivan settlement in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights shows Syrian army soldiers retaking their position near Syria on July 26, 2018. AFP

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that the international community should recognize the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.

“Israel on the Golan Heights is a guarantee for stability in the surrounding area,” he affirmed.

Netanyahu made this statement during the inauguration of a synagogue in the occupied Syrian heights, where he toured some settlements and military and security sites. 

“Today we see what is happening over the border – Iran's attempts to establish a military presence,” he said.

Netanyahu continued that during more than 50 years, the region has become a destination for tourists, farmers, investors, businessmen, and constructors. 

The PM said that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to meet soon in order to discuss the Israeli security interests and considerations in the Golan, hoping that the crisis of downing a Russian aircraft would reach a conclusion. 

“In Syria, we will act against any attempts to transfer lethal weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon," Netanyahu was quoted as saying. "I will discuss these matters with President Putin when I meet with him soon," he added.

He said he has decided with Putin “on important security coordination between the Israeli Army and the Russian military.”

“Of course together we have developed good relations between Russia and Israel," Netanyahu went on to say. "I know that President Putin understands my commitment to the security of Israel and I know that he also understands the importance that I ascribe to the Golan Heights, that we all ascribe to the Golan Heights and to the heritage of Israel."

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Lebanon's Parliament Renews Army Chief's Term in First Session after Ceasefire

Lebanese policeman stand outside the parliament building in downtown Beirut, Lebanon October 17, 2017. (Reuters)
Lebanese policeman stand outside the parliament building in downtown Beirut, Lebanon October 17, 2017. (Reuters)
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Lebanon's Parliament Renews Army Chief's Term in First Session after Ceasefire

Lebanese policeman stand outside the parliament building in downtown Beirut, Lebanon October 17, 2017. (Reuters)
Lebanese policeman stand outside the parliament building in downtown Beirut, Lebanon October 17, 2017. (Reuters)

Lebanon's parliament Thursday renewed the term of army chief Joseph Aoun, who is seen as a potential presidential candidate in next year's vote.

The parliament has seldom met since Israel’s war with Hezbollah began 14 months ago, and has not convened to try to elect a president since June 2023, leaving the country in a political gridlock.

Thursday’s session is the first since a US-brokered ceasefire came into effect on Wednesday which has left the Lebanese military responsible for ensuring Hezbollah fighters leave the country's south and its facilities dismantled. The army is expected to receive international aid to help deploy troops to deploy in the south to exert full state control there, The AP reported.

Gen. Joseph Aoun is seen as a likely presidential candidate due to his close relationship with the international community and his hold on an institution that is seen as a rare point of unity in the country facing political and sectarian tensions. Lebanon has been without a president since Oct. 31, 2022.

It is unclear whether the decision to renew Aoun's term will impact his chances as Lebanon's next president.

Hezbollah and some of its key allies and their legislators have been skeptical of a Aoun presidency due to his close relationship with Washington.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who spearheaded negotiations with the United States to end the war, also called for parliament to convene on Jan. 9, 2025 to elect a president, the first attempt in almost 19 months.

French special envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, tasked by French President Emmanuel Macron with helping Lebanon break its political deadlock, observed the session before meeting with Berri and later caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

Berri, in an address Wednesday, urged political parties to pick a president that will bring Lebanon's rival groups together, in a bid to keep the war-torn and financially battered country from further deteriorating amid fears of internal political tensions between Hezbollah and its political opponents following the war.

The militant group's opponents, who believe Hezbollah should be completely disarmed, are furious that it made the unilateral decision to go to war with Israel in solidarity with its ally Hamas in the Gaza Strip.