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Controversy on Invitation of Syrian Regime to Economic Summit in Beirut

Police forces gather outside the parliament building in Downtown Beirut November 5, 2014. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi.
Police forces gather outside the parliament building in Downtown Beirut November 5, 2014. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi.
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Controversy on Invitation of Syrian Regime to Economic Summit in Beirut

Police forces gather outside the parliament building in Downtown Beirut November 5, 2014. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi.
Police forces gather outside the parliament building in Downtown Beirut November 5, 2014. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi.

A possible invitation to the Syrian regime to attend the 2019 Arab Economic Summit expected in Beirut on January 20 has drawn controversy in Lebanon.

Political parties loyal to Damascus, including Hezbollah, have been exerting pressure on officials to convince them into inviting the Assad regime to the summit.

However, parties loyal to the March 14 coalition have warned from the repercussions of such invitation, particularly if taken without the consent of the Arab League.

They also said such decision could further push Lebanon into the Iranian sphere of influence.

The summit is largely important for Lebanon since Beirut hosted the Arab Summit in 2002.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri's economic adviser Nadim Munla downplayed the impact of failing to invite Syria to the summit.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Munla said Lebanon is a hosting country but not responsible for deciding which state to invite.

“Such a decision is taken by the Arab League,” he said, adding that Beirut would respect the organization’s choices.

For his part, MP Yassine Jaber from the Amal Movement’s parliamentary bloc said he hoped Lebanon had not hosted the event because the country “does not need additional problems.”

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Sudan's RSF Conducts First Drone Attack on Port Sudan

Smoke rises from the airport of Port Sudan following reported attacks early on May 4, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke rises from the airport of Port Sudan following reported attacks early on May 4, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Sudan's RSF Conducts First Drone Attack on Port Sudan

Smoke rises from the airport of Port Sudan following reported attacks early on May 4, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke rises from the airport of Port Sudan following reported attacks early on May 4, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a drone attack on a military air base and other facilities in the vicinity of Port Sudan Airport, a Sudanese army spokesperson said on Sunday, in the first RSF attack to reach the eastern port city.
No casualties were reported from the attacks, the spokesperson said.
The RSF has not commented on the incident, Reuters said.
The RSF has targeted power stations in army-controlled locations in central and northern Sudan for the past several months but the strikes had not inflicted heavy casualties.
The drone attack on Port Sudan indicates a major shift in the two-year conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF. The eastern regions, which shelter a large number of displaced people, had so far avoided bombardment.
The army has responded by beefing up its deployment around vital facilities in Port Sudan and has closed roads leading to the presidential palace and army command.
Port Sudan, home to the country's primary airport, army headquarters and a seaport, has been perceived as the safest place in the war-ravaged nation.
In March, the army ousted the RSF from its last footholds in Khartoum, Sudan's capital, but the paramilitary RSF holds some areas in Omdurman, directly across the Nile River, and has consolidated its position in west Sudan, splitting the nation into rival zones.
The conflict between the army and the RSF has unleashed waves of ethnic violence and created what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with several areas plunged into famine.
The war erupted in April 2023 amid a power struggle between the army and RSF ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule. It ruined much of Khartoum, uprooted more than 12 million Sudanese from their homes and left about half of the 50 million population suffering from acute hunger.
Overall deaths are hard to estimate but a study published last year said the toll may have reached 61,000 in Khartoum state alone in the first 14 months of the conflict.