US-Iranian Escalation Worries Lebanese Army Commander

A general view shows Beirut's Corniche, a seaside promenade   (R) at sunset in Beirut, Lebanon May 3, 2016. REUTERS/Alia Haju
A general view shows Beirut's Corniche, a seaside promenade (R) at sunset in Beirut, Lebanon May 3, 2016. REUTERS/Alia Haju
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US-Iranian Escalation Worries Lebanese Army Commander

A general view shows Beirut's Corniche, a seaside promenade   (R) at sunset in Beirut, Lebanon May 3, 2016. REUTERS/Alia Haju
A general view shows Beirut's Corniche, a seaside promenade (R) at sunset in Beirut, Lebanon May 3, 2016. REUTERS/Alia Haju

Sit-ins that paralyze Beirut from time to time and the disruption of production and services sectors have not prevented the Lebanese government from making contacts with major countries, especially US and Russia, to spare Lebanon the consequences of any confrontation between US and Iran, amid fears that Tehran would ask Hezbollah to open a front with Israel.

A Lebanese government source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Army Commander General Joseph Aoun will discuss with US military officials he will meet in Washington the possibility of an American-Iranian clash, the involvement of Israel and Hezbollah and the targeting of the Lebanese army.

The source said that the “verbal escalation cannot be underestimated because it coincides with military reinforcements from both sides in the waters of the Gulf and beyond.”

He described the situation so far as “just a display of military and media muscle, but the terrorist act at the port of Fujairah in the UAE on Sunday morning led to the emergence of a new situation,” adding that any hasty moves “could trigger a war, which extent could not be predicted and consequences could be destructive.”



Iraq's Population Reaches 45.4 Million in First Census in over 30 Years

Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
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Iraq's Population Reaches 45.4 Million in First Census in over 30 Years

Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)

Iraq's population has risen to 45.4 million, according to preliminary results from a national census, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said on Monday.
The census, conducted on Nov. 20, was Iraq's first nationwide survey in more than three decades, marking a crucial step for future planning and development.
Prior to the census, the planning ministry estimated the population at 43 million.
The last census, conducted in 1997, did not include the Iraqi Kurdistan region, which has been under Kurdish administration since the 1991 Gulf War.
It counted 19 million Iraqis and officials estimated there were another 3 million in the Kurdish north, according to official statistics.