Aoun: Return of Refugees Cannot Await Political Solution

President Michel Aoun meets with the US delegation at the Baabda Palace (NNA).
President Michel Aoun meets with the US delegation at the Baabda Palace (NNA).
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Aoun: Return of Refugees Cannot Await Political Solution

President Michel Aoun meets with the US delegation at the Baabda Palace (NNA).
President Michel Aoun meets with the US delegation at the Baabda Palace (NNA).

Lebanese President Michel Aoun stressed his country’s commitment to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, reiterating the importance of working for the return of displaced Syrians without waiting for a political solution.

Aoun met on Monday at the Baabda palace with a delegation of the US work group tasked by the Congress to evaluate the situation in Syria.

“The return of Syrian refugees to Syria cannot await a political solution to the Syrian crisis and the end of international disputes over the Syrian situation, especially as the influx of refugees has left negative repercussions on all the Lebanese sectors,” Aoun told the US delegation.

The president noted that his country - which he said provided all the humanitarian and logistical facilities for the displaced during the Syrian war - believed that the Syrian regions, except for the governorate of Idlib and its neighboring areas, were now stable and could safely accommodate the returning refugees.

He added that the United Nations should provide assistance to displaced people inside their country to encourage them to return and contribute to reconstruction efforts.

Aoun told the delegation that “Lebanon continues to organize the return of the displaced in coordination with the Syrian authorities,” adding that no information has been received about harassment incidents against any of the returning refugees.

During the meeting, which was attended by Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Selim Jreissati, the president also stressed Lebanon’s commitment to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, focusing on the existing cooperation between the Lebanese Army and the UNIFIL to maintain stability along the southern border.

Aoun highly valued the US support for the Lebanese Army in terms of training and provision of equipment.



UN Aid Chief Demands Evidence After Israel Accuses Staff of Links to Hamas

 Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher speaks to delegates about the situation in Gaza during a United Nations Security Council meeting at UN headquarters, in New York City, US, July 16, 2025. (Reuters)
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher speaks to delegates about the situation in Gaza during a United Nations Security Council meeting at UN headquarters, in New York City, US, July 16, 2025. (Reuters)
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UN Aid Chief Demands Evidence After Israel Accuses Staff of Links to Hamas

 Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher speaks to delegates about the situation in Gaza during a United Nations Security Council meeting at UN headquarters, in New York City, US, July 16, 2025. (Reuters)
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher speaks to delegates about the situation in Gaza during a United Nations Security Council meeting at UN headquarters, in New York City, US, July 16, 2025. (Reuters)

United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher has demanded that Israel provide evidence for its accusations that staff with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs were affiliated with Palestinian fighters from Hamas, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Friday.

At a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday, Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon declared that Fletcher and OCHA were no longer neutral and that hundreds of OCHA employees would undergo security vetting. Israel would also restrict OCHA visas to one month, he said.

"Israel has uncovered clear evidence of Hamas affiliation within OCHA’s ranks," Danon told the 15-member council without providing evidence.

In a letter to the Security Council on Thursday, Fletcher said Danon's remarks were the first time any such concern had been raised and that the accusations were "extremely serious and have security implications for our staff."

"I expect the Israeli authorities to immediately share any evidence that led them to make such claims to the council," Fletcher said.

He noted that around the world OCHA engages with all parties to armed conflict to secure humanitarian access, press for the protection of civilians and promote respect for humanitarian principles, adding: "As Israeli authorities know, our contacts with Hamas have also supported hostage releases."

Israel is committed to helping civilians and getting aid to those in need, Danon said, though he warned: "We will not work with organizations that have chosen politics over principles."

The war in Gaza was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's military campaign has killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and reduced much of the enclave to ruins.

"We must hold all parties to the standards of international law in this conflict," Fletcher wrote in his letter. "We do not choose between demanding the end to the starvation of civilians in Gaza and demanding the unconditional release of all the hostages."

Israel, which controls all supplies entering Gaza, denies it is responsible for shortages of food.