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.



Maritime Security Firms Launch Mission to Save Crew of Greek Vessel Hit by Houthis

The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C is seen near Cathlamet, Oregon, July 23, 2019. (Mike Cullom via AP)
The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C is seen near Cathlamet, Oregon, July 23, 2019. (Mike Cullom via AP)
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Maritime Security Firms Launch Mission to Save Crew of Greek Vessel Hit by Houthis

The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C is seen near Cathlamet, Oregon, July 23, 2019. (Mike Cullom via AP)
The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C is seen near Cathlamet, Oregon, July 23, 2019. (Mike Cullom via AP)

Maritime security firms launched a mission on Wednesday to evacuate the crew of the Greek-operated Eternity C vessel hit by Houthi militants off Yemen two days ago, sources close to the mission told Reuters.

Eternity C, with 22 crew members - 21 Filipinos and one Russian - on board, was attacked with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from manned speed boats in the Red Sea on Monday, the second assault by the Houthis in a day after months of calm.

The attack killed three mariners and wounded two others, a European Union naval force said Tuesday. It follows the Iranian-backed Houthis attacking another vessel, the bulk carrier Magic Seas, on Sunday in the Red Sea that they said subsequently sank.

The assaults are the first Houthi attacks on shipping since late 2024 on the waterway that had begun to see more ships pass through in recent weeks.

The United Nations condemned the Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and called on the militias to comply with UN Security Council resolutions demanding an immediate halt to all attacks.

“We continue to be very worried and concerned about the escalation that we’re seeing,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.