Assailants Open Fire at Kataeb Party HQ in Beirut

Head of Kataeb Party MP Sami Gemayel. NNA file photo
Head of Kataeb Party MP Sami Gemayel. NNA file photo
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Assailants Open Fire at Kataeb Party HQ in Beirut

Head of Kataeb Party MP Sami Gemayel. NNA file photo
Head of Kataeb Party MP Sami Gemayel. NNA file photo

The Kataeb Party headquarters in Beirut's Saifi district has come under attack by unknown assailants.

The party issued a statement condemning the attack and calling on the state to find and arrest the assailants after they opened fire on the building at dawn Sunday.

The building’s eastern facade was targeted with six bullets, it said.

In its statement, the Kataeb pledged that “the building that embodies independence and freedom ... will remain open to all Lebanese.”

The party will not be intimidated by such attacks, it added.



European Allies to Meet over Syria, Says Italy’s Foreign Ministry

 Passengers wear adopted flags by the new Syrian rulers at the arrival terminal of Damascus airport, as Qatar Airways becomes the first international airline to announce the return of international flights at Damascus airport after 13 years of its suspension, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
Passengers wear adopted flags by the new Syrian rulers at the arrival terminal of Damascus airport, as Qatar Airways becomes the first international airline to announce the return of international flights at Damascus airport after 13 years of its suspension, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
TT

European Allies to Meet over Syria, Says Italy’s Foreign Ministry

 Passengers wear adopted flags by the new Syrian rulers at the arrival terminal of Damascus airport, as Qatar Airways becomes the first international airline to announce the return of international flights at Damascus airport after 13 years of its suspension, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
Passengers wear adopted flags by the new Syrian rulers at the arrival terminal of Damascus airport, as Qatar Airways becomes the first international airline to announce the return of international flights at Damascus airport after 13 years of its suspension, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)

Foreign ministers from Italy, France, Germany, Britain and the United States will meet this week over the situation in Syria, Italy said Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani will preside over the meeting Thursday with his European and US counterparts, the ministry wrote in a statement.

The US Department of State had announced Monday that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken would meet European counterparts, calling it an occasion "to advocate for a peaceful, inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition".

Opposition forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive last month after 13 years of brutal war, with Western powers cautiously hoping for greater stability in Syria.

Italy's foreign ministry said Tajani sought the meeting "to take stock of the situation in Syria one month after the fall of the Assad regime".

On the agenda is the work of Syria's transitional government and the challenges posed by an upcoming national dialogue conference, it said.

Also to be discussed are the drafting of a new constitution and Syria's economic recovery.

In Rome, Blinken will join US President Joe Biden as he pays a farewell visit to Italy's capital that includes an audience with Pope Francis.