Jumblatt Meets Aoun to Mend Relations, Prevent Strife in Mount Lebanon

Aoun and Jumblatt during their meeting in Baabda on Monday (Dalati & Nohra)
Aoun and Jumblatt during their meeting in Baabda on Monday (Dalati & Nohra)
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Jumblatt Meets Aoun to Mend Relations, Prevent Strife in Mount Lebanon

Aoun and Jumblatt during their meeting in Baabda on Monday (Dalati & Nohra)
Aoun and Jumblatt during their meeting in Baabda on Monday (Dalati & Nohra)

The head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), former deputy Walid Jumblatt, made a surprise visit to the Baabda Palace on Monday to meet with President Michel Aoun, for the first time in nearly a year, despite the deep disagreement between them, and the direct attack by Jumblatt and his team against the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM).

Sources close to the matter told Asharq Al-Awsat that the main reason behind the meeting was to ease tension in Mount Lebanon and prevent a lurking clash.

According to the sources, MP Farid Boustani, a member of Aoun’s parliamentary bloc, sought to mediate between the two sides, “in order to prevent a further political escalation” between Christians and Druze in the region.

The same sources noted that the meeting touched on the upcoming meeting in Baabda, which would gather the heads of political blocs to discuss the economic rescue plan recently adopted by the government.

Jumblatt apologized for not being able to attend the gathering for health reasons, but said he would present his written comments to the president, according to the sources.

In remarks following the meeting, the PSP leader said he agreed with the president on the need to tackle controversial issues with “rationality.”

“I visited President Aoun in a goodwill initiative, in order to clear the dispute with the (Free Patriotic Movement),” he noted.

Jumblatt stressed that he was not part of any bilateral or tripartite alliances, saying: “My own calculations are based on the necessity to shape the relationship and manage the dispute with the FPM.”



Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis

Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis
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Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis

Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis

Houthi militias in Yemen said Israeli airstrikes on Thursday targeted Sanaa and the port city of Hodeidah, following several days of Houthi launches setting off sirens in Israel.

The Israeli military said it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa and ports at Hodeidah, Al-Salif and Ras Qantib along with Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib power stations. It came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “the Houthis, too, will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and Assad’s regime and others learned.”

Netanyahu monitored the new strikes along with military leaders, his government said. The Iran-backed Houthis' media outlet confirmed the strikes in a Telegram post but gave no immediate details. The US military also has targeted the Houthis in Yemen in recent days.

Over the weekend, 16 people were wounded when a Houthi missile hit a playground in Tel Aviv. Last week, Israeli jets struck Sanaa and Hodeidah, killing nine people, calling it a response to previous Houthi attacks. The Houthis also have been targeting shipping on the Red Sea corridor, calling it solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel has instructed its diplomatic missions in Europe to try to get the Houthis designated as a terrorist organisation.
The UN Security Council is due to meet on Monday over Houthi attacks against Israel, Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said on Wednesday.