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German Reports: Ammonium Nitrate Linked to Hezbollah

A Lebanese army soldier and a man carry away an injured man at a hospital in the aftermath of an explosion at the port of Lebanon's capital Beirut on August 4, 2020. Photo: Ibrahim Amro / AFP
A Lebanese army soldier and a man carry away an injured man at a hospital in the aftermath of an explosion at the port of Lebanon's capital Beirut on August 4, 2020. Photo: Ibrahim Amro / AFP
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German Reports: Ammonium Nitrate Linked to Hezbollah

A Lebanese army soldier and a man carry away an injured man at a hospital in the aftermath of an explosion at the port of Lebanon's capital Beirut on August 4, 2020. Photo: Ibrahim Amro / AFP
A Lebanese army soldier and a man carry away an injured man at a hospital in the aftermath of an explosion at the port of Lebanon's capital Beirut on August 4, 2020. Photo: Ibrahim Amro / AFP

Two German reports have said that Hezbollah was behind the ammonium nitrate that exploded at the Port of Beirut on August 4, revealing that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had sent three shipments of the chemical to the Shiite party in 2013.

The first report published by Der Spiegel on Friday said that it was not Russian national Igor Grechushkin who owned the ship “Rhosus” that brought the chemicals to Lebanon, but rather Cypriot businessman Charalambos Manoli, who maintained a relationship with a bank used by Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The newspaper said Manoli made every effort to conceal the ownership of the Rhosus.

It said American investigators have accused the bank of money laundering for Hezbollah.

“Another of the bank’s customers was a suspected Syrian front company that had been involved in the country’s chemical weapons program. It was to this bank that Manoli owed money,” Der Spiegel wrote.

In another report, the German daily Die Welt said Hezbollah is believed to have imported up to 670 tons of ammonium nitrate to Lebanon between 2013 and 2014.

The newspaper said it was made privy to information obtained by “Western intelligence,” including purported documentation of the alleged transactions.

According to information from Western intelligence agencies available to Die Welt, Hezbollah in Lebanon received large deliveries of ammonium nitrate, which are closely related to the material detonated in Beirut.

The paper said the first transaction occurred on July 16, 2013, for a 270-ton shipment of ammonium nitrate, sent from Iran to Lebanon at a stated cost of 179,399 euros.

A second payment for the same quantity of ammonium nitrate was made in October 23 of that year, this time at a price of 140,693 euros.

The second shipment is believed to have been transported in flexible bulk containers by plane, likely on private Iranian airlines considered fronts for the Revolutionary Guard.

Then on April 4, 2014, a third transaction was charged for one billion Iranian rials (61,438 euros). While the amount of ammonium nitrate received was unclear, the paper estimated it to be between 90 and 130 tons given the previous charges, for a total of up to 670 tons.

Die Welt said that on the Iranian side, the deliveries are said to have been organized by the logistics department of the Quds Force, while on the Lebanese side, the man responsible for receiving the shipment was Mohammad Qasir, under US sanctions since May 2018 for allegedly acting as a critical financial conduit between the Quds Force and Hezbollah.

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Arab World

Türkiye Says Syrian Government Could Use Force Against Kurds

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan answers questions from reporters during a news conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP)
Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan answers questions from reporters during a news conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP)
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Türkiye Says Syrian Government Could Use Force Against Kurds

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan answers questions from reporters during a news conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP)
Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan answers questions from reporters during a news conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP)

The Syrian government army could use further force against Kurdish militants after a flare-up in violence in northern Syria, the foreign minister of neighboring Türkiye, a strong backer of the Syrian authorities, said on Thursday.

More than 150,000 people have fled from two Kurdish-run pockets of Syria's northern city of Aleppo during five days of fighting between government forces and ‌Kurdish fighters. ‌Syria's health ministry says at least 23 ‌people ⁠have died.

Türkiye has itself threatened a potential military operation against the Syrian Kurdish groups it calls terrorists.

It says the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) must integrate into the central government under a nearly year-old agreement that has stalled.

"I hope it doesn't come to ⁠that point ... but when problems are not solved through dialogue, unfortunately, I see from ‌here that the use of force is ‍also an option for the ‍Syrian government," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a press conference in ‍Istanbul.

The violence in Aleppo has deepened one of the main faultlines in Syria, where President Ahmed al-Sharaa's promise to unify the country under one leadership after 14 years of war has faced resistance from Kurdish forces wary of his government.

Syria's military has declared a handful of Kurdish-held towns in the north as a "military zone" ⁠and said all non-state factions stationed there should leave the area.

On Wednesday and Thursday, it dispatched fighters and military equipment to the zone and opened a humanitarian corridor for people to flee.

Fidan said that the SDF must show good intentions and break out of a cycle of violence. Türkiye says the SDF is aligned with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party militant group, which is involved in a peace process with Ankara.

Fidan added that the peace process with the PKK should not become a missed opportunity, and Ankara hopes it ‌will continue.

Arab World

Sudan Food Aid Could Run Out as Peace Efforts Stall

According to the UN, more than 21 million people are now facing acute food insecurity, with two-thirds in urgent need of assistance. (AFP)
According to the UN, more than 21 million people are now facing acute food insecurity, with two-thirds in urgent need of assistance. (AFP)
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Sudan Food Aid Could Run Out as Peace Efforts Stall

According to the UN, more than 21 million people are now facing acute food insecurity, with two-thirds in urgent need of assistance. (AFP)
According to the UN, more than 21 million people are now facing acute food insecurity, with two-thirds in urgent need of assistance. (AFP)

Food aid in Sudan is set to run out by the end of March unless new funding is secured, the United Nations said Thursday, raising fears for millions caught up in the world's largest hunger crisis.

Nearly three years of fighting between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have left tens of thousands dead, 11 million displaced and repeated attempts at peace blocked.

Efforts led by the US and regional mediators -- Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, known as the Quad -- have failed to secure a ceasefire, as both sides wrestle for territorial gain.

A high-level meeting on Wednesday in Cairo brought together officials from the Quad countries, as well as the UN, European Union and regional organizations to discuss peace efforts, which have seen little progress.

"By the end of March, we will have depleted our food stocks in Sudan," said Ross Smith, the World Food Program's Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response.

"Without immediate additional funding, millions of people will be left without vital food assistance within weeks."

According to the UN, more than 21 million people -- almost half of Sudan's population -- are now facing acute food insecurity, with two-thirds in urgent need of assistance.

The UN's children agency UNICEF said last week that millions of children have been pushed "to the brink of survival" and humanitarian aid remains "far from sufficient" amid funding shortfalls and ongoing hostilities.

- 'Absolute minimum' -

In December, outgoing UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said a wave of "drastic, irresponsible" aid cuts inflicted unnecessary suffering on those in need.

Smith said WFP has been forced to cut rations to the "absolute minimum for survival" and warned that previous "hard-earned gains" in hard-to-reach areas risk being reversed.

WFP says it urgently needs $700 million to continue its operations through June.

A UN-backed assessment confirmed last year that famine had taken hold in el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which was overrun by the paramilitary forces in October.

On Wednesday, US senior advisor for Arab and African affairs Massad Boulos said the UN delivered more than 1.3 metric tons of humanitarian supplies to el-Fasher, the first such delivery since the city was besieged in May 2024.

But aid agencies warn that a deteriorating security situation across Darfur continues to jeopardize the delivery of desperately needed assistance.

Famine has also been confirmed in Kadugli, in neighboring Kordofan, now a key battleground in the conflict.

In Dilling, around 130 kilometers (80 miles) north, the UN says civilians are likely experiencing famine conditions, though insecurity has prevented formal declaration.

The UN warned that 20 more areas across Darfur and Kordofan are at risk.

- Renewed peace talks -

In November, US President Donald Trump pledged to help end the conflict, but his promise has yet to materialize.

In Egypt, the UN Secretary General's Sudan envoy Ramtane Lamamra met Wednesday with Boulos and other diplomats as part of the fifth meeting of the Consultative Mechanism to Enhance and Coordinate Peace Efforts.

Lamamra called it "a key and timely opportunity for international actors to align efforts and renew collective engagement", but a diplomatic source told AFP there are no new truce proposals currently on the table.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Wednesday that there was a consensus on a humanitarian truce and the rejection of "foreign interference".

But he also emphasized what he described as Egypt's "red lines" and readiness to defend its southern neighbor's territorial integrity.

Arab World

Int’l Momentum Builds for Paris Conference to Support Lebanese Army, Enforce Arms Monopoly

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun chairs a meeting with representatives of the “Quintet” at the Presidential Palace in Beirut (AFP). 
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun chairs a meeting with representatives of the “Quintet” at the Presidential Palace in Beirut (AFP). 
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Int’l Momentum Builds for Paris Conference to Support Lebanese Army, Enforce Arms Monopoly

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun chairs a meeting with representatives of the “Quintet” at the Presidential Palace in Beirut (AFP). 
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun chairs a meeting with representatives of the “Quintet” at the Presidential Palace in Beirut (AFP). 

The announcement of a conference to support the Lebanese Army, scheduled to be held in Paris on March 5, has gathered notable international momentum, bolstered by the backing of the so-called “Quintet” comprising Saudi Arabia, the United States, France, Egypt, and Qatar.

The conference is widely seen as part of a broader effort to strengthen the army’s ability to carry out its mandate, particularly enforcing the state’s exclusive control over weapons and dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure.

The announcement came amid intensified Arab and international diplomatic engagement with Beirut, after Lebanon pledged last week to move to the second phase of its plan to confine weapons to official state institutions.

The government tasked the Lebanese Army with drafting an implementation plan by early February.

Lebanese ministerial sources following the issue told Asharq Al-Awsat that the diplomatic backing “has given the announcement strong momentum and significantly improved the conference’s prospects for success.”

Following a meeting at the presidential palace between President Joseph Aoun, Saudi Foreign Ministry adviser Prince Yazid bin Farhan, and French envoy and former foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, and attended by several ambassadors, including that of the United States, presidential spokesperson Najat Charafeddine said the talks focused on preparations for a conference to support the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces.

She announced that the conference would be held in Paris on March 5 and opened by French President Emmanuel Macron, adding that participants agreed to step up contacts to ensure the widest possible participation.

In the run-up to the conference, meetings are expected between the Lebanese Army command and donor countries to assess needs and requirements. The sources noted that discussions in Baabda also addressed Lebanon’s plan to implement the arms monopoly. Representatives of countries supporting Lebanon urged authorities to accelerate the plan’s various stages.

Paris had previously hosted a meeting on December 18 attended by Army Commander Rodolphe Haykal and envoys from Saudi Arabia and the United States, focusing on ways to support the army and verify progress on the ground in dismantling Hezbollah’s weapons.

Since the government approved the arms-monopoly plan last August, Lebanon has received promises of an international support conference amid severe shortages in equipment, manpower, and technical capabilities.

Lebanon’s plan faces two principal obstacles: the limited capabilities of the Lebanese Army and Hezbollah’s refusal to relinquish its weapons.

While the Paris conference aims to address the army’s resource constraints, ministerial sources said Hezbollah’s rejection would not affect international support, stressing that assistance “is not conditional on the party’s cooperation,” though cooperation would increase donor enthusiasm.

According to official statements, the Baabda meeting was attended by the US ambassador, the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and France, as well as a Qatari assistant foreign minister.

Le Drian later met Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to brief him on preparations for the Paris conference and reaffirm France’s support for financial reform legislation and the restoration of deposits.

He also met Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, who praised French and international efforts to support Lebanon and its army, reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to Resolution 1701, and warned against continued Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty and the ongoing occupation of parts of southern Lebanon.