US Assistant Secretary of State Schenker Travels to Lebanon next Week

David Schenker, US assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 9, 2019. (AP)
David Schenker, US assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 9, 2019. (AP)
TT

US Assistant Secretary of State Schenker Travels to Lebanon next Week

David Schenker, US assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 9, 2019. (AP)
David Schenker, US assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 9, 2019. (AP)

US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker will travel to Lebanon next week.

The US embassy in Lebanon announced that he will travel to Beirut on September 2 where he will meet with civil society representatives, discuss US assistance efforts in the wake of the August 4 Beirut port explosion, and urge Lebanese leaders to implement reforms that respond to the Lebanese people’s desire for transparency, accountability and a government free of corruption.

Prior to landing in Lebanon, Schenker will travel to Kuwait, where he will meet with Foreign Minister Ahmad al-Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah, National Assembly Speaker Marzouq al-Ghanim, and the American Chamber of Commerce to discuss Gulf unity, regional security, and economic cooperation.



Israel Says It Killed Hezbollah Operative in Eastern Lebanon

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese village of Dhayra on July 4, 2024. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese village of Dhayra on July 4, 2024. (AFP)
TT

Israel Says It Killed Hezbollah Operative in Eastern Lebanon

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese village of Dhayra on July 4, 2024. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese village of Dhayra on July 4, 2024. (AFP)

Israel's army said on Saturday it killed a key operative in Hezbollah's Aerial Defense Unit in eastern Lebanon, accusing him of carrying out numerous attacks against Israelis.

In a statement, the army identified the Hezbollah member as Meitham Mustafa al-Attar, saying that he had visited Iran several times, "where he gained knowledge and assisted in building up Hezbollah's force and arsenal of Iranian weapons."

Lebanese state media said al-Attar's car was attacked in a drone strike in the town of Shaath, north of Lebanon's eastern city of Baalbek.

Hezbollah confirmed the killing of the 33-year-old but did not specify his role in the movement.

The Iran-backed group and Israel have been trading fire for nearly nine months in hostilities that have played out in parallel to the Gaza conflict, raising fears of an all-out war between the heavily armed adversaries.

Hezbollah has said its campaign of rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel has aimed to support Palestinians under Israeli bombardment in Gaza.