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Lebanon: Shiite Clerics Say Call for Neutrality is ‘Treason’

Caption: Lebanese protesters carry the portrait of Lebanon’s Cardinal Beshara Boutros al-Rai ahead of his speech on February 27, 2021 at the Maronite Patriarchate in the mountain village of Bkirki, northeast of Beirut. (AFP)
Caption: Lebanese protesters carry the portrait of Lebanon’s Cardinal Beshara Boutros al-Rai ahead of his speech on February 27, 2021 at the Maronite Patriarchate in the mountain village of Bkirki, northeast of Beirut. (AFP)
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Lebanon: Shiite Clerics Say Call for Neutrality is ‘Treason’

Caption: Lebanese protesters carry the portrait of Lebanon’s Cardinal Beshara Boutros al-Rai ahead of his speech on February 27, 2021 at the Maronite Patriarchate in the mountain village of Bkirki, northeast of Beirut. (AFP)
Caption: Lebanese protesters carry the portrait of Lebanon’s Cardinal Beshara Boutros al-Rai ahead of his speech on February 27, 2021 at the Maronite Patriarchate in the mountain village of Bkirki, northeast of Beirut. (AFP)

A call made by Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai for Lebanon’s neutrality and for holding an international conference to resolve the country’s crises has sparked a wave of political reactions.

While the Lebanese Forces, the Kataeb party, and other Christian independents expressed full support to the patriarch, his proposals were rejected mainly by Hezbollah and the Jaafarite Dar Al-Ifta.

Grand Jaafarite Shiite Mufti Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan described neutrality in the time of the Israeli occupation and ISIS as "treason."

“Whoever wants to consolidate the Lebanese entity should accept a state of citizenship, with one executive head not with heads and sects… The renewal of the democratic system begins with popular parliamentary elections away from sectarian restrictions,” Qabalan said, adding: “Neutrality in the time of the Israeli occupation and ISIS is not patriotic. Rather, I think it is treason.”

In a statement, Qabalan said that balance of power comes “by abolishing the abhorrent political sectarianism and extending the state’s authority from Naqoura to Aqoura.”

“This requires a state without sectarian restrictions, not a state of sects and walls,” he remarked.

Hezbollah’s position was less severe. MP Hassan Fadlallah announced in a television interview his rejection of internationalization and the party’s acceptance of international support, as is the case in the French initiative.

“Our approach is different from that of Patriarch al-Rai, as we cannot ignore the Israeli factor and its ambitions, because internationalization is a threat to Lebanon, and we have seen what happened in Libya, Yemen and Iraq,” Fadlallah said.

“The solution starts in Lebanon,” he stressed, adding: “There is no objection to international aid, but according to the country’s priorities, dignity and the Taif Agreement.”

In a speech during a gathering on Saturday in Bkirki, the Maronite patriarch reiterated his call on the international community to “declare Lebanon’s active, positive neutrality, in order to purify its identity from the distortions… so that it can carry out its mission as a homeland of dialogue of cultures and religions.”

“This neutrality enables Lebanon to avoid regional and international alliances, conflicts and wars, and to fortify its internal and external sovereignty with its own military forces,” he added.

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Arab World

Tareq Saleh’s Forces Accuses Iran’s Revolutionary Guards of Guiding Assault on Yemen’s West Coast

Smoke rises during clashes between Yemeni government forces and Houthis (Reuters)
Smoke rises during clashes between Yemeni government forces and Houthis (Reuters)
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Tareq Saleh’s Forces Accuses Iran’s Revolutionary Guards of Guiding Assault on Yemen’s West Coast

Smoke rises during clashes between Yemeni government forces and Houthis (Reuters)
Smoke rises during clashes between Yemeni government forces and Houthis (Reuters)

In its first statement since losing extensive positions on Yemen's west coast, the government’s National Resistance revealed the cost of a month-long battle against the Houthis. It accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its regional allies of providing direct support and managing the offensive, which culminated in the group seizing control of vast positions and areas along the coast.

The "National Resistance" forces, led by member of the Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Tareq Saleh, announced that more than 500 of their personnel were killed and nearly 1,500 others wounded. This was compared to more than 1,000 dead and thousands wounded among the Houthis, according to the statement about the battles that spanned from August 9 to September 10.

The statement, broadcast by the military forces' media, comes following a major field shift on the west coast fronts, with the Houthis advancing and seizing control of Hays, al-Khawkha, Mokha and its port, and extending their control to Bab al-Mandeb, Mayyun Island, and the rest of the Yemeni islands in the southern Red Sea.

The National Resistance described the battles as some of the "fiercest clashes" they have fought against the Houthis, stating that the offensive began with intensive missile bombardment and attacks using drones and booby-trapped boats, before expanding across the Hays, al-Kadha, Maqbanah, and al-Barah areas.

It added that the Houthis deployed large numbers of fighters and reinforcements from various axes in an attempt to shift the balance of power on the ground and besiege the defending forces.

The National Resistance linked the nature of the offensive and the Houthis' ability to mobilize forces and execute simultaneous operations to what they described as direct support from personnel and expertise of the IRGC and its regional allies.

A Yemeni gunman brandishes his weapon during a rally to recruit more fighters in Sanaa on September 10, 2026. (AFP)

It said the offensive was prepared in advance to exploit the terrain and establish fire control over several commanding heights, in an attempt to tighten the siege on the forces and destroy their combat capability.

It added that the course of the battles revealed, according to its assessment, the nature of the Iranian role in supporting the Houthis, accusing the group of executing a project that targets Arab national security and international waterways.

Faced with the intensity of the offensive and the succession of reinforcements, the National Resistance revealed that its leadership decided to reposition forces into new defensive lines, aiming to preserve its "strike force" and foil the plan to encircle and destroy it.

The repositioning is not the end of the fight, but rather a measure to preserve its forces and rearrange their deployment after losing extensive positions.

The statement praised Saudi support, which it said continued until the "last moment," alongside the backing of the Giants Brigades, National Shield, and tribal volunteers, saying this is an embodiment of the unity among anti-Houthi forces.

The National Resistance said the developments underscore the need for integrating anti-Houthi fronts and mobilizing them simultaneously, rather than relying on a single military sector, aiming to regain the initiative and impose a new military reality.

In an attempt to avoid holding other Yemeni factions responsible for the loss, the statement stressed that the resistance has no intention of "accusing anyone of treason" or engaging in "settling scores or political posturing." It called for viewing developments objectively, drawing lessons, and rearranging priorities for the upcoming phase.

Arab World

Israeli Strike Kills Two People in Gaza, Medics Say

Internally displaced Palestinians walk among the ruins of destroyed residential buildings in the Al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, east of Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 10 September 2026. (EPA)
Internally displaced Palestinians walk among the ruins of destroyed residential buildings in the Al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, east of Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 10 September 2026. (EPA)
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Israeli Strike Kills Two People in Gaza, Medics Say

Internally displaced Palestinians walk among the ruins of destroyed residential buildings in the Al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, east of Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 10 September 2026. (EPA)
Internally displaced Palestinians walk among the ruins of destroyed residential buildings in the Al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, east of Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 10 September 2026. (EPA)

An ‌Israeli airstrike on Sunday killed at least two Palestinians in a vehicle and wounded 13 others in the Gaza Strip, medical staff said.

The strike in the Tel Al-Hawa neighborhood in western Gaza City, left the vehicle mangled, according to footage circulated on social media. Local medical staff told ‌Reuters that ‌they urged people to provide ‌information ⁠that could help identify ⁠the two people who were killed and whose bodies were dismembered by the explosion.

The Israeli military said the strike targeted two Hamas fighters, without giving further information.

An October 2025, ⁠US-backed, ceasefire halted large-scale fighting in ‌Gaza, but ‌it has not ended Israeli strikes and ‌there has been little progress on ‌steps towards permanent peace.

Hamas accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire and undermining efforts to implement US President Donald Trump's broader plan ‌to end the Gaza conflict, which includes the Israeli withdrawal ⁠from ⁠the strip and the disarmament of Hamas.

Israel says Hamas has been violating the deal.

More than 1,300 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, according to the territory's health officials, while the Israeli military says four Israeli soldiers have been killed.

Hamas does not usually disclose information about fatalities among its fighters.

Arab World

Syria Rejects Sovereignty Violations, Netanyahu’s Entry into Its Territory

An Israeli observation post overlooking the village of Beit Jinn in southern Syria (AFP) 
An Israeli observation post overlooking the village of Beit Jinn in southern Syria (AFP) 
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Syria Rejects Sovereignty Violations, Netanyahu’s Entry into Its Territory

An Israeli observation post overlooking the village of Beit Jinn in southern Syria (AFP) 
An Israeli observation post overlooking the village of Beit Jinn in southern Syria (AFP) 

Syria on Saturday renewed its rejection of violations of its sovereignty and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s entry into its territory, as Israeli forces continued a weeklong escalation of artillery fire and incursions around Beit Jinn, on the slopes of Mount Hermon in western rural Damascus.

Residents fear an Israeli incursion into the town could lead to a repeat of events in late 2025, when dozens were killed or wounded in clashes between residents and an Israeli patrol that entered Beit Jinn.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Syria had clearly reaffirmed before the UN Security Council, with the support of more than 40 countries, its rejection of violations of its sovereignty and Netanyahu’s entry into Syrian territory.

In a post on X, al-Shaibani stressed that Damascus remained committed to the country’s unity, independent decision-making and territorial integrity. He welcomed the international response supporting Syria in the face of continuing Israeli violations and said Damascus would continue to defend its national rights through legitimate political and diplomatic means under international law and the UN Charter.

Representatives of several UN member states, joined by Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ibrahim Olabi, gathered outside the Security Council in New York on Friday to denounce Netanyahu’s entry into Syrian territory and reaffirm Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

Netanyahu, accompanied by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, entered the Syrian side of Mount Hermon on Sept. 9, where Israeli forces are deployed.

Damascus strongly condemned what it called Netanyahu’s “illegal entry” into Syrian territory and his tour of Mount Hermon, describing it as a flagrant violation of Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and international law.

Syria held Israel fully responsible for the consequences of the violations and called on the UN, international organizations and influential countries to act to halt the attacks and ensure a return to the Disengagement Agreement.

Meanwhile, local sources in Beit Jinn told Asharq Al-Awsat that more than 10 Israeli military vehicles and two tanks had entered farmland belonging to the village of Mazraat Beit Jinn, east of the town.

The incursion came hours after Israeli artillery fire struck the Ain al-Shaara area north of Beit Jinn, with the shell landing on agricultural land.

Israeli forces had repeatedly shelled areas around Mazraat Beit Jinn and Bat al-Warda hill since Sept. 3, without reported casualties or material damage. An Israeli drone had also struck a civilian vehicle on the road to the town, wounding several civilians.

Local sources voiced fears of a repeat of Nov. 28, 2025, when an Israeli military patrol entered Beit Jinn, triggering fierce clashes with residents that killed 13 people from the town and wounded 24 others.

The escalation in western rural Damascus comes as Israeli forces continue incursions and attacks on towns and villages in rural Daraa and Quneitra near the ceasefire line. The operations have continued since the first day following the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad’s government on Dec. 8, 2024.