Lebanon Foils Plot to Smuggle Hashish from Sidon Port to Egypt

Caretaker Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmy and security officers in front of the seized hashish shipment (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Caretaker Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmy and security officers in front of the seized hashish shipment (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Lebanon Foils Plot to Smuggle Hashish from Sidon Port to Egypt

Caretaker Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmy and security officers in front of the seized hashish shipment (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Caretaker Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmy and security officers in front of the seized hashish shipment (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Lebanon has foiled a plot to smuggle four tons of hashish from Sidon to the Egyptian port of Alexandria

President Michel Aoun praised the security operation that thwarted the smuggling attempt of the KayfHash to Alexandria, saying it is an “achievement” for the Lebanese Customs.

Aoun stressed that cooperation and coordination between various security apparatuses achieve such results that show Lebanon's keenness to combat smuggling of all kinds and thwart all attempts that harm the country's reputation and its relations with brotherly and friendly countries, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.

The NNA stated that the Caretaker Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmy visited the old port of Sidon, after the Anti-Narcotics Office in South Lebanon, in coordination with Sidon’s customs office, managed to seize two trucks containing cannabis inside metal containers, ready to be transported for shipping.

Fahmy inspected the seized shipment, praising the distinguished coordination between the Customs Directorate, the Anti-Narcotics Office, and the Information Division, which led to this achievement.

He confirmed that Lebanon will soon have the most modern equipment, indicating that the operation is a completion of all the measures taken to end all kinds of smuggling networks.

The Acting Director-General of Customs, Raymond Khoury, spoke about the difficulties they face, referring to the power outage in the port in the absence of the required capabilities.

Khoury indicated that Lebanese Customs suffers from personnel and equipment shortage, especially modern equipment, noting there are also some problems with a number of vehicles.



Israel Says Remains of 3 Hostages Recovered from Gaza

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
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Israel Says Remains of 3 Hostages Recovered from Gaza

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

The Israeli military said Sunday that it has recovered the remains of three hostages held in the Gaza Strip.

It identified them as Yonatan Samerano, 21; Ofra Keidar, 70; and Shay Levinson, 19.

All three were killed during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack into Israel that ignited the ongoing war. The militant group is still holding 50 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive.

Kobi Samerano said in a Facebook post that his son's remains were returned on what would have been Yonatan's 23rd birthday.

“The campaign to return the hostages continues consistently and is happening alongside the campaign against Iran,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.