Bukhari Hopes The Lebanese Will Prioritize National Interest to Regain Stability

Saudi Ambassador Walid al-Bukhari during his meeting with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai in Bkerki on Friday (NNA).
Saudi Ambassador Walid al-Bukhari during his meeting with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai in Bkerki on Friday (NNA).
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Bukhari Hopes The Lebanese Will Prioritize National Interest to Regain Stability

Saudi Ambassador Walid al-Bukhari during his meeting with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai in Bkerki on Friday (NNA).
Saudi Ambassador Walid al-Bukhari during his meeting with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai in Bkerki on Friday (NNA).

Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Lebanon Walid al-Bukhari said he hoped the Lebanese would prioritize national interests to restore stability in the country.

Following a meeting with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai on Friday in Bkerki, the Saudi ambassador stressed that discussions were underway to resolve the reasons that forced the Kingdom to halt Lebanese imports.

Al-Bukhari underlined the importance of “putting the interests of Lebanon above all personal considerations that prevent finding effective solutions to restore stability, security and prosperity to the country.”

He also valued the role of the Patriarch and his “tireless efforts for the sake of Lebanon.”

For his part, Al-Rai called for the need to maintain good relations with Saudi Arabia and wished that the Kingdom would review its decision to halt the import of agricultural products from Lebanon.

The Saudi ambassador replied by saying that efforts were underway to overcome the reasons that led to this decision, expressing hope that the matter would be quickly resolved.



Türkiye's Erdogan Condemns Israel's Military Assault on Gaza and Lebanon

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at a joint press conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb (unseen) after their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Türkiye, 01 October 2024. (EPA)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at a joint press conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb (unseen) after their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Türkiye, 01 October 2024. (EPA)
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Türkiye's Erdogan Condemns Israel's Military Assault on Gaza and Lebanon

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at a joint press conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb (unseen) after their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Türkiye, 01 October 2024. (EPA)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at a joint press conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb (unseen) after their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Türkiye, 01 October 2024. (EPA)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack to condemn Israel's military assault on Gaza and Lebanon.

"Today, I remember with sorrow the tens of thousands of people that the murderous Israeli government has massacred since Oct. 7," Erdogan said in a message posted on X. "I convey my most heartfelt condolences to my brothers from Gaza, Palestine, and Lebanon."

An outspoken critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza and more recently the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Erdogan said: "Israel’s long-standing policy of genocide, occupation, and invasion must finally come to an end."

He has praised Hamas previously as a "liberation group." Erdogan on Monday made no mention of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, in which the fighters killed about 1,200 people and dragged some 250 hostages back to Gaza. The subsequent war in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians and displaced most of the territory’s 2.3 million population.

"Israel will sooner or later pay the price for this genocide, which it has been implementing for a year and which is still continuing," Erdogan wrote. "Just as Hitler was stopped by a joint alliance of humanity, (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and his killer network will be stopped in the same way."