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.



Lebanese Mountain Village Mourns Dead in Israeli Airstrike

 Destroyed buildings are seen after being hit by Israeli airstrikes in the village of Qmatiyeh, southeast of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP)
Destroyed buildings are seen after being hit by Israeli airstrikes in the village of Qmatiyeh, southeast of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP)
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Lebanese Mountain Village Mourns Dead in Israeli Airstrike

 Destroyed buildings are seen after being hit by Israeli airstrikes in the village of Qmatiyeh, southeast of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP)
Destroyed buildings are seen after being hit by Israeli airstrikes in the village of Qmatiyeh, southeast of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP)

A village in the mountains southeast of Beirut was in shock after an Israeli airstrike demolished a residential building and partly destroyed another, killing seven people, including three children.

Hadi Zahwe, a resident of the area, told reporters that the strike on Sunday was "terrifying."

"There were children killed, there were children’s body parts," he said. "This enemy is targeting civilian women and children."

Israel has carried out a widening aerial bombardment of many parts of southern and eastern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs over the past two weeks, targeting what it said were Hezbollah fighters and weapons.

It was not clear what the intended target was in Sunday’s strike, which was the first one to hit the area.

Mahmoud Nasr Eldin, the town’s deputy mayor, said the village contains "no security or military centers."

"There’s nothing in Qmatiyeh that they’re looking for — it’s a safe area," he said. "We welcomed around 15,000 internally displaced people. They are our people, they ran away from their villages and came to get protection here."