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.



Israel Starts Ground Operations in Southwest Lebanon

Israeli soldiers move shells, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, in northern Israel, October 7, 2024. REUTERS/Gil Eliyahu
Israeli soldiers move shells, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, in northern Israel, October 7, 2024. REUTERS/Gil Eliyahu
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Israel Starts Ground Operations in Southwest Lebanon

Israeli soldiers move shells, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, in northern Israel, October 7, 2024. REUTERS/Gil Eliyahu
Israeli soldiers move shells, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, in northern Israel, October 7, 2024. REUTERS/Gil Eliyahu

Israel's military said on Tuesday it had begun ground operations in southwest Lebanon, expanding its incursions to a new zone.

The military piled more pressure on Iran-backed Hezbollah, saying it was conducting "limited, localized, targeted operations" in Lebanon's southwest after announcing such operations for the southeast border area.

The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon and the head of the UN's peacekeeping mission in the country said on Tuesday that their repeated appeals for restraint had "gone unheeded" in the year since the exchanges of fire began between Hezbollah and Israel.

"Today, one year later, the near-daily exchanges of fire have escalated into a relentless military campaign whose humanitarian impact is nothing short of catastrophic," they said in a joint statement.

The Israeli military has described its ground operation in Lebanon as localized and limited, but it has steadily increased in scale beginning last week.

The army says its aim is to clear border areas where Hezbollah fighters have been embedded, with no plans to go deep into Lebanon.