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Lebanon Signs Agreement to Produce Sputnik V Vaccine

A medical specialist holds a vial of Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus in a department store in Moscow, Russia, January 18, 2021 REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov/File Photo/File Photo
A medical specialist holds a vial of Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus in a department store in Moscow, Russia, January 18, 2021 REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov/File Photo/File Photo
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Lebanon Signs Agreement to Produce Sputnik V Vaccine

A medical specialist holds a vial of Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus in a department store in Moscow, Russia, January 18, 2021 REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov/File Photo/File Photo
A medical specialist holds a vial of Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus in a department store in Moscow, Russia, January 18, 2021 REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov/File Photo/File Photo

Lebanon’s caretaker Industry Minister Imad Hoballah announced Monday that an agreement will be signed next week to start producing Russia's Sputnik V vaccine in Lebanon.

“During the second week of June, a deal will be signed to produce Sputnik vaccine in Lebanon, through Arwan Pharmaceutical Industries,” Hoballah said following a meeting with President Michel Aoun in Baabda palace.

According to Hoballah, this will allow Lebanon to produce 30 to 60 million vaccines annually, provided that the company begins to manufacture the vaccine as soon as the imported raw materials are shipped from Russia.

The Arwan Pharmaceutical Industries is a Lebanese company located in the town of Jadra on the Chouf coast, in Iqlim al-Kharroub region.

For his part, Arwan’s Chairman of the Board Abdul Razzaq Youssef said that within a period not exceeding two months, the company will start production and manufacture.

In a separate development, Hoballah tackled Monday with Aoun the issue of Lebanese exports to Saudi Arabia, expressing Lebanon’s readiness to use the needed tools to prevent illegal exports.

He said that Lebanon might sending a delegation to visit KSA and hold talks in this regard.

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Arab World

Syria Expecting Macron in First Post-Assad Visit by Western Head of State

France's President Emmanuel Macron chairs the fifth follow-up meeting on combating drug trafficking, at the Elysee presidential Palace in Paris, Thursday July 2, 2026. (Simon Wohlfahrt/Pool Photo via AP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron chairs the fifth follow-up meeting on combating drug trafficking, at the Elysee presidential Palace in Paris, Thursday July 2, 2026. (Simon Wohlfahrt/Pool Photo via AP)
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Syria Expecting Macron in First Post-Assad Visit by Western Head of State

France's President Emmanuel Macron chairs the fifth follow-up meeting on combating drug trafficking, at the Elysee presidential Palace in Paris, Thursday July 2, 2026. (Simon Wohlfahrt/Pool Photo via AP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron chairs the fifth follow-up meeting on combating drug trafficking, at the Elysee presidential Palace in Paris, Thursday July 2, 2026. (Simon Wohlfahrt/Pool Photo via AP)

Syria said on Sunday it was expecting a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, the first by a Western European head of state since Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa took power in 2024.

State news agency SANA, citing the Syrian presidency's media office, said "Macron is expected to visit Syria to discuss ways of strengthening bilateral relations and issues of common interest", without specifying a date for the trip.

The French presidency did not immediately comment.

The last French president to visit was Nicolas Sarkozy in 2009, before longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad brutally crushed pro-democracy protests in 2011, sparking a conflict that killed more than half a million people and devastated Syria.

SANA said Macron would be accompanied by a delegation "including investors and representatives of French companies" and discussions would also address "regional and international" developments.

The announcement came after a bombing at a Damascus cafe on Thursday killed 10 people, the latest challenge to Syria's new authorities as they seek to reunify the country after more than 13 years of civil war.

Early last year, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani became the first foreign head of state to visit Damascus after Assad's December 2024 toppling.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen visited in January, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky followed in April.

But Macron is the first head of an EU state and prominent Western leader to head to the Syrian capital, after hosting Sharaa in Paris last year.

That visit preceded Sharaa's Washington trip last year to meet US President Donald Trump.

- Kurds, fight against ISIS -

Sharaa is seeking to rebuild his country after the easing of Assad-era Western sanctions.

Syria specialist Arthur Quesnay told AFP that Macron was a driving force behind the new Syrian leadership's normalization of ties with Western countries.

"He gave Sharaa a leg up on the international stage," Quesnay said, adding that Macron "needs to show it was a good bet".

Bassam Barabandi, a Syrian diplomat and founder of the Nexus MENA think tank, said that with a visit by Macron, France "is telling the Americans that we have a share in the Syrian market as much as you have. And we would love to have influence in Syria the way you have".

But "I think they came late and after many mistakes", he said, noting in particular French support for the autonomy of Syrian Kurds.

Earlier this year, Damascus took control of swathes of north and northeast Syria previously under Kurdish control, and the Kurds agreed a deal to integrate their civil and military institutions into the state, in a blow to their aspirations for autonomy.

With international support, Syria's Kurds were key to the fight against the ISIS group in Syria during the civil war, leading to ISIS's territorial defeat there in 2019.

France, which itself has seen deadly ISIS attacks, is likely to have the fight against the extremists on the agenda, after Syria joined the international anti-ISIS coalition last year.

A handful of French extremists are still present on Syrian soil.

Arab World

Syria Postpones First Session of New Parliament

This photograph shows the Syrian parliament building in Damascus on July 1, 2026. (AFP)
This photograph shows the Syrian parliament building in Damascus on July 1, 2026. (AFP)
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Syria Postpones First Session of New Parliament

This photograph shows the Syrian parliament building in Damascus on July 1, 2026. (AFP)
This photograph shows the Syrian parliament building in Damascus on July 1, 2026. (AFP)

Syrian authorities have postponed the first meeting of the country's new transitional parliament, days after announcing the inaugural session had been scheduled for Monday.

"The convening of the first session of the people's assembly has been postponed to a date to be determined later," state television reported on Sunday, citing an electoral official and without specifying a reason.

Syria's new authorities dissolved the country's rubber-stamp legislature after toppling longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, and adopted a temporary constitutional declaration to cover a five-year transition period.

In October last year, local committees appointed by the electoral commission -- which was in turn appointed by President Ahmed al-Sharaa -- began selecting two-thirds of the 210 members of the new parliament, with Sharaa to appoint the remaining third.

He appointed 70 members this week.

Druze-majority Sweida province in the south has still not designated its members, after unrest there last year.

Electoral authorities have said the selection process would be held there when conditions are "appropriate".

The selection process was held in formerly Kurdish-run areas of the north and northeast earlier this year after the Damascus authorities assumed control there and signed a deal on integrating Kurdish institutions into the state.

Arab World

Yemen Faces New Phase of Iranian Threat

An image circulated on social media shows an Iranian aircraft at Sanaa airport, which is under the control of the Houthis (X).
An image circulated on social media shows an Iranian aircraft at Sanaa airport, which is under the control of the Houthis (X).
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Yemen Faces New Phase of Iranian Threat

An image circulated on social media shows an Iranian aircraft at Sanaa airport, which is under the control of the Houthis (X).
An image circulated on social media shows an Iranian aircraft at Sanaa airport, which is under the control of the Houthis (X).

Yemen’s internationally recognized government said it has entered a new phase in its confrontation with the Iran-backed Houthi movement after Iran operated a direct flight to Sanaa International Airport, controlled by the group, to transport senior Houthi officials to the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The government condemned the flight as a violation of Yemen’s sovereignty, while the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen warned against any escalation threatening either Saudi Arabia or Yemen.

In response, Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, chaired by Rashad al-Alimi, held an emergency meeting with senior military and security officials, signaling that it views the issue as more than a civilian flight. The council said it challenged the state’s exclusive authority over its airspace, airports and international crossings.

The council argued the flight underscored the Houthis’ close ties to Tehran and their continued use of state institutions under their control to advance Iran’s agenda. It said the move violated UN Security Council resolutions and international law, testing the international community’s commitment to protecting Yemen’s sovereignty.

The government warned that allowing international flights without its approval would set a dangerous precedent, bypass legitimate institutions and entrench the country’s political division. It vowed to use political, legal and diplomatic means to defend its sovereignty.

The council also linked the flight to a pattern of Houthi actions, including attacks on international shipping and rejection of peace initiatives, saying the group continues to put Iran’s interests ahead of Yemen’s.

Saudi warning

The Saudi-led coalition said the issue extends beyond Yemen’s internal conflict and affects regional security.

Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki warned that the alliance would respond “with full force and unprecedented strength” to any attempt to target Saudi Arabia or undermine Yemen’s sovereignty.

Analysts say the statement draws red lines against any permanent Iranian presence at Sanaa airport while stressing that any response would remain consistent with international humanitarian law.

Peace efforts under strain

The escalation comes as regional and international mediators seek to preserve Yemen’s fragile truce despite stalled peace talks.

Houthi threats to establish regular Iranian flights to Sanaa have raised fears of a more dangerous phase in the conflict, particularly given longstanding accusations that Tehran supplies the group with weapons, military technology and advisers.

Yemen’s government stressed that Sanaa airport is not merely a humanitarian issue but one of sovereignty and international recognition. It urged the United Nations and the UN Security Council to move beyond condemnations and take concrete action against Iranian violations.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government has sought to underscore its continued backing for the Yemeni administration, while issuing clear deterrent signals against any moves that could threaten its security or alter the existing rules of engagement.