Rai Calls on Army to Prevent Launching Missiles From Lebanese Territory

 Lebanon’s Patriarch Bechara Rahi during Sunday’s mass in Diman (NNA)
Lebanon’s Patriarch Bechara Rahi during Sunday’s mass in Diman (NNA)
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Rai Calls on Army to Prevent Launching Missiles From Lebanese Territory

 Lebanon’s Patriarch Bechara Rahi during Sunday’s mass in Diman (NNA)
Lebanon’s Patriarch Bechara Rahi during Sunday’s mass in Diman (NNA)

Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai affirmed Sunday that he stands by Lebanese people of the south to denounce the tense security situation, calling on the army to prevent the launching of missiles from Lebanese territory.

During Sunday’s Mass in Diman, Rai condemned the periodic Israeli violations against southern Lebanon, and the violation of Security Council Resolution 1701, as well as the heated tension in the border areas of residential villages and their surroundings.

“We cannot accept that a party decides peace and war outside the national decision entrusted to two-thirds of the cabinet and based on Article 65 of the Constitution,” he noted.

"It is true that Lebanon has not signed peace with Israel, but it is also true that Lebanon has not decided war with it, and is officially committed to the 1949 truce.”

The Patriarch stressed that Lebanon should not be involved in military operations that provoke devastating Israeli reactions.

"We call upon the Lebanese army, which is responsible with the international forces for the security of the south, to take control of the entire lands of the south, to strictly implement Resolution 1701, and to prevent the launching of missiles from Lebanese territory, not for the sake of Israel's safety, but rather for the safety of Lebanon,” he added.



US Revokes Foreign Terrorist Designation for Syria's HTS

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
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US Revokes Foreign Terrorist Designation for Syria's HTS

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)

President Donald Trump's administration on Monday revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, as Washington moves to remove US sanctions on Syria to help the country rebuild following years of a civil war.

In December, opposition factions led by HTS ousted Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive. Then-HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa became Syria's president and said he wanted to build an inclusive and democratic Syria.

HTS was previously known as al-Nusra Front when it was al-Qaeda's Syria branch. It broke off ties with al-Qaeda in 2016.

In May, Sharaa met with Trump in Riyadh where, in a major policy shift, the Republican president unexpectedly announced he would lift US sanctions on Syria, prompting Washington to significantly ease its measures.

"This FTO revocation is an important step in fulfilling President Trump’s vision of a stable, unified, and peaceful Syria," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, adding that the revocation will come into effect on Tuesday.

Last week, Trump signed an executive order terminating US sanctions program on Syria, a move that aims to end the country's isolation from the international financial system.

Syria's foreign ministry told Reuters that the lifting of sanctions on HTS was a "positive step toward correcting a course that previously hindered constructive engagement."

The written statement said Syria hoped the move would "contribute to the removal of remaining restrictions that continue to impact Syrian institutions and officials, and open the door to a rational, sovereign-based approach to international cooperation."

The ministry also said that Sharaa was planning to attend the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in September. The UN Security Council still has sanctions on both HTS and Sharaa himself, which require a Council decision to remove.