Mikati Urges Lebanese Parties Not to Offend Brotherly Countries

 Lebanon’s Prime Minister-Designate Najib Mikati speaks after meeting with President Michel Aoun, at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon August 16, 2021. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
Lebanon’s Prime Minister-Designate Najib Mikati speaks after meeting with President Michel Aoun, at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon August 16, 2021. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
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Mikati Urges Lebanese Parties Not to Offend Brotherly Countries

 Lebanon’s Prime Minister-Designate Najib Mikati speaks after meeting with President Michel Aoun, at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon August 16, 2021. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
Lebanon’s Prime Minister-Designate Najib Mikati speaks after meeting with President Michel Aoun, at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon August 16, 2021. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS

Lebanon’s Minister of Information George Kordahi announced his resignation on Friday saying that he has decided “to put the national interest above personal considerations.”

His resignation came weeks following offensive statements he made about the war in Yemen, which sparked a diplomatic rift with the Gulf States.

The Lebanese authorities are seeking to mend the relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. In this regard, Prime Minister Najib Mikati stressed that Kordahi’s resignation “was necessary after the crisis that arose with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a number of GCC countries, and would open a door to addressing the problem…”

Mikati called upon all Lebanese parties to put Lebanon’s interests above all considerations, and not to offend in any way the brotherly countries or interfere in their affairs.

“Lebanon looks forward to the best relations with its Arab brothers and to the historical ties that bring our states and peoples together,” he stated.

The premier added that the government was “keen on implementing the provisions of the ministerial statement to strengthen Lebanon’s relations with brotherly Arab States… and rejects everything that could harm the security and stability of the Gulf.”

The Lebanese premier also stressed that the government “will be strict and take the necessary measures to control the maritime and land borders to prevent all kinds of smuggling operations that harm the security of brotherly Arab countries, especially the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia.”

Kordahi, who is affiliated with the Marada Movement, refused to resign in the weeks that followed the crisis, despite calls by Mikati and Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai for the need to prioritize national interests.

He finally signed his resignation letter on Friday, and handed separate copies to President Michel Aoun and Mikati.



Rescuers Say Israeli Strike Killed at Least 12 People in South Gaza 

Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of an Israeli airstrike on a tent sheltering displaced people at the Gaza seaport, in Gaza City, June 4, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of an Israeli airstrike on a tent sheltering displaced people at the Gaza seaport, in Gaza City, June 4, 2025. (Reuters)
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Rescuers Say Israeli Strike Killed at Least 12 People in South Gaza 

Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of an Israeli airstrike on a tent sheltering displaced people at the Gaza seaport, in Gaza City, June 4, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of an Israeli airstrike on a tent sheltering displaced people at the Gaza seaport, in Gaza City, June 4, 2025. (Reuters)

The civil defense agency in Gaza said an Israeli strike on a tent housing displaced Palestinians near the southern city of Khan Younis on Wednesday killed at least 12 people.  

"At least 12 people were killed, including several children and women, in a strike by an Israeli drone this morning on a tent for displaced persons" near Khan Younis, the agency's spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP, adding that four more people had been killed in other strikes.  

The Israeli army did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.  

Since a truce collapsed in March, Israel has intensified its operations to destroy Hamas, the Palestinian group whose October 7, 2023 attack triggered the war in Gaza. 

Hamas's unprecedented attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. 

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says at least 4,240 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,510, mostly civilians.