Lebanon's Interior Minister Confirms Order to Deport Group Hostile to Bahrain

A picture taken from the seaside promenade of the northern Lebanese coastal town of Dbayeh shows the skyline of the Lebanese capital Beirut on March 17, 2020. (AFP)
A picture taken from the seaside promenade of the northern Lebanese coastal town of Dbayeh shows the skyline of the Lebanese capital Beirut on March 17, 2020. (AFP)
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Lebanon's Interior Minister Confirms Order to Deport Group Hostile to Bahrain

A picture taken from the seaside promenade of the northern Lebanese coastal town of Dbayeh shows the skyline of the Lebanese capital Beirut on March 17, 2020. (AFP)
A picture taken from the seaside promenade of the northern Lebanese coastal town of Dbayeh shows the skyline of the Lebanese capital Beirut on March 17, 2020. (AFP)

Lebanon's Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi confirmed that he has taken the necessary legal procedures to deport the members of a group that is hostile to Bahrain.

The group had earlier this month held a press conference in Beirut that Manama had condemned.

Last Sunday, Bahrain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its "deep regret" over and denunciation of Beirut’s hosting of a press conference for "hostile persons designated as supporters and sponsors of terrorism, with the purpose of disseminating and promoting abusive and malicious allegations against the kingdom."

Mawlawi told Al Arabiya television that he had ordered the concerned security agencies to carry out the necessary investigations and provide his ministry with the names of the people who are affiliated with the Wefaq group in Lebanon.

"We decided that the General Security directorate should deport those people in line with out firm convictions and our commitment to the Arab stance and major relations that bind us with the Gulf countries," he added.

Asked about Hezbollah's objection to the deportation, he replied: "The objection of a certain political side does not prevent us from implementing the law or taking the legal measures that are in line with our convictions and Lebanon's interest."



Türkiye’s Erdogan Calls for Islamic Alliance against Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a press conference with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (not pictured), Ankara, Türkiye, 04 September 2024. (EPA)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a press conference with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (not pictured), Ankara, Türkiye, 04 September 2024. (EPA)
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Türkiye’s Erdogan Calls for Islamic Alliance against Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a press conference with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (not pictured), Ankara, Türkiye, 04 September 2024. (EPA)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a press conference with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (not pictured), Ankara, Türkiye, 04 September 2024. (EPA)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday Islamic countries should form an alliance against what he called "the growing threat of expansionism" from Israel.

He made the comment after describing what Palestinian and Turkish officials said was the killing by Israeli troops of a Turkish-American woman taking part in a protest on Friday against settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

"The only step that will stop Israeli arrogance, Israeli banditry, and Israeli state terrorism is the alliance of Islamic countries," Erdogan said at an Islamic schools' association event near Istanbul.

He said recent steps that Türkiye has taken to improve ties with Egypt and Syria are aimed at "forming a line of solidarity against the growing threat of expansionism," which he said also threatened Lebanon and Syria.

Erdogan hosted Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Ankara this week and they discussed the Gaza war and ways to further repair their long-frozen ties during what was the first such presidential visit in 12 years.

Ties between them started thawing in 2020 when Türkiye began diplomatic efforts to ease tensions with estranged regional countries.

Erdogan said in July that Türkiye would extend an invitation to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "any time" for possible talks to restore relations between the two neighbors, who severed ties in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war.

Israel did not immediately comment on Erdogan's remarks on Saturday.

Israel's military said after Friday's incident that it was looking into reports that a female foreign national "was killed as a result of shots fired in the area. The details of the incident and the circumstances in which she was hit are under review.

There was no immediate comment on Friday's incident from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.