Lebanon: Alloush Is First to Resign From Al-Mustaqbal Movement Following Hariri’s Withdrawal

Former Lebanese MP Mustafa Alloush (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Former Lebanese MP Mustafa Alloush (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT

Lebanon: Alloush Is First to Resign From Al-Mustaqbal Movement Following Hariri’s Withdrawal

Former Lebanese MP Mustafa Alloush (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Former Lebanese MP Mustafa Alloush (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Former Lebanese MP Mustafa Alloush submitted his resignation from Al-Mustaqbal Movement without confirming his intention to run for the upcoming parliamentary elections in May.

His move came in the wake of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s decision to suspend his political work.

The former premier, who announced his withdrawal from Lebanon’s political scene at the end of January, had reportedly told Al-Mustaqbal members who wish to run for elections to refrain from using his name or that of the movement.

Alloush was the first to submit his resignation from the party.

In comments, Al-Mustaqbal issued a statement, saying: “Dr. Mustafa Alloush submitted his resignation from the Future Movement in a call he made with Prime Minister Saad Hariri.”

It added: “Hariri considered the resignation effective and deposited the decision with the Secretary-General to proceed accordingly. Thus, Dr. Alloush is freed from any organizational obligations and has the full right, according to the rules, to take the path he deems appropriate, whether in the elections or otherwise, wishing him success and appreciating his positions and the tasks he assumed in the movement over the past years.”

Alloush was one of the most prominent opponents of Hariri’s decision to suspend political work. He recently agreed with former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora that the Sunni arena should not remain vacant.

Recent reports said that he was in constant coordination with Siniora and other former prime ministers.

However, sources close to the former deputy said that he was yet to decide on his electoral candidacy.

Meanwhile, Siniora announced that he was seriously considering running in the parliamentary elections, and called on the Lebanese, especially Sunnis, to participate massively, whether by voting or submitting their candidacies.



Iran FM to Visit Syria, Türkiye as Tehran, Moscow Back Damascus Regime against Opposition Advances

 Opposition fighters step on a picture of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo, Syria, late Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP)
Opposition fighters step on a picture of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo, Syria, late Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP)
TT

Iran FM to Visit Syria, Türkiye as Tehran, Moscow Back Damascus Regime against Opposition Advances

 Opposition fighters step on a picture of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo, Syria, late Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP)
Opposition fighters step on a picture of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo, Syria, late Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP)

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araqchi will visit Damascus on Sunday, before visiting Türkiye as part of a regional tour, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told state media on Saturday.

Earlier, Araqchi and his Russian counterpart voiced support for Syria on during a major attack by opposition groups, Iranian state media reported.  

Araqchi told Russia's Sergei Lavrov in a phone call that the attacks were part of an Israeli-US plan to destabilize the region, state media said.  

According to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry about the call, both sides "expressed extreme concern about the dangerous escalation of the situation in Syria due to the terrorist offensive by armed groups in the Aleppo and Idlib provinces".  

The ministers agreed on the need to intensify joint efforts aimed at stabilizing the situation in Syria.  

Iran's foreign ministry also condemned what it called "aggression by terrorist elements" against its consulate in Syria's city of Aleppo during the current opposition advances, Iranian state media reported.  

"The consul-general and all members of the consulate of Iran in Aleppo are in good health," spokesperson Baghaei told state media.  

Earlier on Saturday, Russia's Lavrov spoke on the matter with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan.  

For his part, Fidan spoke by phone with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Saturday to discuss the situation in Syria, Turkish Foreign Ministry sources said.  

He also spoke with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.