Egypt Affirms 'Full Support' for Lebanon to Overcome 'Difficult Circumstances'

El-Kabbag visits a child care center in Lebanon. (Photo: Egyptian Cabinet)
El-Kabbag visits a child care center in Lebanon. (Photo: Egyptian Cabinet)
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Egypt Affirms 'Full Support' for Lebanon to Overcome 'Difficult Circumstances'

El-Kabbag visits a child care center in Lebanon. (Photo: Egyptian Cabinet)
El-Kabbag visits a child care center in Lebanon. (Photo: Egyptian Cabinet)

Egypt renewed its “full support” for Lebanon to overcome its “difficult conditions”, pointing to the importance of reviving production rather than relying solely on foreign aid.

Egypt’s Minister of Social Solidarity Nivine El-Kabbag concluded a three-day visit to Beirut on Sunday, within the work program of the delegation of the Executive Office of the Council of Arab Social Affairs Ministers.

The delegation includes Head of the Executive Office of the Council of Arab Social Affairs Ministers, Minister of Social Development of Jordan, Ayman Al-Mufleh, Minister of Social Solidarity in Egypt, Nivine El-Kabbag, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Social Affairs Sector in the League of Arab States Ambassador Dr. Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Khaled Al-Hanafi, and Head of the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Social Affairs Ministers in the League of Arab States, Plenipotentiary Minister Tariq Al-Nabulsi.

A statement by the Egyptian ministry of Solidarity said that Kabbag met with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and underlined “Egypt’s full support for Lebanon in light of the circumstances it is going through, in implementation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s directives.”

She also presented Egypt’s experiences in a number of aspects of social support.

Kabbag also met with President Michel Aoun and emphasized the full readiness to support Lebanese civil society in cooperation with the Executive Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs, through Egyptian civil society associations and institutions.

She noted that meetings with Lebanese officials were aimed at reviewing the best means to provide social protection and extend safety nets, as well as reviving the production cycle to strengthen the country’s economy.

The minister stressed that Lebanon has a lot of wealth that it can invest, expressing her confidence in the country’s ability to regain its prosperity and development in the near future.



Iraqi Forces Kill ISIS ‘Deputy Ruler’ of Kirkuk

A joint force of the Iraqi army and Popular Mobilization Forces searches for ISIS members in the Nineveh province. (AFP)
A joint force of the Iraqi army and Popular Mobilization Forces searches for ISIS members in the Nineveh province. (AFP)
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Iraqi Forces Kill ISIS ‘Deputy Ruler’ of Kirkuk

A joint force of the Iraqi army and Popular Mobilization Forces searches for ISIS members in the Nineveh province. (AFP)
A joint force of the Iraqi army and Popular Mobilization Forces searches for ISIS members in the Nineveh province. (AFP)

Iraqi forces launched a military operation to eliminate remaining ISIS cells in the Zaghitoun Valley, located between the Kirkuk and Saladin governorates.

The Joint Operations Command said in a statement that airstrikes killed ISIS’ deputy ruler of Kirkuk Maher Hamad Salbi (Abu Obaida) and six of his associates in the Hamrin mountains.

The statement added that Iraqi F-16 jets targeted a key hideout of the militants, who had attempted to attack the forces carrying out the mission.

A special forces unit, with technical support from the Joint Operations Command’s Targeting Cell, reached the site with assistance from Kirkuk Operations Command's engineering efforts.

“A security force arrived at the scene and found an M16 rifle, a thermal scope, two hand grenades, a suicide belt, four ammunition magazines, six mobile phones, a flash drive, a solar panel, and bedding,” the statement added.

The team returned safely after completing the mission.

The statement said security forces surrounded a complex of caves and hideouts in the Hamrin mountains for five days, using precise intelligence to successfully eliminate the remaining ISIS members.

An official source stated that “security forces from the Kirkuk Operations Command launched a large-scale military operation on Friday morning in the Zaghitoun Valley, west of Kirkuk, near Saladin.”

The operation aims to remove ISIS cells in the valley, which has been used by the group as a hideout and occasionally sees terrorist activity. The operation includes destroying ISIS hideouts and cutting off escape routes.

Although the Iraqi government declared ISIS defeated in 2017, the group remains active in remote areas, still posing a security threat. The UN estimates the number of ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria at between 1,500 and 3,000.