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Health Ministry Warns of Cholera Outbreak in Lebanon

Lebanon's caretaker Health Minister Firas Abiad (AP)
Lebanon's caretaker Health Minister Firas Abiad (AP)
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Health Ministry Warns of Cholera Outbreak in Lebanon

Lebanon's caretaker Health Minister Firas Abiad (AP)
Lebanon's caretaker Health Minister Firas Abiad (AP)

Caretaker Health Minister Firas Abiad warned on Saturday of a cholera outbreak if Lebanon fails to quickly respond to the disease, which he confirmed is still restrained in the rural northern Lebanese region of Akkar.

On Friday, the Health Ministry issued a statement saying a second case of Cholera has been detected in Lebanon, a day after the cash-strapped country confirmed its first case of the illness since 1993.

The Minister said the cholera infections in Lebanon were anticipated - after an outbreak of the illness in neighboring war-torn Syria a month earlier - explaining that it is easily transmissible.

“We must prevent this disease, and the patient may not have symptoms,” he stressed.

Abiad then announced that his ministry established a multilateral crisis cell that will tour the affected areas to see what is happening on the ground and respond to the possible outbreak of the illness.

In a television interview, he explained that the waterborne disease can easily be eliminated by washing hands, adding that it can be controlled provided that safe and clean running water is secured.

He assured that cholera tests are available to monitor its spread, noting that it differs from COVID-19, which is transmitted by air.

The Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute warned Saturday of water pollution.

In a statement, it said “the spread of cholera is caused by water pollution, and citizens are asked to take the highest levels and standards of hygiene in food and drinking water.”

Lebanon 24 website said the number of cholera-infected people in Lebanon exceeded by far the two cases, adding that all cases are currently monitored by the Ministry.

“All cases were detected at a camp for Syrian refugees in the Benin region,” sources told the website.

Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said on Friday that in Syria, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners continue to respond to an outbreak of cholera, worsened by severe, country-wide water shortages.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said there have been 14,202 suspected cases of cholera, 884 confirmed cases, and 63 reported deaths across the country as of last Thursday.

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Iraq Frustrated by Iran’s Reluctance to Rein in Militias

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has cautioned leaders of the Coordination Framework about the threats facing Iraq due to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran (X)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has cautioned leaders of the Coordination Framework about the threats facing Iraq due to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran (X)
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Iraq Frustrated by Iran’s Reluctance to Rein in Militias

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has cautioned leaders of the Coordination Framework about the threats facing Iraq due to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran (X)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has cautioned leaders of the Coordination Framework about the threats facing Iraq due to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran (X)

A senior government official said Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has warned leaders of the Coordination Framework about the “risks to Iraq” from the growing conflict between Israel and Iran.

The official added that Iran is using “deception” when asked to distance its allied militias from the war.

Political and government figures are increasingly worried that Iraq could be hit, after two Israeli soldiers were killed in a drone strike on the Golan Heights early Friday.

Speaking anonymously to Asharq Al-Awsat, the official said al-Sudani is taking steps to keep Iraq out of the conflict.

These efforts include ramping up “political mediation” to persuade militias not to involve Iraq. The prime minister “informed Coordination Framework leaders of the risks” and urged them to “act quickly.”

The official also warned that an attack is still possible, saying intelligence shows the Iraqi militias launched the strike from outside Iraq, using weapons that came from Iraqi territory.

Al-Sudani’s Mediation Efforts

The Iraqi premier has chosen mediators, approved by Iran, to negotiate with militias about the conflict and conditions for de-escalation. These three individuals have previously acted as mediators in past crises.

Last week, Asharq Al-Awsat reported that al-Sudani asked three key Shiite figures to intervene and prevent militias from getting involved in the war between Hezbollah and Israel, after reports surfaced that Israel had identified 35 Iraqi targets.

Sources confirmed that Ammar al-Hakim is among the mediators, along with two other influential Shiite leaders whose names haven’t been disclosed.

However, two Iraqi militias—likely the al-Nujaba Movement led by Akram al-Kaabi and Kataib Hezbollah led by Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi—have refused to cooperate and continue launching rocket attacks on Israel.

The Iraqi official admitted that some militias are “stubborn,” but stressed that al-Sudani knows Iraq is “at the center of the storm.”

He reportedly told leaders of the Coordination Framework, “Iraq cannot avoid a military strike if it happens, so we must stay out of the war to protect the country.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in a Friday sermon, stated that “Iran’s allies in the region won’t back down,” increasing concerns that Iraqi militias tied to Iran will continue attacking Israel.

Iraqi sources also reported that the Coordination Framework has reviewed an “intelligence report” on dozens of Iraqi targets that Israel might strike or assassinate.

Government Efforts to Prevent Escalation

Al-Sudani has blocked the flow of Iraqi funds into conflict zones, unlike previous leaders, according to the official.

He has worked closely with the US and its Treasury Department to strictly monitor financial movements, often insisting that Iran uses official channels to claim its dues from Iraq.

The official also said global auditing firms are now helping Iraq’s central bank oversee financial transactions, shutting down all previous routes for illicit money flows.

Since the Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, the US told Iraq it pressured Israel not to strike Iraq, as long as Iraq stays out of the conflict, the official added.

The US doesn’t oppose Iraq’s stance of condemning Israel, supporting Lebanon and Palestine, and sending aid.

But it “won’t accept any financial or military support to militias.”

Regarding Iran’s role, the official said Tehran claims militias act independently, dodging responsibility for reining them in.