Lebanon: Parliament Asks Govt to Continue in Caretaker Capacity amid Presidential Vacuum

The Lebanese parliament calls on Mikati to maintain a caretaking role. (Photo: Hassan Ibrahim)
The Lebanese parliament calls on Mikati to maintain a caretaking role. (Photo: Hassan Ibrahim)
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Lebanon: Parliament Asks Govt to Continue in Caretaker Capacity amid Presidential Vacuum

The Lebanese parliament calls on Mikati to maintain a caretaking role. (Photo: Hassan Ibrahim)
The Lebanese parliament calls on Mikati to maintain a caretaking role. (Photo: Hassan Ibrahim)

The Lebanese Parliament asked caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to “move forward with his work”, in an indirect rejection of a letter addressed to him by President Michel Aoun one day before the end of his presidential term.

In his letter on Monday, Aoun had signed a decree accepting the resignation of the caretaker government, thus limiting its constitutional powers.

Mikati’s caretaker cabinet has been managing the country’s affairs since the end of its mandate with the holding of parliamentary elections in May.

During a parliamentary session to discuss Aoun’s letter, Mikati said that his government would continue to work “to avoid constitutional accountability on charges of violating the duties stipulated in Article 70 of the Constitution.”

He added that his government, which is already considered resigned without the need for a decision from the president, should proceed with its caretaker capacity out of its “constitutional duties”, stressing that a vacuum would contradict the constitution.

Speaker Nabih Berri, for his part, said that all the stances unanimously agreed that the priority was to elect a president of the republic.

"Since the election of the Parliament and until today, I have reiterated the same as you did, the need that there should be consensus,” Berri told the deputies.

The Speaker has scheduled a session to elect a new president on Thursday, saying he would convene Parliament on a weekly basis for this purpose.

“I hope that consensus is reached throughout this week between all the blocs and groups…. If a compromise is not made here or there, we won’t reach a solution,” he said.

The positions of political parties have varied regarding Aoun’s letter.

A member of the Democratic Gathering bloc, MP Wael Abu Faour, said: “Partnership is not an option… The bloc is committed to the only solution, which is to elect a president who can save us from all these complications…”

For his part, Lebanese Forces MP Georges Adwan stressed that the government should continue its caretaking role to avoid a constitutional vacuum.



UN Food Agency Says Israeli Tanks, Snipers Opened Fire on a Crowd Seeking Aid in Gaza

Mourners attend the funeral of their relatives killed in an Israeli bombardment, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, July 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Mourners attend the funeral of their relatives killed in an Israeli bombardment, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, July 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
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UN Food Agency Says Israeli Tanks, Snipers Opened Fire on a Crowd Seeking Aid in Gaza

Mourners attend the funeral of their relatives killed in an Israeli bombardment, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, July 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Mourners attend the funeral of their relatives killed in an Israeli bombardment, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, July 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The UN food agency accused Israel of using tanks, snipers and other weapons to fire on a crowd of Palestinians seeking food aid, in what the territory's Health Ministry said was one of the deadliest days for aid-seekers in over 21 months of war.

The World Food Program in a statement Sunday condemned the violence that erupted in northern Gaza as Palestinians tried to reach a convoy of trucks carrying food. The Health Ministry in Gaza said at least 80 people were killed in the incident. The Israeli military has said it fired warning shots “to remove an immediate threat,” but has questioned the death toll reported by the Palestinians.

The accusation by a major aid agency that has had generally good working relations with Israel builds on descriptions by witnesses and others, who also said Israel opened fire on the crowd, The AP news reported.

The bloodshed surrounding aid access highlights the increasingly precarious situation for people in Gaza who have been desperately seeking out food and other assistance, as the war that has roiled the region shows no signs of ending. Israel and Hamas are still engaged in ceasefire talks, but there appears to be no breakthrough and it's not clear whether any truce would bring the war to a lasting halt.

As the talks proceed, the death toll in the war-ravaged territory has climbed to more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians but the ministry says more than half of the dead are women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas government, but the UN and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.

WFP condemns violence at food distribution points In northern Gaza on Sunday, the Health Ministry, witnesses and a UN official said Israeli forces opened fire toward crowds who tried to get food from a 25-truck convoy that had entered the hard-hit area.

The WFP statement, which said the crowd surrounding its convoy “came under fire from Israeli tanks, snipers and other gunfire,” backs up those claims. The statement did not specify a death toll, saying only the incident resulted in the loss of “countless lives.”

“These people were simply trying to access food to feed themselves and their families on the brink of starvation,” it said, adding that the incident occurred despite assurances from Israeli authorities that aid delivery would improve. Part of those assurances, it said, was that armed forces would not be present nor engage along aid routes.

“Shootings near humanitarian missions, convoys and food distributions must stop immediately.”

Israel has not allowed international media to enter Gaza throughout the war, and the competing claims could not be independently verified.