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Hezbollah Admits Impasse with Bassil

Gebran Bassil speaks during an interview with Reuters in Sin-el-fil, Lebanon October 13, 2022. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
Gebran Bassil speaks during an interview with Reuters in Sin-el-fil, Lebanon October 13, 2022. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
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Hezbollah Admits Impasse with Bassil

Gebran Bassil speaks during an interview with Reuters in Sin-el-fil, Lebanon October 13, 2022. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
Gebran Bassil speaks during an interview with Reuters in Sin-el-fil, Lebanon October 13, 2022. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo

Hezbollah has most likely reached the conclusion that it was not possible to reach an understanding with the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil, over the election of Marada Movement chief Sleiman Franjieh as Lebanon’s president.
 
Communication between the two sides has sharply declined over the recent weeks, according to information obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, which prompted Bassil to accuse the party of reneging on its pledge not to nominate any candidate who does not enjoy the FPM’s support.
 
However, a Lebanese figure concerned with the stalled presidential elections stressed that the regional breakthrough will have its impact on Lebanon “sooner or later, in the form of a settlement leading to the election of a president for the republic and the formation of a government with a clear program.”
 
According to the source, Bassil was pushing “in all his meetings to nominate former Minister Jihad Azour for the presidency, but he avoids announcing his candidacy in order not to limit his chances.”
 
The source added that the potential nomination of the army commander, General Joseph Aoun, has waned with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri’s announcement that his election requires a constitutional amendment.
 
Berri has yet to decide on holding a session to elect a president after Eid al-Fitr, as he prefers, according to information, to secure the necessary quorum to achieve a breakthrough.
 
The opposition parties, for their part, are still locked in their differences. The Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) withdrew its support for MP Michel Moawad, thus making any understanding between these forces over a new candidate an “impossible mission,” as expressed by a deputy from the opposition.
 
In a press conference on Wednesday, the head of the Kataeb Party, MP Sami Gemayel, voiced his rejection to a president imposed by Hezbollah, saying: “Such a president would be the president of Hezbollah’s republic and not that of all the Lebanese.”

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Ankara: Assad Does Not Want Peace in Syria

Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
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Ankara: Assad Does Not Want Peace in Syria

Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has stated that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is unwilling to pursue peace in Syria and warned that Israel’s efforts to spread war across the Middle East are undermining the environment fostered by the Astana Process.

Fidan emphasized the importance of Russian and Iranian efforts within the framework of the Astana Process to maintain calm on the ground, pointing to ongoing consultations with the US regarding the Syrian crisis.

Speaking during a parliamentary session discussing the 2025 budget of the Foreign Ministry, Fidan reiterated Türkiye’s expectation that the dialogue proposed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be approached strategically by the Syrian government, with priority given to the interests of the Syrian people.

Regarding Erdogan’s invitation to Assad for a meeting to discuss the normalization of ties between Ankara and Damascus, Fidan remarked that the matter depends on political will, stressing that the Turkish president has demonstrated his readiness at the highest level.

Last week, Erdogan reiterated the possibility of a meeting with Assad, but Russia, which mediates the normalization talks between Ankara and Damascus, ruled out such a meeting or high-level engagements in the near future.

Russian Presidential Envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev attributed the impasse to Türkiye’s refusal to meet Damascus’ demand for a withdrawal from northern Syria, accusing Ankara of acting as an “occupying state”.

Although Türkiye has not officially responded to Lavrentiev’s comments, which reflect a shift in Russia’s stance, Fidan stated in a televised interview last week that Russia remains “somewhat neutral” regarding the normalization process. He also urged the Syrian government to create conditions for the return of 10 million Syrian refugees.

Türkiye maintains that its military presence in northern Syria prevents the country’s division, blocks the establishment of a “terror corridor” along its southern border, and deters new waves of refugees from entering its territory.

Fidan outlined his country’s key objectives in Syria, which include eradicating terrorist groups (such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the Syrian Democratic Forces), preserving Syria’s territorial unity, advancing the political process, and ensuring the safe and voluntary return of Syrian refugees.

Meanwhile, Turkish artillery targeted villages and positions controlled by the Manbij Military Council, affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), whose main component is the People’s Protection Units (YPG).

On Friday, fierce clashes erupted between the Syrian National Army factions and the SDF in western Tel Abyad, northern Raqqa. Simultaneously, Turkish artillery strikes reportedly killed two SDF members and injured others, with reports of captives and missing personnel.

In retaliation, the SDF shelled Turkish bases in the Ain Issa countryside. Turkish forces responded by deploying military reinforcements amid heightened alert at their bases in Raqqa’s countryside, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).