Syrian Social Nationalist Party in Lebanon Expels Hardan

Asaad Hardan (Central News Agency)
Asaad Hardan (Central News Agency)
TT

Syrian Social Nationalist Party in Lebanon Expels Hardan

Asaad Hardan (Central News Agency)
Asaad Hardan (Central News Agency)

Head of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) in Lebanon, Rabih Banat, issued a decision on Thursday expelling his predecessor, former MP Asaad Hardan, from the party.

In 2021, disputes broke out between SSNP rival branches over the legitimacy of the party’s internal elections, which at the time led to the victory of Banat.

Hardan rejected the results, and the party became divided between the known “Hardan wing” and the “Banat wing.”

While the SSNP had previously dismissed Hardan, the party announced Thursday an irreversible decision to expel him. It also stripped Hardan of the status of Secretariat.

This came after supporters of the two rival SSNP branches engaged in armed clashes over the weekend in the areas of Beit Shabab and Beit Mery.

Reports said the clashes erupted after Hardan's supporters stormed into the party’s offices affiliated with Banat in Beit Shabab (Northern Metn). The army intervened and worked to calm the situation.

On Saturday, the SSNP said that “a party office under renovation has been the subject of two ransacking and invasion attempts by armed groups affiliated with a personality whose hands are stained with the blood of the innocent and the money of the State Treasury.”

The “Hardan wing” responded to the Banat wing statement, describing it as “a childish justification for criminal acts punishable by law.”

It also said that the decision has absolutely no value and is linked to the 2007 US economic sanctions imposed on Hardan.

In return, the Banat wing said it took the decision to expel Hardan from the party after the former MP rebelled against the SSNP and repeatedly committed constitutional and administrative violations.



Iraqi, Turkish Leaders Discuss Israel's Regional Escalation

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Presidential Press Office shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani (L) shaking hands during their meeting at the Presidential Vahdettin Mansion in Istanbul, Türkiye, 01 November 2024. (EPA/TUrkish Presidential Press Office Handout)
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Presidential Press Office shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani (L) shaking hands during their meeting at the Presidential Vahdettin Mansion in Istanbul, Türkiye, 01 November 2024. (EPA/TUrkish Presidential Press Office Handout)
TT

Iraqi, Turkish Leaders Discuss Israel's Regional Escalation

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Presidential Press Office shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani (L) shaking hands during their meeting at the Presidential Vahdettin Mansion in Istanbul, Türkiye, 01 November 2024. (EPA/TUrkish Presidential Press Office Handout)
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Presidential Press Office shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani (L) shaking hands during their meeting at the Presidential Vahdettin Mansion in Istanbul, Türkiye, 01 November 2024. (EPA/TUrkish Presidential Press Office Handout)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani discussed ways to strengthen ties between Türkiye and Iraq, focusing on cooperation in combating terrorism and addressing regional issues.

Al-Sudani made an unannounced visit to Türkiye on Friday, where he was welcomed by Erdogan at the Vahdettin Mansion in Istanbul.

The two leaders talked about various aspects of their relationship, including water resources, energy collaboration, the Development Road project, and joint efforts to enhance border security and combat the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Al-Sudani’s visit comes after a meeting with Erdogan on September 25 during the UN General Assembly in New York.

The timing is crucial, following a terrorist attack on the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) in Ankara on October 23 and amid heightened tensions in the region due to increased Israeli military actions.

Diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Erdogan and Al-Sudani focused their discussions on boosting cooperation between Türkiye and Iraq to combat terrorism, especially targeting the PKK, which Türkiye considers a terrorist group and is banned in Iraq.

Additionally, sources informed Asharq Al-Awsat that Erdogan and Al-Sudani discussed Israel’s expansion of attacks from Gaza into Lebanon and Syria, stressing the risks to regional stability and the need for cooperation to achieve a ceasefire and prevent further escalation.

They also addressed efforts to normalize relations between Türkiye and Syria, with Baghdad playing a role in resuming talks and facilitating a meeting between Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which Ankara supports.