Opposition Parties Reject Any Turkish Activity in Tunisia

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan meets with Tunisia's President Kais Saied in Tunis, Tunisia, December 25, 2019. Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Turkish Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS
Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan meets with Tunisia's President Kais Saied in Tunis, Tunisia, December 25, 2019. Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Turkish Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS
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Opposition Parties Reject Any Turkish Activity in Tunisia

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan meets with Tunisia's President Kais Saied in Tunis, Tunisia, December 25, 2019. Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Turkish Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS
Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan meets with Tunisia's President Kais Saied in Tunis, Tunisia, December 25, 2019. Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Turkish Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS

Six opposition parties announced their absolute rejection of any Turkish activity on Tunisian soil, urging authorities to avoid their vague approach towards Turkish actions in Tunisia that are aimed at supporting militias and terrorists.

The parties also demanded on authorities to take “a clear stance that rejects foreign military presence in the region.”

The leftist Workers’ Party, the Popular Front, the Socialist Party, Baath Movement, as well as the Tunisia Forward and al-Qutb party denounced any attempt “to involve Tunisia in the regional hubs' game at the expense of its national security as well as the Libyan people’s security and stability.”

Head of the Workers’ Party Hamma Hammami called on the President, Kais Saied, to take a clear stance on Turkey's military efforts in the region that pose major threat to regional peace and security.

He stressed that: “Turkey is indirectly participating by sending mercenaries from Syria to Libya and directly by providing aid to one of the parties to the conflict.”

Head of the opposition Project of Tunisia Movement Mohsen Marzouk, for his part, considered the presidency’s approval on the landing of a Turkish plane at one of Tunis's airports “a deviation in Tunisia’s position, which was supposed to be neutral in the Libyan conflict.”

He noted that the plane was loaded with medical equipment destined for a specific party in the Libyan internal conflict.

Marzouk said the presidency’s decision may raise doubts that Tunisia is involved in a specific international hub led by Turkey, which has been militarily involved in the Libyan conflict, “without any noticeable humanitarian action there.”

Turkey has been using Libyan sea and airports for a while now to transport weapons and terrorist elements to fight in Libya.



Hezbollah Chief Urges Lebanese State to ‘Deal Firmly' with Israel’s Violations

FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem delivers an address from an unknown location, November 29, 2024, in this still image from video. Al Manar TV/Reuters TV via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem delivers an address from an unknown location, November 29, 2024, in this still image from video. Al Manar TV/Reuters TV via REUTERS
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Hezbollah Chief Urges Lebanese State to ‘Deal Firmly' with Israel’s Violations

FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem delivers an address from an unknown location, November 29, 2024, in this still image from video. Al Manar TV/Reuters TV via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem delivers an address from an unknown location, November 29, 2024, in this still image from video. Al Manar TV/Reuters TV via REUTERS

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Saturday called on the Lebanese state to “deal firmly” with Israeli violations.

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in a conflict parallel to the Gaza war in November. That ceasefire, which was brokered by the United States and France, requires Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon within 60 days, and for Hezbollah to remove all its fighters and weapons from the south.

Both sides have since accused each other of breaching the ceasefire.

"Don't test our patience and I call on the Lebanese state to deal firmly with these violations that have exceeded 100," Qassem said.

He also congratulated Palestinians over the Gaza ceasefire deal, saying in a speech that it proved the "persistence of resistance" against Israel.

The remarks were the first in public by the leader of the Iran-backed Lebanese group since Israel and Hamas reached the accord on Wednesday.

"This deal, which was unchanged from what was proposed in May 2024, proves the persistence of resistance groups, which took what they wanted while Israel was not able to take what it sought," he said.
Qassem also referred to the election of Lebanon's new president, Joseph Aoun, who commanded the Lebanese military until parliament elected him as head of state on Jan.9.

"Our contribution as Hezbollah and the Amal movement led to the election of the new president with consensus," Qassem said.

The nomination of Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam had angered Hezbollah, which accused opponents of seeking to exclude it.

Salam was nominated by a majority of lawmakers last week to form a government but did not win the backing of the Shiite parties Hezbollah and Speaker Nabih Berri’s Amal Movement.

Salam said the formation of a new government would not be delayed, indicating a positive atmosphere in discussions over its composition.