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Emergency Arab Meeting Scheduled to Tackle UNRWA Crisis

Workers disinfect the Wavel camp for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, on April 22, 2020, after the UN announced the first confirmed case of coronavirus there. (AFP)
Workers disinfect the Wavel camp for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, on April 22, 2020, after the UN announced the first confirmed case of coronavirus there. (AFP)
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Emergency Arab Meeting Scheduled to Tackle UNRWA Crisis

Workers disinfect the Wavel camp for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, on April 22, 2020, after the UN announced the first confirmed case of coronavirus there. (AFP)
Workers disinfect the Wavel camp for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, on April 22, 2020, after the UN announced the first confirmed case of coronavirus there. (AFP)

Head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Department of Refugee Affairs, Ahmad Abu Holi, said Thursday that an emergency meeting of the Arab League and Arab states hosting Palestinian refugees will be held next week to discuss the financial crisis at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

In a press statement, Abu Holi explained there are ongoing contacts among these countries to formulate a joint work mechanism and reach a common position to protect refugee camps from the spread of COVID-19 and to collect funds for the UNRWA budget.

“The meeting will be held next Monday at the request of Palestine and under the presidency of Jordan to discuss the UNRWA’s financial situation,” in light of its serious crisis due to a lack of international funds, the official said.

Abu Holi added that the meeting would also tackle the latest developments related to the COVID-19 crisis inside Palestinian camps in several Arab countries and the agency’s plans for the 2020-2021 academic year in wake of the ongoing pandemic.

Earlier this year, UNRWA demanded a budget of $1.4 billion for 2020. However, it has so far received only $416 million, which will impact its ability to implement its humanitarian programs.

UNRWA officials say the agency faces the "most serious financial crisis" since its establishment in 1949, which was exacerbated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5.6 million Palestine refugees registered with the agency across its five fields of operation.

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Arab World

UN Peacekeepers Say Came Under Fire in Southern Lebanon

United Nations Spanish UNIFIL forces inspect chalets after the Israeli army booby-trapped and blew them up at dawn, on the outskirts of the town of al-Khiam, southern Lebanon, Jan. 31, 2026. (AFP)
United Nations Spanish UNIFIL forces inspect chalets after the Israeli army booby-trapped and blew them up at dawn, on the outskirts of the town of al-Khiam, southern Lebanon, Jan. 31, 2026. (AFP)
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UN Peacekeepers Say Came Under Fire in Southern Lebanon

United Nations Spanish UNIFIL forces inspect chalets after the Israeli army booby-trapped and blew them up at dawn, on the outskirts of the town of al-Khiam, southern Lebanon, Jan. 31, 2026. (AFP)
United Nations Spanish UNIFIL forces inspect chalets after the Israeli army booby-trapped and blew them up at dawn, on the outskirts of the town of al-Khiam, southern Lebanon, Jan. 31, 2026. (AFP)

The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Tuesday that one of its patrols came under fire in the country's south, without saying who was responsible.

The force, whose mandate in Lebanon expires at the end of this year, said the patrol "was fired upon with about a dozen rounds" near Wadi Jilu and returned fire, after which the shooting stopped.

It reported no casualties and called for an investigation.

"We reiterate the obligation under international law for all actors to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property at all times," it said.

UNIFIL has served as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon since 1978, but its presence has been unable to prevent several rounds of conflict, including the latest between Israel and Hezbollah, which broke out in March amid the wider Middle East war.

Despite a patchy ceasefire and recent direct talks between Israel and Lebanon, Hezbollah still refuses to disarm and Israeli troops continue to occupy parts of the south.

Under US pressure, the UN Security Council last year voted to end UNIFIL's mandate on December 31, 2026.

Lebanese officials have called for it to be extended.

At a meeting in Paris on Tuesday, G7 foreign ministers agreed on "the need to avoid a security void" in Lebanon after UNIFIL withdraws, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.

But he acknowledged there had been no breakthrough on what should replace the force, which numbers around 7,500 personnel from nearly 50 countries.

Arab World

Iraqi Ex-Lawmaker Found Strangled to Death in Beirut

Former Iraqi lawmaker Ahmed al-Alwani. (INA)
Former Iraqi lawmaker Ahmed al-Alwani. (INA)
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Iraqi Ex-Lawmaker Found Strangled to Death in Beirut

Former Iraqi lawmaker Ahmed al-Alwani. (INA)
Former Iraqi lawmaker Ahmed al-Alwani. (INA)

Former Iraqi lawmaker Ahmed al-Alwani was found strangled to death in a Beirut apartment, a Lebanese judicial official told AFP on Tuesday, adding one of three suspects had been arrested.

"The security services found the body of the former lawmaker on Monday night, and confirmed his identity on Tuesday," the official said on condition of anonymity.

His family had previously reported him missing to Lebanese authorities, according to the source.

Alwani was sentenced to death in Iraq in 2014 for the murder of two soldiers, but was ultimately released from prison last year.

Alwani arrived in Beirut last week, according to the judicial official, who said that surveillance cameras showed him "voluntarily arriving with two other people at the building where his body was found".

Preliminary findings of the investigation indicate that he was strangled in the apartment.

A Lebanese national suspected of involvement has been arrested, and authorities are looking for two Syrians suspects still at large, the official said.

He added that the suspects had taken Alwani from the airport to his hotel when he arrived in Beirut last week.

Arab World

Syria Says Killed Leader of Armed Cell in Tartus

Members of Syria's Internal Security Forces. (SANA)
Members of Syria's Internal Security Forces. (SANA)
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Syria Says Killed Leader of Armed Cell in Tartus

Members of Syria's Internal Security Forces. (SANA)
Members of Syria's Internal Security Forces. (SANA)

Syrian authorities said on Tuesday that they had killed the leader of an armed cell linked to the former government and wounded another member during an operation in the countryside of Tartus.

In a statement, the Internal Security Forces said they had carried out a "carefully planned ambush" after monitoring the four-member group, which was allegedly planning to carry out "terrorist attacks and armed robberies".

The forces said the ensuing clash resulted in the "neutralization of the cell's leader" and the wounding of another member.

The forces confirmed that specialized units are continuing intensive sweep and pursuit operations across the surrounding rural areas to locate and apprehend the remaining fleeing members of the cell.

State security authorities reiterated their commitment to maintaining public order, eliminating remnants of illegal armed groups, and safeguarding civilian lives and property across all Syrian provinces.