Hezbollah Denies Placing Obstacles to Lebanese Government Formation

Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem speaks in the Ghobeiry neighborhood of southern Beirut on May 13, 2016. AFP file photo
Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem speaks in the Ghobeiry neighborhood of southern Beirut on May 13, 2016. AFP file photo
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Hezbollah Denies Placing Obstacles to Lebanese Government Formation

Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem speaks in the Ghobeiry neighborhood of southern Beirut on May 13, 2016. AFP file photo
Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem speaks in the Ghobeiry neighborhood of southern Beirut on May 13, 2016. AFP file photo

Hezbollah deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said Friday the party has placed no obstacles to the formation of a new government, adding that it will accept any agreement between President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri on the lineup.

“Hezbollah will be cooperative with any lineup, when submitted,” Qassem said in an interview with a radio station, adding that the party supports forming a cabinet as quickly as possible.

He pointed out that the main obstacle to the move is local, ruling out foreign interference.

He called for solving the dispute between the president and the premier-designate, and denied that Hezbollah had discussed with any party its alleged demand for a veto power in the new cabinet.

Iran or others have nothing to do with Hezbollah’s position on the government, he said.

Regarding a French initiative to end Lebanon’s cabinet stalemate, Qassem said President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to resolve the country’s main problems has been activated, but has no clear vision.

Meanwhile, Jaafarite Mufti Ahmad Qabalan called for a salvation cabinet instead of a confrontational government.

The same position was echoed by Amal Movement, which called for a national salvation government capable of implementing political reforms through the Taef Accord.



Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
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Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the importance of improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza in a meeting with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer in Washington on Monday, the State Department said.

Dermer updated Blinken on operational changes and policy decisions taken by Israel in response to a US letter sent in October, the department said in a statement on Tuesday.

Blinken "emphasized the importance of ensuring those changes lead to an actual improvement in the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, including through the delivery of additional assistance to civilians throughout Gaza," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in the statement.