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‘Massive’ Progress Made in Lebanese-Israeli Maritime Border Deal

A handout picture provided by the Lebanese photo agency Dalati and Nohra shows Lebanon's President Michel Aoun (C), Prime Minister Najib Mikati (C R), and parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (C L) meeting with US Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein (5th L) and US ambassador Dorothy Shea (4th L) at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of the capital on August 1, 2022. (Dalati & Nohra)
A handout picture provided by the Lebanese photo agency Dalati and Nohra shows Lebanon's President Michel Aoun (C), Prime Minister Najib Mikati (C R), and parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (C L) meeting with US Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein (5th L) and US ambassador Dorothy Shea (4th L) at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of the capital on August 1, 2022. (Dalati & Nohra)
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‘Massive’ Progress Made in Lebanese-Israeli Maritime Border Deal

A handout picture provided by the Lebanese photo agency Dalati and Nohra shows Lebanon's President Michel Aoun (C), Prime Minister Najib Mikati (C R), and parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (C L) meeting with US Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein (5th L) and US ambassador Dorothy Shea (4th L) at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of the capital on August 1, 2022. (Dalati & Nohra)
A handout picture provided by the Lebanese photo agency Dalati and Nohra shows Lebanon's President Michel Aoun (C), Prime Minister Najib Mikati (C R), and parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (C L) meeting with US Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein (5th L) and US ambassador Dorothy Shea (4th L) at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of the capital on August 1, 2022. (Dalati & Nohra)

The US mediation in the maritime border dispute between Lebanon and Israel made a new breakthrough on Monday.

Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib described it as "massive progress" that has yet to reach a final agreement that would lead to the resumption of indirect negotiations between Lebanon and Israel at al-Naqoura.

The negotiations will not be resumed before the agreement is reached and before the US mediator, Amos Hochstein, returns to the region.

The envoy has been pressing efforts to clinch a rare agreement between enemy states that should allow both to develop offshore resources.

Hochstein had arrived in Lebanon on a two-day visit for talks over the maritime dispute.

On Monday, he met with President Michel Aoun, parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the presidential palace in Baabda.

He presented the Israeli response to the Lebanese offer made in June over the border.

The envoy said he remained optimistic about making progress towards a deal and looked forward to returning to the region to make a "final arrangement".

"I remain optimistic that we can make continuous progress as we have over the last several weeks and I look forward to being able to come back to the region to make the final arrangement," Hochstein said.

Ahead of the meeting, Aoun had stressed that the negotiations aim to preserve Lebanon’s right and natural resources.

After the talks, Berri told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Lebanese officials sensed "seriousness" this time in the negotiations.

He revealed that Hochstein did not make any new offers, "but we discussed solutions that were already on the table."

He said he informed the American delegation that Lebanon is "insistent" on demarcating the border that is key to the solutions.

His remarks are a reference to Israeli proposals that called for dividing the oil wealth according to a framework agreed by both parties.

Berri revealed that Hochstein pledged to return to Lebanon with Israel’s reply within two weeks.

Mikati did not make a statement after the Baabda meeting, but only gave a thumbs up.

Deputy parliament Speaker Elias Bou Saab, who was also at the talks, said: "The atmosphere is positive and the gap of disagreements in this field is narrowing,"

Hochstein is expected to return to Beirut in a "short time," he added, hoping that the outcome of the meeting will materialize in the coming weeks.

He revealed that "no one demanded that blocks be seized or that pipelines be extended. Lebanon demanded its entire blocks. It has not changed its position."

"Hochstein did not offer us any sharing of wealth or blocs or profits with the Israeli enemy," added Bou Saab.

The Lebanese Iran-backed Hezbollah party has threatened military action if Lebanon is prevented from exploiting what it deems to be its offshore rights. But it has also said it will respect the decision of the Lebanese government.

On Sunday, Hezbollah aired drone footage of Israeli ships in a disputed gas field in the Mediterranean Sea, highlighting the tension at the center of the border talks.

Lebanon claims the Karish gas field is disputed territory under ongoing maritime border negotiations, whereas Israel says it lies within its internationally recognized economic waters.

Later Monday, Hochstein told the local LBC TV station, when asked about Hezbollah's recent activities, that the best and only way "to achieve a resolution to this long-lasting dispute is through the negotiating table and through diplomacy."

He warned that anything else "has the risk of causing some miscalculated harm to those negotiations and end them."

The United States in 2020 stepped up long-running efforts to mediate an agreement. Tensions over the issue escalated in June as Israel moved towards extracting hydrocarbons while Lebanon's exploration process remained paused.

Lebanon and Israel are located in the Levant Basin, where a number of big sub-sea gas fields have been discovered since 2009. Israel already produces and exports gas.

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Arab World

Video of Visually Impaired Palestinian Boy Draws Global Attention

Ayoub holding his damaged glasses on 2 June. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Ayoub holding his damaged glasses on 2 June. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
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Video of Visually Impaired Palestinian Boy Draws Global Attention

Ayoub holding his damaged glasses on 2 June. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Ayoub holding his damaged glasses on 2 June. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

A video of a seven-year-old Palestinian boy in Gaza who suffers from a severe visual impairment crying over his shattered glasses has drawn widespread attention across social and international media, Britain’s the Guardian reported on Thursday.

The footage of Ayoub Junaid has shone a light on the plight of the many visually impaired children in Gaza who, because of Israel’s blockade and the devastation caused by the war, have been unable to access eye examinations, corrective lenses or specialist ophthalmic surgery.

After the clip was viewed by tens of millions of people, Ayoub received a new pair of glasses. This good news, however, does not solve the underlying problem, as he urgently needs surgery.

Ayoub’s mother, Eman Junaid, 30, displaced in the Gaza City port area, tells the Guardian her son’s problem began when he was two.

“Ayoub suffers from very severe nearsightedness after having a fever illness,” she says. A doctor told Junaid that Ayoub’s vision would gradually improve as he got older, but the opposite happened – the prescription he required increased and the lenses he now needs are not available in Gaza.

“We were preparing to travel for treatment, but the war started and everything stopped,” she adds.

Ayoub rarely leaves his tent, Junaid says. When he wants to play with his siblings or other children, he clings tightly to his glasses and moves with extreme caution. He does not run, jump or move freely. The doctors warned the family not to let him engage in strenuous activities because any fall or blow could cause further damage to his retinas.

Ayoub used to ask his mother why he was different from other children. He often asks her: “Why don’t the other children wear glasses like me? Why can’t I move like them? Why can’t I go to school like them?”

“At the end of April, while walking with a family member along a road strewn with rubble, he fell and struck his face on the ground, breaking the glasses,” his mother says. “He burst into tears, rolled on the ground and desperately tried to piece them back together. For Ayoub, those glasses were everything. Even with them, he cannot see clearly and often has to hold objects just inches from his face. But without them, he can barely move around at all.”

His family says the time Ayoub spent without glasses was particularly distressing. For three or four days, he rarely left a corner of the tent and was unable to move around without assistance. When he tried to walk on his own, he would crouch close to the ground, bringing his eyes near the floor in an effort to make out his surroundings.

Relatives said they repeatedly tried to repair his glasses, but the damaged lenses could not be fixed.

“The video I shared was filmed after we reached the tent,” his mother says. “In the street, he was crying even more and saying he wanted to fix his glasses because he could not see without them. After the video spread, donors helped us and we were able to get a new pair of glasses, but it is still not the correct prescription he needs.”

According to his family, Ayoub’s emotional state has shown signs of improvement. In recent days, he has appeared more willing to interact with visitors and those offering support. While the change remains modest, his family say it has brought them a sense of relief and hope.

Health officials in Gaza say the war has devastated eye care services, leaving thousands of visually impaired patients without treatment amid severe shortages of medical equipment and surgical supplies.

Hospitals are lacking key items including surgical microscopes and phaco machines. Officials say more than 2,800 patients are currently waiting for cataract surgery alone, while the total backlog for eye procedures, including corneal transplants, glaucoma operations and reconstructive surgery, exceeds 4,000 cases.

In addition to this, Israeli bombardment around medical facilities has forced the temporary shutdown of Gaza City’s Government Eye Hospital, the only public eye care center in the territory.

“The current situation clearly shows a shortage in all medical consumables and surgical tools,” says Dr. Hussam Dawoud, a senior consultant in ophthalmology and eye surgery and the director of the hospital. “Currently, we are providing services at around 60% of what we used to offer before the war. The main reason is that Israel is preventing the entry of medical equipment and surgical instruments.”

Doctors have also reported a sharp rise in severe corneal infections, which they attribute to overcrowded living conditions, poor sanitation and limited access to medication, with some patients suffering permanent vision loss.

Arab World

Cairo to Host Fourth Quadrilateral Meeting on Iran War

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye and Pakistan during a meeting to discuss the progress of US-Iran negotiations (Egyptian Foreign Ministry handout). 
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye and Pakistan during a meeting to discuss the progress of US-Iran negotiations (Egyptian Foreign Ministry handout). 
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Cairo to Host Fourth Quadrilateral Meeting on Iran War

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye and Pakistan during a meeting to discuss the progress of US-Iran negotiations (Egyptian Foreign Ministry handout). 
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye and Pakistan during a meeting to discuss the progress of US-Iran negotiations (Egyptian Foreign Ministry handout). 

Egypt is preparing to host the fourth meeting of the Quadrilateral Mechanism comprising Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye and Pakistan, as the four countries continue consultations aimed at easing tensions stemming from the conflict involving Iran.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar discussed arrangements for the meeting during a phone call, according to a statement issued by Egypt’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday.

The ministers agreed on the importance of maintaining close coordination among the four countries amid what the statement described as dangerous developments in the region. They also discussed efforts to support the US-Iran negotiating track.

The first meeting of the mechanism was held in Riyadh on March 20, followed by a second meeting in Pakistan on March 29. The third meeting took place in the Turkish city of Antalya on April 17 on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

According to Egypt’s Foreign Ministry, participants at the latest meeting discussed ways to strengthen coordination in response to fast-moving regional developments, follow the course of US-Iran negotiations, and continue efforts to de-escalate tensions and contain the conflict.

They also discussed prospects for restoring regional security and stability and the future of the regional order after the current conflict.

The meeting brought together Abdelatty, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Pakistan’s Ishaq Dar.

The ministers exchanged assessments of the conflict’s impact on the global economy and discussed ways to mitigate disruptions to international shipping, supply chains, food security, energy security, and oil prices.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Tamim Khallaf said Abdelatty and Dar also exchanged views during their latest call on regional developments and stressed the importance of continued political and diplomatic efforts to contain the current escalation.

The two ministers also emphasized the importance of prioritizing diplomatic solutions to prevent the conflict from widening and to contain the current escalation, citing the serious security, economic and geopolitical consequences of the conflict for the region and the wider world, according to the ministry.

 

 

Arab World

Egypt Holds Military Exercises with Türkiye, Oman

The joint Egyptian Turkish air exercise on Thursday (from the Egyptian Military Spokesperson’s Facebook page). 
The joint Egyptian Turkish air exercise on Thursday (from the Egyptian Military Spokesperson’s Facebook page). 
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Egypt Holds Military Exercises with Türkiye, Oman

The joint Egyptian Turkish air exercise on Thursday (from the Egyptian Military Spokesperson’s Facebook page). 
The joint Egyptian Turkish air exercise on Thursday (from the Egyptian Military Spokesperson’s Facebook page). 

Egypt has conducted military exercises with both Türkiye and the Sultanate of Oman aimed at “exchanging training expertise and unifying operational concepts.”

The Egyptian-Turkish air exercise saw the participation of a number of multirole fighter aircraft. The drills are being carried out over several days at multiple air bases across Egypt.

According to a statement issued Thursday by the country’s military spokesperson, the first phase of the exercise included a series of theoretical lectures designed to standardize combat concepts and facilitate the exchange of training experience among participating personnel. The phase also featured a number of operational training sorties intended to coordinate efforts and enhance the two sides’ ability to operate jointly.

The exercise aims to “refine the skills of the participating forces to achieve the highest levels of efficiency and readiness to carry out joint air missions effectively under various conditions,” the military spokesperson said.

In September 2025, Egypt and Türkiye resumed their joint military exercise Sea of Friendship in the eastern Mediterranean after a 13-year hiatus, as part of efforts to develop bilateral relations and strengthen interoperability.

Türkiye’s Ministry of National Defense also announced that Turkish and Egyptian special forces conducted joint training in Ankara between April 21-29, 2025.

In a statement posted at the time on X, the ministry said the drills included urban warfare training, sniper exercises, medical training, parachute operations, and helicopter-based exercises involving assault operations, fast-roping insertion, medical evacuation, special reconnaissance missions, and other designated tasks.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian-Omani exercise Mountain Fortress 2 (Qal’at al-Jabal 2) is being held with the participation of members from Egypt’s Saaqa (Thunderbolt) Forces and Oman’s special forces. The drills are taking place over several days at combat training ranges worked by Egypt’s Saaqa Forces Command.

According to the Egyptian military spokesman, the first phase of the exercise focused on unifying operational concepts and fostering integration and cohesion among participating personnel.

The exercise is also expected to include a range of practical activities and field events designed to meet planned training objectives, facilitate the exchange of tactical expertise, and maximize the benefit to participating forces, according to the spokesman.