Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Says Syria ‘Serious’ About Facilitating Refugees’ Return

Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel Karim Ali holds a meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Friday (NNA)
Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel Karim Ali holds a meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Friday (NNA)
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Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Says Syria ‘Serious’ About Facilitating Refugees’ Return

Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel Karim Ali holds a meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Friday (NNA)
Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel Karim Ali holds a meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Friday (NNA)

Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel Karim Ali announced on Friday his country's 'serious' endeavors in addressing the return of Syrian refugees, noting that Syria does not obstruct their return back home.

The Ambassador said that Damascus has informed the concerned countries about that.

“Syria is serious about receiving them and facilitating their return, and will not hesitate to secure everything that achieves their dignified return,” the Ambassador said following a meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun.

A statement released by the Lebanese Presidency said the two men discussed the bilateral relations, and the refugees' return in light of Lebanon’s plan to put that return into gradual effect.

“We discussed the return of Syrian refugees, which is currently being seriously tackled, especially that Syria provided the necessary facilities and measures that help to achieve this return, in cooperation with the brotherly Lebanese state,” the Syrian Ambassador said.

He then affirmed that major countries and international organizations need to facilitate this return and help both countries to achieve it.

Ali said that what helps speed up the return of refugees is to pay the financial aid, currently paid to the refugees in Lebanon, to the returnees in Syria.

“The results would be better because the returning Syrian citizens would benefit from them in various health, educational, development and social fields,” he stressed.

The Ambassador added that a series of amnesty laws issued by Syrian President Bashar Assad were among the measures taken by his country to facilitate the return of the refugees.

Ali’s comments come in light of information that the Syrian authorities refuse to receive refugees in light of a dispute over the issue’s approach between the Lebanese state and UNHCR.

While Lebanon is working on a plan for their return at the local and international level, the UN agency considers that the political and security conditions are not appropriate for their return and refuses to give the relevant ministries in Lebanon information related to hundreds of thousands of displaced Syrians scattered in all Lebanese regions since 2011.

This led Lebanon’s caretaker Foreign Minister Abdullah Bu Habib to announce that Lebanon would take several steps, including legal measures, against relevant organizations and bodies that refuse to cooperate with the official authorities concerned with the file.



Israel Targets Suspected Arms Smuggler in Airstrike Near Beirut

Lebanese soldiers inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a vehicle south of Beirut (AFP)
Lebanese soldiers inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a vehicle south of Beirut (AFP)
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Israel Targets Suspected Arms Smuggler in Airstrike Near Beirut

Lebanese soldiers inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a vehicle south of Beirut (AFP)
Lebanese soldiers inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a vehicle south of Beirut (AFP)

An Israeli airstrike killed a suspected arms smuggler south of Beirut on Thursday, in a sharp escalation in Lebanon that coincided with internal talks over Hezbollah’s disarmament in line with US demands, Lebanese officials said.

The strike targeted a vehicle on the coastal highway in the Khalde area, just south of the Lebanese capital, according to the state-run National News Agency. Social media footage showed a missile hitting a car, which came to a halt before a second strike hit the driver as he attempted to flee.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry confirmed one person was killed and three others wounded in the attack.

The Israeli military said the strike eliminated an operative working on behalf of Iran’s Quds Force, accusing him of trafficking weapons and planning attacks against Israeli civilians and military forces.

Israel’s Army Radio reported that the individual was affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The strike comes amid rising tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border and as Lebanese factions discuss the future of Hezbollah’s weapons amid pressure from Washington to curtail the group’s military power.

Thursday’s airstrike was one of the few Israeli attacks in or near Beirut since the truce with Hezbollah took effect in November.

Only two other strikes have been recorded in the area over the past eight months, including one on Eid al-Fitr that killed a senior Hezbollah figure allegedly linked to coordination with Hamas in the group’s southern Beirut stronghold.

Another strike in Naameh, south of the capital, targeted and killed a senior official from the Islamic Group, a Sunni faction with ties to southern Lebanon’s Hasbaya region.

The latest escalation comes as Lebanese leaders prepare a unified response to a US-backed proposal calling for Hezbollah to disarm and place all weapons under state control.

Despite the ceasefire, Israel has maintained positions in southern Lebanon beyond the agreed February withdrawal deadline and continues to carry out airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon, following more than a year of cross-border hostilities with Hezbollah.