White House 'Concerned' at Reports Israel Used White Phosphorus in Lebanon Attackhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/4722936-white-house-concerned-reports-israel-used-white-phosphorus-lebanon-attack
White House 'Concerned' at Reports Israel Used White Phosphorus in Lebanon Attack
This picture taken from southern Lebanon shows smoke rising after an Israeli strike between the villages of Qaouzah and Ramia near the border with Israel on December 3, 2023. (Photo by AFP)
White House 'Concerned' at Reports Israel Used White Phosphorus in Lebanon Attack
This picture taken from southern Lebanon shows smoke rising after an Israeli strike between the villages of Qaouzah and Ramia near the border with Israel on December 3, 2023. (Photo by AFP)
The United States is concerned about reports Israel used US-supplied white phosphorus munitions in an October attack in southern Lebanon, White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday.
"We've seen the reports. Certainly concerned about that. We'll be asking questions to try to learn a little bit more," Kirby told reporters on Air Force One.
Kirby said white phosphorus has a "legitimate military utility" for illumination and producing smoke to conceal movements, Reuters reported.
"Obviously any time that we provide items like white phosphorus to another military, it is with the full expectation that it will be used in keeping with those legitimate purposes ... and in keeping with the law of armed conflict," he said.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, asked about the report that Israel used white phosphorus in Lebanon, said the Israeli army “and the entire security establishment acts according to international law. That is how we have acted and how we will act."
Sharaa Tours More Syrian Cities ahead of National Conferencehttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5112982-sharaa-tours-more-syrian-cities-ahead-national-conference
This handout picture released by the Syrian Presidency on February 16, 2025 shows Syria's interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa attending a meeting with officials and local leaders in the western coastal city of Tartus. (Syrian Presidency / AFP)
Sharaa Tours More Syrian Cities ahead of National Conference
This handout picture released by the Syrian Presidency on February 16, 2025 shows Syria's interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa attending a meeting with officials and local leaders in the western coastal city of Tartus. (Syrian Presidency / AFP)
Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the coastal cities of Latakia and Tartus on Sunday as part of a tour of the country that he kicked off on Saturday in the Idlib and Aleppo provinces.
The tour is taking place weeks ahead of a national conference scheduled in Homs in central Syria.
Sharaa was warmly welcomed by crowds that gathered in Latakia city center near the Jules Jammal school, which holds historic and national significance.
The school was established in the early 1920s and it helped shape national awareness in the country. It was the launch point for student protests and an arena for electoral tensions between the Baath party, Muslim Brotherhood and Syrian nationalists.
It was shut during the rule of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, leaving it in neglect despite its significance to the people.
Sharaa deliberately chose to greet the people near the school to underscore Latakia’s national role that was usurped by the Assad regime.
In Aleppo on Saturday, Sharaa attended an open dialogue discussion with several social and economic figures from the city and its countryside.
He listened to their proposals and demands, with sources saying that the talks focused on the state of affairs in Syria and efforts to revive it after the war and regime ouster.
This handout picture released by the Syrian Presidency on February 16, 2025 shows Syria's interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa attending a meeting with officials and local leaders in the western coastal city of Latakia. (Syrian Presidency / AFP)
Sharaa stressed Aleppo’s economic significance and role in the industry sector.
He underlined his confidence that Syria will rise again thanks to its people, telling the crowd that the interim government is focusing on setting plans for 2025 and 2026.
The sources said Sharaa sought to assure the people, emphasizing that “everyone was under the law” and that Syria is not a sectarian state.
He urged them to trust him in tackling the issues at hand, reiterating that he was walking the “very fine line between transitional justice and civil peace.”
Sharaa also visited Afrin city in Aleppo which is predominantly Kurdish.
He assured that Syrian Kurds were part of the Syrian population.
He visited refugee camps in the northwest, stressing that returning the displaced home was a government priority.
Sharaa’s tour is taking place amid preparations for the national conference in Homs. Consultations have already gotten underway for the meeting.