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Lebanon: Bassil Eliminates Bou Saab from FPM after Differences over Presidency

Gebran Bassil, a lawmaker and former minister stands as Lebanon's parliament convenes in a bid to elect a head of state to fill the vacant presidency, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon June 14, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Gebran Bassil, a lawmaker and former minister stands as Lebanon's parliament convenes in a bid to elect a head of state to fill the vacant presidency, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon June 14, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
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Lebanon: Bassil Eliminates Bou Saab from FPM after Differences over Presidency

Gebran Bassil, a lawmaker and former minister stands as Lebanon's parliament convenes in a bid to elect a head of state to fill the vacant presidency, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon June 14, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Gebran Bassil, a lawmaker and former minister stands as Lebanon's parliament convenes in a bid to elect a head of state to fill the vacant presidency, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon June 14, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Disputes between leader of the Free Patriotic Movement Gebran Bassil and Deputy Speaker and FPM official Elias Bou Saab have ended with a rift two years after murky ties between the two.
Bou Saab is not the first to be eliminated from the party. Bassil eliminated several prominent officials from the party in recent years.
Bou Saab was a prominent figure of the FPM and adviser to former President and founder of the FPM, Michel Aoun.
“Bou Saab is no longer among the ranks of the party”, prominent sources told Asharq Al-Awsat. “He has not taken part in the meetings of the (FPM’s) parliamentary bloc in months”.
Two Years of Differences
The first sign of the differences between Bassil and Bou Saab began during the 2022 parliamentary elections. Bassil was blamed for supporting an FPM candidate on the party’s electoral lists in the Metn area other than Bou Saab.
Divisions got deeper after the elections when the candidates for the post of deputy speaker were named.
FPM deputies and lawmakers of the Amal and Hezbollah parties had all voted in favor of Bou Saab who enjoyed the backing of Speaker Nabih Berri, the leader of Amal party.
This “silent dispute” did not shatter the relations between the two men, nor did it affect Bou Saab’s relation with Aoun. Bou Saab, a deputy speaker and parliamentarian, had continuous contacts with Berri, and played a “mediating” role between the FPM and Aoun on one hand, and Berri on the other before the presidential vacuum.
Bou Saab also had a negotiator role with US official Amos Hochstein who mediated the demarcation of Lebanon’s maritime border with Israel in 2022.
Different Relations with the Political Components
Tense relations peaked between the two during the presidential elections. FPM lawmakers were casting blank ballot votes while Bou Saab voted in favor of former minister Ziad Baroud.
In the final presidential election session, Bou Saab was accused of not abiding by an agreement struck between the Lebanese Forces party, the Progressive Socialist Party and the FPM to support former minister Jihad Azour.
In a televised interview two months before, Bou Saab said that Marada leader Sleiman Franjieh had the highest stakes to win the elections. He said that he would vote for him if his triumph stands at one vote.
According to sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the differences between the two grew to their highest that Bassil could no longer tolerate, which drove him to eliminate Bou Saab.
Sources informed about the atmosphere with the FPM said the move is unlikely to affect the political future of Bou Saab.
They said his presence as a lawmaker is not linked to the FPM. He was a deputy before the FPM and will continue to be one despite any developments.

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Arab World

Syrian Army Tells Kurdish Forces to Withdraw from Area East of Aleppo City

Buses carrying displaced residents drive past a building in ruins as they return to the Achrafieh neighborhood after days of fighting between government forces and Kurdish fighters in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP)
Buses carrying displaced residents drive past a building in ruins as they return to the Achrafieh neighborhood after days of fighting between government forces and Kurdish fighters in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP)
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Syrian Army Tells Kurdish Forces to Withdraw from Area East of Aleppo City

Buses carrying displaced residents drive past a building in ruins as they return to the Achrafieh neighborhood after days of fighting between government forces and Kurdish fighters in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP)
Buses carrying displaced residents drive past a building in ruins as they return to the Achrafieh neighborhood after days of fighting between government forces and Kurdish fighters in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP)

Syria's army told Kurdish forces on Tuesday to withdraw from an area they control east of Aleppo after dislodging fighters from two neighborhoods in the city in deadly clashes last week.

State television published an army statement with a map declaring a large area a "closed military zone" and said "all armed groups in this area must withdraw to east of the Euphrates" River.

The area begins near Deir Hafer, around 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Aleppo city and extends to the Euphrates further east, as well as towards the south.

On Monday, Syria accused the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces of sending reinforcements to Deir Hafer and said it sent its own personnel there in response.

The SDF denied any build-up of its forces in the region.

An AFP correspondent saw government forces bringing military reinforcements including artillery to the Deir Hafer area on Tuesday.

On the weekend, Syria's government took full control of Aleppo city after taking over its Kurdish neighborhoods and evacuating fighters there to Kurdish-controlled areas in the country's northeast following days of clashes.

The violence started last Tuesday after negotiations stalled on integrating the Kurds' de facto autonomous administration and forces into the country's new government.

The SDF controls swathes of the country's oil-rich north and northeast, much of which they captured during Syria's civil war and the fight against the ISIS group.

Arab World

Syrian Interior Ministry Details Results of Security Campaigns in Latakia, Damascus Countrysides

Security personnel inside the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood of Homs following a bombing . (AFP)
Security personnel inside the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood of Homs following a bombing . (AFP)
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Syrian Interior Ministry Details Results of Security Campaigns in Latakia, Damascus Countrysides

Security personnel inside the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood of Homs following a bombing . (AFP)
Security personnel inside the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood of Homs following a bombing . (AFP)

Syria’s Interior Ministry has announced the results of a series of security operations carried out in recent days in Homs, Latakia, and the Damascus countryside, including the arrest of two alleged ISIS members accused of involvement in the bombing of the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in Homs last month.

The ministry said the operations led to the arrest of three senior figures in a cell known as “Lieutenant Abbas,” affiliated with the “Coastal Shield Brigade” led by Miqdad Fteiha, a prominent figure loyal to the former regime.

Security forces also detained an armed group in the al-Wuroud neighborhood of Damascus that was allegedly planning “acts of sabotage.”

The operations form part of broader efforts to dismantle armed groups and restore the state’s exclusive authority over weapons.

Interior Minister Anas Khattab vowed to continue pursuing ISIS operatives and bringing them to justice.

In a post on X, he said security and intelligence services had conducted a “highly precise operation” resulting in the arrest of those involved in the December 26 attack on the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi al-Dhahab district of Homs, which killed eight people and wounded 18 others.

According to the Interior Ministry, security units in Homs, in coordination with the General Intelligence Service, arrested two persons identified as ISIS members. Authorities said explosive devices, various weapons, ammunition, documents, and digital evidence allegedly linking the suspects to terrorist activities were seized.

The two were referred to the Counterterrorism Directorate to complete investigations ahead of prosecution.

In a separate statement earlier Monday, the Interior Ministry said a “valuable catch” was detained by security and intelligence forces in Latakia. It said he was a key figures in the “Lieutenant Abbas” cell. Initial investigations indicated the cell had targeted internal security and army positions in the province.

Meanwhile, in the Damascus countryside, the ministry said security forces carried out a “preemptive operation” in the al-Wuroud neighborhood of Qudsaya city, arresting three individuals accused of planning armed attacks.

The ministry said security services would continue pursuing remaining members of the groups, pledging to “eradicate them completely” to ensure security and stability.

Arab World

Gaza Deal: Cairo Talks Aim to Settle Sector’s ‘Administrative Committee’

Displaced Palestinians stand beside a pool of rainwater amid makeshift shelters at the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza (AFP). 
Displaced Palestinians stand beside a pool of rainwater amid makeshift shelters at the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza (AFP). 
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Gaza Deal: Cairo Talks Aim to Settle Sector’s ‘Administrative Committee’

Displaced Palestinians stand beside a pool of rainwater amid makeshift shelters at the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza (AFP). 
Displaced Palestinians stand beside a pool of rainwater amid makeshift shelters at the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza (AFP). 

Cairo is hosting renewed consultations on the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which entered into force on Oct. 10, following the arrival of a delegation from Hamas and amid anticipation of an announcement on the committee that will administer the territory.

Experts told Asharq Al-Awsat that the talks provide an important boost at a critical moment for the second phase of the Gaza agreement, which has been stalled for some time. They stressed that moving forward hinges largely on US will and pressure on Israel.

A Palestinian source said Monday that a Hamas delegation headed by the movement’s leader, Khalil al-Hayya, arrived in Cairo to discuss the second phase and push ahead with the ceasefire deal. The source added that indications suggest the Gaza administration committee will be finalized during the Cairo round, with factions briefed on the names, particularly after recent changes prompted by Israeli objections.

Hamas Political Bureau member Mohammed Nazzal said in televised remarks Sunday night that the delegation would discuss follow-up on implementing the ceasefire amid “major difficulties hindering its application and continued Israeli violations.”

He said the delegation would hold meetings with Palestinian factions and forces, as well as with Egyptian officials, to discuss several files linked to the agreement.

These include ways to consolidate the ceasefire and move to subsequent phases, alongside key issues - foremost the formation of a Palestinian technocratic committee to administer Gaza - aimed at preventing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from reneging on or delaying the deal.

Former Egyptian assistant foreign minister and member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Rakha Ahmed Hassan, said the Cairo consultations are highly significant and could revive the stalled agreement.

He pointed to anticipation surrounding US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a Peace Council, followed by the Gaza administration committee, adding that discussions would also cover approaches to dealing with weapons in Gaza to undercut Netanyahu’s justifications.

He suggested Hamas would press for full implementation of the first phase first, including opening the Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side, increasing aid, maintaining the ceasefire, and Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in parallel with any later steps.

On the Egyptian front, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stressed, during a Cairo meeting with Irish Minister for Migration, Trade and Defense Helen McEntee, the importance of announcing a temporary Palestinian technocratic committee to manage daily affairs in Gaza and forming an international stabilization force.