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Salvage of Stricken Oil Tanker in Red Sea Expected in Coming Days, Say Sources

A handout photo made available by EUNAVFOR Aspides shows smoke rising from the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion following Yemen's Houthis attacks, in the Red Sea, 28 August 2024. EPA/EUNAVFOR ASPIDES
A handout photo made available by EUNAVFOR Aspides shows smoke rising from the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion following Yemen's Houthis attacks, in the Red Sea, 28 August 2024. EPA/EUNAVFOR ASPIDES
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Salvage of Stricken Oil Tanker in Red Sea Expected in Coming Days, Say Sources

A handout photo made available by EUNAVFOR Aspides shows smoke rising from the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion following Yemen's Houthis attacks, in the Red Sea, 28 August 2024. EPA/EUNAVFOR ASPIDES
A handout photo made available by EUNAVFOR Aspides shows smoke rising from the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion following Yemen's Houthis attacks, in the Red Sea, 28 August 2024. EPA/EUNAVFOR ASPIDES

A salvage operation to recover a Greek registered oil tanker stranded in the Red Sea after an attack by Houthi militants is expected to start in the coming days, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Friday.

"What was decided yesterday is an initial game plan, of the operation starting in 48 hours," one of the sources said.

A second source said the operation was likely to be complex, since Houthis had rigged the Sounion with explosives.

At stake is the safe removal of a tanker laden with about 1 million barrels of crude that if spilled could cause an environmental catastrophe in an area that is particularly dangerous to access. Efforts are being made to speed up the process, sources said.

A potential oil spill of 2.2 nautical miles (4.1 km) in length has been detected in the area matching the location of the Sounion in the Red Sea, Greece said in a letter circulated through the United Nations' shipping agency on Friday.

"Greece urges all nations and all actors involved to assist in preventing the environmental hazard and resolving the situation the soonest possible," Greece said in the letter dated Aug. 29 and published on Friday.

Yemen's Houthi militants carried out multiple assaults, including planting bombs on the already disabled 900-foot (274.2-meter) Sounion, which is operated by Athens-based Delta Tankers. On Wednesday, the Iran-aligned militants said they would allow salvage crews to tow the ship - which has been on fire since Aug. 23 - to safety.

The sources said the priority of the operation - whether to tow the vessel to a port or arrange a transfer of its cargo - depended on an inspection of the vessel.

"It is not an easy task, transferring the oil cargo to another ship, when there are explosives on it," said one of the sources. "In any case, (EU monitoring mission) ASPIDES ships will protect and escort the vessel to a safe port."

"Delta Tankers is doing everything it can to move the vessel (and cargo). For security reasons, we are not in a position to comment further," a spokesperson for the tanker operator said.

There had been conflicting accounts earlier in the week over whether the Sounion had started leaking its cargo.

The ASPIDES mission said it had not, while the US later clarified initial comments to say some of the spillage was not from the cargo, but from the vessel itself and where it had been hit.

If a spill occurs, it has the potential to be among the largest from a ship in recorded history.

"Houthis have agreed to allow its towing because at the end of the day any environmental disaster would affect their region," said a shipping industry source.

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Arab World

Lebanon Building Collapse Toll Rises to 9

Rescue workers and residents search for survivors in the rubble of a building that collapsed in the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Rescue workers and residents search for survivors in the rubble of a building that collapsed in the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
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Lebanon Building Collapse Toll Rises to 9

Rescue workers and residents search for survivors in the rubble of a building that collapsed in the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Rescue workers and residents search for survivors in the rubble of a building that collapsed in the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo)

The death toll in a building collapse in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on Sunday climbed to nine, a civil defense official said Sunday-- the second such incident in weeks.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported "the collapse of an old building" in Tripoli's Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood, the poorest in the impoverished city. Rescuers were still searching for survivors.

Security personnel evacuated adjacent buildings fearing further collapses, it added.

An AFP correspondent saw teams of rescue workers toiling into the night on the rubble of the collapsed structure, as ambulances stood by.

Civil defense director general Imad Khreish told local media that nine people had been killed but that six others who were rescued were taken to hospital.

The building consisted of two blocks, each containing six apartments, he added. Residents estimated some 22 people were inside at the time of the collapse, he said.

Local activist Jumana al-Shahal told AFP at the site that the incident was "a testament to the accumulated neglect of this forgotten city".

Mayor Abdel Hamid Karimeh told journalists "we declare Tripoli a disaster-stricken city" due to unsafe buildings.

"Thousands of our people in Tripoli are threatened due to years of neglect," he said. "The situation is beyond the capabilities of the Tripoli municipality."

- 'Years of neglect' -

This latest disaster came after another deadly building collapse in Tripoli late last month.

After Sunday's incident, the NNA reported that angry young men took to the streets on motorbikes, some heading "to the offices of some politicians" and vandalizing metal barriers there.

In January, the head of the higher relief authority, Bassam Nablusi, citing Tripoli municipality statistics, said 105 buildings required "immediate warning notices to their residents to evacuate".

Local media reported the structure that collapsed on Sunday was not included in a list of buildings at imminent risk.

Lebanon is dotted with derelict buildings, and many inhabited structures are in an advanced state of disrepair.

Many buildings were built illegally, especially during the 1975-1990 civil war, while some owners have added new floors to existing apartment blocks without permits.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the government was ready to provide housing allowances to residents of buildings requiring evacuation.

In a statement, he decried a "humanitarian catastrophe" that he said was caused by "long years of accumulated neglect".

His office said he had summoned the justice and interior ministers for an emergency meeting.

- Investigation ordered -

Justice Minister Adel Nassar asked the public prosecutor in the north to open an immediate investigation into the incident, the NNA said, reporting that procedures had begun.

A recent report by research and design firm Public Works Studio said several buildings fully or partially collapsed in Tripoli in January.

It cited causes including unplanned urban expansion and a lack of proper construction oversight.

In 2024, rights group Amnesty International said "thousands of people" were still living in unsafe buildings in Tripoli more than a year after a major earthquake centered on Türkiye and neighboring Syria had had weakened the structures.

Even before the February 2023 quake, Tripoli residents "had raised the alarm about their dire housing situation, caused by decades of neglect and contractors' lack of compliance with safety regulations", it said.

The situation was compounded by Lebanon's years-long economic crisis meaning residents could not afford repairs or alternative housing, it added, urging authorities to "urgently... assess the safety of buildings across the country".

Arab World

Salam Concludes Visit to South Lebanon: Region Must Return to State Authority

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam (L) holds bouquets of flower as he stands next to the mayor of the heavily-damaged southern village of Kfar Shouba, near the border with Israel, during his visit on February 8, 2026. (AFP)
Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam (L) holds bouquets of flower as he stands next to the mayor of the heavily-damaged southern village of Kfar Shouba, near the border with Israel, during his visit on February 8, 2026. (AFP)
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Salam Concludes Visit to South Lebanon: Region Must Return to State Authority

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam (L) holds bouquets of flower as he stands next to the mayor of the heavily-damaged southern village of Kfar Shouba, near the border with Israel, during his visit on February 8, 2026. (AFP)
Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam (L) holds bouquets of flower as he stands next to the mayor of the heavily-damaged southern village of Kfar Shouba, near the border with Israel, during his visit on February 8, 2026. (AFP)

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam vowed on Sunday to work on rebuilding infrastructure in southern villages that were destroyed by Israel during its last war with Hezbollah.

On the second day of a tour of the South, he declared: “We want the region to return to the authority of the state.”

He was warmly received by the locals as he toured a number of border villages that were destroyed by Israel during the conflict. His visit included Kfar Kila, Marjeyoun, Kfar Shouba and Kfar Hamam. He kicked off his tour on Saturday by visiting Tyre and Bint Jbeil.

The visit went above the differences between the government and Hezbollah, which has long held sway over the South. Throughout the tour, Salam was greeted by representatives of the “Shiite duo” of Hezbollah and its ally the Amal movement, as well as MPs from the Change bloc and others opposed to Hezbollah.

In Kfar Kila, the locals raised a banner in welcome of the PM, also offering him flowers and an olive branch. The town was the worst hit during the war with Israel, which destroyed nearly 90 percent of its buildings and its forces regularly carrying out incursions there.

Salam said the town was “suffering more than others because of the daily violations and its close proximity to the border.”

He added that its residents cannot return to their homes without the reconstruction of its infrastructure, which should kick off “within the coming weeks.”

“Our visit underlines that the state and all of its agencies stand by the ruined border villages,” he stressed.

“The government will continue to make Israel commit” to the ceasefire agreement, he vowed. “This does not mean that we will wait until its full withdrawal from occupied areas before working on rehabilitating infrastructure.”

Amal MP Ali Hassan Khalil noted that the people cannot return to their town because it has been razed to the ground by Israel and is still coming under its attacks.

In Marjeyoun, Salam said the “state has long been absent from the South. Today, however, the army has been deployed and we want it to remain so that it can carry out its duties.”

“The state is not limited to the army, but includes laws, institutions, social welfare and services,” he went on to say.

Reconstruction in Marjeyoun will cover roads and electricity and water infrastructure. The process will take months, he revealed, adding: “The state is serious about restoring its authority.”

“We want this region to return to the fold of the state.”

MP Elias Jarade said the government “must regain the trust of the southerners. This begins with the state embracing and defending its people,” and protecting Lebanon’s sovereignty.

MP Firas Hamdan said the PM’s visit reflects his keenness on relations with the South.

Ali Murad, a candidate who ran against Hezbollah and Amal in Marjeyoun, said the warm welcome accorded to Salam demonstrates that the “state needs the South as much as the people of the South need the state.”

“We will always count on the state,” he vowed.

Hezbollah MP Hussein Jishi welcomed Salam’s visit, hoping “it would bolster the southerners’ trust in the state.”

Kataeb leader MP Sami Gemayel remarked that the warm welcome accorded to the PM proves that the people of the South “want the state and its sovereignty. They want legitimate institutions that impose their authority throughout Lebanon, without exception.”

Arab World

Three Dead After Flooding Hits Northwest Syria

A child watches as civil defense teams open flooded roads in Idlib. (SANA)
A child watches as civil defense teams open flooded roads in Idlib. (SANA)
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Three Dead After Flooding Hits Northwest Syria

A child watches as civil defense teams open flooded roads in Idlib. (SANA)
A child watches as civil defense teams open flooded roads in Idlib. (SANA)

Two children and a Syrian Red Crescent volunteer have died as a result of flooding in the country's northwest, state media said on Sunday.

The heavy rains in Syria's Idlib region and the coastal province of Latakia have also wreaked havoc in displacement camps, according to authorities, who have launched rescue operations and set up shelters in the areas.

State news agency SANA reported "the death of a Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteer and the injury of four others as they carried out their humanitarian duties" in Latakia province.

The Syrian Red Crescent said in a statement that the "a mission vehicle veered into a valley", killing a female volunteer and injuring four others, as they went to rescue people stranded by flash floods.

"A fifth volunteer was injured while attempting to rescue a child trapped by the floodwaters," it added.

SANA said two children died on Saturday "due to heavy flooding that swept through the Ain Issa area" in the north of Latakia province.

Authorities said Sunday they were working to clear roads in displacement camps in flooded parts of Idlib province.

The emergencies and disaster management ministry said 14 displacement camps in part of Idlib province were affected, with tents swamped, belongings swept away and around 300 families directly impacted.

Around seven million people remain internally displaced in Syria, according to the United Nations refugee agency, some 1.4 million of them living in camps and sites in the country's northwest and northeast.

The December 2024 ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad after more than 13 years of civil war revived hopes for many to return home, but the destruction of housing and a lack of basic infrastructure in heavily damaged areas has been a major barrier.