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Hezbollah Chief Rejects US-Lebanon-Israel Deal

Hezbollah supporters block the old airport road in the southern suburbs of Beirut, with burning tires to protest against the trilateral agreement that was signed between the US, Lebanon and Israel on June 27, 2026. (AFP)
Hezbollah supporters block the old airport road in the southern suburbs of Beirut, with burning tires to protest against the trilateral agreement that was signed between the US, Lebanon and Israel on June 27, 2026. (AFP)
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Hezbollah Chief Rejects US-Lebanon-Israel Deal

Hezbollah supporters block the old airport road in the southern suburbs of Beirut, with burning tires to protest against the trilateral agreement that was signed between the US, Lebanon and Israel on June 27, 2026. (AFP)
Hezbollah supporters block the old airport road in the southern suburbs of Beirut, with burning tires to protest against the trilateral agreement that was signed between the US, Lebanon and Israel on June 27, 2026. (AFP)

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem condemned the US-Lebanon-Israel framework agreement on Saturday, accusing the government of surrendering Lebanese sovereignty and declaring the agreement null and void.

The agreement -- which includes a pilot effort in which Lebanese soldiers take control of two areas currently occupied by Israel, as well as a process aimed at disarming Hezbollah -- was signed in Washington on Friday after five rounds of talks.

"The framework agreement in Washington is humiliating, shameful, and a surrender of sovereignty. This agreement is null and void, and the provisions of the Iranian-American memorandum of understanding must be implemented," Qassem said, referring to the deal to end the broader Middle East war, which provides for a ceasefire in Lebanon.

Lebanon was drawn into the regional war on March 2 when Tehran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes.

Israel responded with heavy airstrikes and an invasion of southern Lebanon, where its troops occupy swathes of territory and have been carrying out extensive demolitions of homes and other buildings.

Qassem accused Lebanese authorities of committing a "grave blunder" and "legitimizing the continuation of the (Israeli) occupation for many years," which "may even lead to the annexation of these lands".

Hezbollah supporters took to the streets of Beirut on Friday night to protest the framework.

In western Beirut's Hamra street, 48-year-old Ahmad Shamas told AFP on Saturday that "the agreement reached is a humiliating and shameful one".

Another local, Husam Beiruiti, 43, wasn't ready to write the agreement off, as he saw no other solution.

"I don't think it will stop the Israeli aggression. They say it will happen in the future. Let's wait and see what this agreement achieves," he added.

- 'Critical step' -

Hezbollah has rejected the direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, which have been ongoing since April.

An April 17 ceasefire failed to stop the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, but the violence has decreased since the US and Iran reached a memorandum of understanding last week.

The Israeli military said Saturday that it had targeted "suspected terrorists" who posed a threat to its soldiers in southern Lebanon, and Lebanese state media reported a drone strike on Nabatieh al-Fawqa.

Iran insists any deal to end the broader war must include Lebanon, while the Lebanese government has repeatedly tried to separate the conflicts.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun deemed the agreement "a first step" towards restoring his country's sovereignty.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the framework as a "critical step away from escalation".

According to the text of the deal shared by the US State Department, Lebanon and Israel, officially at war for decades, expressed their intent to "conclusively end the conflict, address its underlying causes, and to therewith formally conclude any state of war between them".

The agreement sets up a process during which Lebanon's military is due to "restore effective sovereign authority over all Lebanese territory, pending the verified disarmament of non-state armed groups".

Shortly after the deal was announced, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his forces will remain in occupied Lebanese territory "as long as Hezbollah has not disarmed".

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Arab World

Hodeidah Governor to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Are Determined to Fully Liberate Yemen's West Coast

Governor of Yemen’s Hodeidah province Dr. Al-Hassan Taher in this screengrab taken from a video.
Governor of Yemen’s Hodeidah province Dr. Al-Hassan Taher in this screengrab taken from a video.
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Hodeidah Governor to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Are Determined to Fully Liberate Yemen's West Coast

Governor of Yemen’s Hodeidah province Dr. Al-Hassan Taher in this screengrab taken from a video.
Governor of Yemen’s Hodeidah province Dr. Al-Hassan Taher in this screengrab taken from a video.

Governor of Yemen’s Hodeidah province Dr. Al-Hassan Taher said that government forces were advancing on all military fronts, especially the west coast and Taiz.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he stressed that the government was determined to complete the full liberation of Hodeidah and west coast from the Houthis after the militants ceased their advance.

Speaking from the frontlines, Taher said the government forces recaptured several positions from the Houthis and claimed new ones.

The military units are securing the liberated areas and advancing in other regions, he added.

The battle in Taiz has shifted in the government’s favor after stopping the Houthi advance. “We are in the process of defeating them and repelling them to the farthest point possible,” stressed Taher.

The escalation sparked by the Houthis on the western coast and Taiz entered its fourth day Sunday, as government forces shifted from containing the attack to pursuing the group’s operatives in southeastern Hodeidah.

Government forces have detained dozens of Houthis during the battles, the majority of whom are minors, as it continued its advance from northern Hays towards the al-Jarahi district.

Taher said the fight on the west coast was the “mother of all battles,” given its strategic importance.

The fight is not just between the government and Houthis, but between Yemen’s legitimacy and Iran’s proxies, he added.

The armed forces are determined to continue their operations until the full liberation of Hodeidah and the west coast, he declared, warning that the Houthis’ capture of the region “would be a disaster for Yemen, and the whole region and world.”

Government and joint forces announced on Saturday the full liberation of the Hays district in Hodeidah from the Houthis.

Taher warned that the Houthis seizing Bab al-Mandeb would be like Iran controlling the strategic strait. It will alter the equation in the entire region, he said, calling on the legitimate government to confront the danger.

He said Iran was behind the Houthi escalation on the west coast, saying it had ordered the militants to carry it out despite knowing the repercussions.

He explained that after Iran could no longer reap gains from Hormuz, it shifted its attention to Bab al-Mandeb that it has long wanted to capture.

He noted the extent of the funding and modern weapons being provided to the Houthis, saying it reflects Iran’s role in the fighting.

On the humanitarian level, Taher said the Houthi rocket, drone and mortar attacks have killed several people. Over 790 families have been displaced.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center has been the first to come to their aid and offer relief to the affected people, he stressed.

He added that the Kingdom has long stood with the Yemeni people throughout various crises and they will not forget it.

Arab World

Asharq Al-Awsat Follows Sweeping Security Campaign Against Former Regime Remnants in Aleppo

 A number of wanted people arrested during the security campaign in Aleppo (security sources) 
 A number of wanted people arrested during the security campaign in Aleppo (security sources) 
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Asharq Al-Awsat Follows Sweeping Security Campaign Against Former Regime Remnants in Aleppo

 A number of wanted people arrested during the security campaign in Aleppo (security sources) 
 A number of wanted people arrested during the security campaign in Aleppo (security sources) 

For a third consecutive day, Syrian security forces continued a sweeping campaign in Aleppo in the north, led by Internal Security forces and the Counterterrorism Department, targeting former leaders and members of the ousted regime of Bashar Assad accused of war crimes.

The operation is the second of its kind in Aleppo this year and has led to the arrest of several former regime officers, most notably Brig. Gen. Hamada Ali Murad, a military pilot, in the town of Nubl. It also targeted a network of former regime members and allied militia personnel.

Sources at Aleppo’s Internal Security Directorate told Asharq Al-Awsat that more than 50 people have been detained so far, including former officers, personnel and informants, in operations across the city and surrounding countryside conducted with the Counterterrorism Service.

Murad was arrested in Nubl over accusations that he was responsible for numerous violations against civilians and facilitated alleged illicit activities by members of his family, including looting homes, seizing properties and selling them.

The sources said the operation followed an extensive assessment of those targeted, surveillance of their activities and the gathering of evidence of their alleged involvement in widespread crimes and abuses against civilians. Accusations and individual complaints against them included war crimes, intimidation, extortion, robbery, and the exploitation and sale of property belonging to civilians and displaced people.

They noted that security operations in Aleppo and its countryside would continue until their objectives were achieved, namely arresting wanted former regime personnel and other suspects found to have been involved with terrorist groups or committed acts of violence against civilians.

A Pilot and Allegations Involving His Family

Murad, from Nubl, graduated with the 30th class of the Air Force Academy as a helicopter pilot. He previously served with the 63rd Helicopter Air Brigade at Taftanaz air base in the Idlib countryside, initially as the brigade’s security officer. He was later transferred to the Air Force Academy as an instructor and subsequently served as an officer at the Air Force Institute.

At the beginning of the Syrian uprising against the former regime, Murad was transferred to the Air Force Intelligence branch in Aleppo as a liaison officer. According to the sources, he coordinated between the branch and pilots, relaying and directing information concerning air sorties and identifying areas targeted for bombardment in Aleppo and its countryside.

After fighting in Aleppo subsided, Murad was appointed director of the Air Force Training Institute. Information cited by the sources also points to the alleged involvement of several members of his family in theft and the seizure of homes during the uprising, exploiting Murad’s position.

In a statement on its official channels, the Internal Security Directorate said a pilot — whom it did not name — had been detained in an operation conducted with the Counterterrorism Department targeting people it described as “wanted individuals involved in committing crimes against civilians.”

It said investigations were continuing “to uncover the full circumstances of his activities during the era of the ousted regime.”

Group Leaders and Members Detained

Sources at Aleppo’s Internal Security Directorate said the latest operation did not target “mere names,” but groups that had been affiliated with and fought alongside the former regime, with both group leaders and members detained.

According to the sources, security forces dismantled a group led by Khaled Hazari that had previously operated in Aleppo’s Old City, arresting Hazari, Firas Kako, Zakaria al-Ahmad and others. Another group led by Hamdi Mardali was also dismantled. Mardali was detained in the Bab al-Hadid neighborhood of the Old City, while Nour al-Din Alwan was also arrested.

Director of Public Relations at the Aleppo Media Directorate, Moataz Khattab, wrote on his personal account that several wanted individuals had been detained, including Hassan Raghed al-Ibrahim and his son, Raghed Hussein al-Ibrahim. The two had served with the Fourth Division’s 555th Regiment before moving to the former Republican Guard’s 155th Battalion.

The father is accused of informing on his brother, who later died in Saydnaya prison, as well as three of his cousins, and of seizing their property. He is also accused of illegally selling more than 40 properties belonging to people displaced from Aleppo during the uprising.

Khattab also named Nour Alwan, whom he described as involved in crimes against Syrians; Hossam al-Saad, a former fighter with Liwa al-Quds; and Khaled al-Shahoud, known as Abu Watan, whom he described as accused of working with Air Force Intelligence under the former regime.

Internal Security Responds to Appeal

The father of one detainee, Khaled Mohammed Abed, submitted an appeal to Internal Security authorities requesting his son’s release and a broader review of his security file and the accusations against him.

He maintained that his son had not been in areas controlled by the former regime throughout the years of the uprising and requested an urgent review because his son suffers from a heart condition.

The father asked security authorities to take whatever action they deemed appropriate after examining his son’s case and what he described as malicious accusations against him. He also requested that his son’s reputation be restored legally and in the media following what he described as defamation and abuse on social media.

Aleppo’s Internal Security Directorate confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Khaled al-Abed had been released because of insufficient evidence and the weakness of the accusations against him. It said his health condition had also been taken into account, prompting authorities to expedite the investigation and his release.

 

 

 

 

Arab World

Iraq’s Governing Coalition Sidesteps Arms Issue, Warns of Fallout from Iran Sanctions

The State Administration Coalition meets on Saturday. (INA)
The State Administration Coalition meets on Saturday. (INA)
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Iraq’s Governing Coalition Sidesteps Arms Issue, Warns of Fallout from Iran Sanctions

The State Administration Coalition meets on Saturday. (INA)
The State Administration Coalition meets on Saturday. (INA)

Iraq’s State Administration Coalition, which brings together Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish forces, sidestepped the issue of bringing weapons under state control while warning of the potential repercussions for Iraq from US sanctions on Iran.

The State Administration Coalition, the political umbrella formed in 2022, met late Saturday at the request of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.

It called for filling vacant cabinet positions and advancing the oil and gas bill, while stressing the need to shield Iraq from the effects of US sanctions on “some countries,” an apparent reference to Iran, amid difficult financial conditions.

The statement said the country was going through circumstances that “cannot tolerate risk.”

The government remains incomplete, with nine ministerial posts still vacant, notably the defense and interior portfolios, because of disputes within the Sunni and Shiite camps.

The coalition said gatherers agreed to begin talks next week with the blocs entitled to the remaining portfolios, while maintaining coordination among coalition members and supporting state institutions in confronting current challenges.

They also discussed the draft oil and gas law ahead of its referral to parliament, as well as support for the private sector as a partner in development.

Al-Zaidi under pressure

Observers in Baghdad noted that while al-Zaidi is working to implement a government program endorsed by the coalition, political forces now appear chiefly concerned with completing the cabinet without giving sufficient attention to bringing weapons under state control or combating financial and administrative corruption.

An informed source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the omission of the weapons issue reflected the depth of political divisions within the State Administration Coalition, particularly among forces in the Shiite Coordination Framework, which holds a majority in parliament and within the coalition itself.

The source, who is close to Sunni political forces, said Kurdish and Sunni parties support measures taken by al-Zaidi, but their positions run up against the Shiite majority whenever issues are put to a vote inside the coalition.

It added that Coordination Framework forces publicly support the prime minister but are divided over several issues concerning the Shiite bloc itself, including bringing weapons under state control, deputy prime minister posts and the leadership of the Popular Mobilization Forces.

Fayyad dispute

While some Kurdish and Sunni forces have settled on their ministerial nominees through consensus, majority votes or political trade-offs, the main disputes among Shiite factions center on two issues.

The first is the position of Popular Mobilization Forces chief Faleh al-Fayyad, who is also a leading member of the Coordination Framework.

The second concerns deputy prime minister posts, with Asaib Ahl al-Haq, led by Qais al-Khazali, insisting on obtaining the Shiite share of the position.

The group argues that it has the right to the post because it is the second-largest Shiite parliamentary bloc after former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition and Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law Coalition.

Asaib Ahl al-Haq now openly opposes al-Fayyad remaining as PMF chief. Disputes within the Shiite camp have shifted to whether he should retire because of his age or be compensated with another position. Meanwhile, the PMF leadership would go to another figure, from Asaib Ahl al-Haq or elsewhere, provided that person is not from al-Maliki’s State of Law Coalition, which supports al-Fayyad remaining in the post.