Israel expanded its raids and bombing in southern Lebanon in conjunction with its unveiling of a plan to withdraw from most of the occupied Lebanese territories, and be content with remaining at a distance of between two and four kilometers, within a line called the “gray line,” instead of the currently occupied “yellow line.”
On the ground, Israel violated the undeclared rules established by the ceasefire agreement last June. It resumed evacuation warnings in southern Lebanon, and launched air strikes targeting vital facilities in the city of Nabatieh, which led to the death of 4 people, which the Lebanese state denounced. Its President, Joseph Aoun, considered what happened a “dangerous escalation,” while Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri confirmed that Israel is turning the south into a “ballot box with blood.”
In Tel Aviv, military sources said, according to Kan 11, that following its announcement of “operational control and clearing of tunnels and underground infrastructure in Ali al-Tahir Hill in southern Lebanon,” the Israeli army is preparing to reduce its forces, redeploy them, and withdraw back, within a new “security belt” area close to the Israeli-Lebanese border.
The “State Administration Coalition,” which represents the Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish components in Iraq, ignored the issue of “arms control,” and warned of the potential repercussions on Iraq as a result of the US sanctions imposed on Iran, without naming them explicitly.
The "coalition" held a meeting in the late hours of Saturday-Sunday night at the government palace, at the request of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. He called, in a statement, for “the completion of the government formation and the draft oil and gas law,” and described the Iraqi financial situation as “difficult,” noting that the country is going through a circumstance that “cannot bear any risk.”
An informed source told Asharq Al-Awsat that ignoring the issue of “weapon control” reflects “the extent of the political differences between the parties (of the state administration), especially the forces of the (Shiite framework).”
The source explained, “In light of these differences within the Shiite forces, the space in which the Kurds and Sunnis can move remains limited, as long as some issues appear thorny and interconnected, especially at the level of ministerial positions and the issue of arms control.”
Today (Sunday), President Ahmed Al-Sharaa accepted the credentials of seven ambassadors to the Syrian Arab Republic, during an official ceremony held at the People’s Palace in Damascus, in the presence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Asaad Al-Shaibani.
The credentials included the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ghazi Al-Anazi, the Ambassador of the Vatican, “Apostolic Nuncio,” Bishop Luigi Roberto Cunha, the Ambassador of the European Union, Michael Onmacht, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Brazil, Eduardo Barboza, the Ambassador of the Republic of Greece, Emmanuel Kakavelakis, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden, Jessica Svardström, and the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark, Frey Jackson.
President Al-Sharaa welcomed the ambassadors, wishing them success in performing their duties and contributing to strengthening cooperative relations with the countries and entities they represent.
The appointed ambassadors presented copies of their credentials to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani, last Thursday.
It should be noted that the ambassadors of the United States of America and the United Kingdom have not yet been appointed, and the same applies to the ambassadors of Syria to the two countries.
