Former premiers say subpoena against Diab ‘dangerous, unprecedented step’

Prime Minister Hassan Diab and his government resigned following the tragedy, although he has stayed on in a caretaker capacity until a new administration is formed. (Reuters)
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Updated 28 August 2021
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Former premiers say subpoena against Diab ‘dangerous, unprecedented step’

  • In a letter to the prosecutor, the secretary general of parliament said the subpoena fell outside Bitar’s jurisdiction
  • Exclusion of President Aoun, who was aware of danger and did nothing to avoid disaster, questioned

BEIRUT: There is fury in Lebanon after the judge leading the probe into last year’s Beirut blast hit the country’s prime minister with a subpoena, a decision described as a “dangerous and unprecedented step” affecting the highest political position in the Sunni community.

At least 215 people died and thousands more were wounded when tons of ammonium nitrate exploded on Aug. 4, 2020.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab and his government resigned following the tragedy, although he has stayed on in a caretaker capacity until a new administration is formed.
Senior political figures accused Lebanese President Michel Aoun of negligence, saying he was aware of the danger that the ammonium nitrate posed but “did nothing to avoid a possible disaster.”
“The subpoena affects the highest political position of the Sunni community in Lebanon and excludes Aoun, who was aware of the danger these tons of ammonium nitrate pose and did nothing to avoid a possible disaster,” according to the former prime ministers.
“Never, in the history of Lebanon, has a subpoena been drawn up against a prime minister like the one Judge (Tarek) Bitar issued,” they said, as they rejected his “selective justice and politicized judiciary.”
They added that the “dangerous (and) unprecedented step represented a not-so-innocent action” that took advantage of the law and the anger of the families of the victims to undermine Diab’s position, excluding all other high-ranking positions in the country which were responsible for the crime.
“This step is fraught with political suspicions because it goes in line with years-long attempts to overturn the Taif Agreement (a power-sharing arrangement between Christians and Muslims) and weaken the prime minister’s stature. Such actions have been committed over the past couple of years to disrupt the formation of a government and limit the constitutional powers of the prime minister-designate.
“Aoun personally admitted that he knew of the presence of these large quantities of ammonium nitrate at the port 15 days before the date of the explosion. These materials were brought to Lebanese territory without prior permission from the Cabinet and the relevant military and security authorities, because of the enormous danger these materials pose. Fifteen days is a long enough period to dismantle a nuclear bomb, so why not dispose of explosive materials?

HIGHLIGHTS

• Senior political figures accused Lebanese President Michel Aoun of negligence, saying he was aware of the danger that the ammonium nitrate posed but ‘did nothing to avoid a possible disaster.’

• Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah has been criticizing Bitar for weeks, demanding he provide evidence to support his decision to summon current and former officials for questioning.

“The president’s immunity should be lifted with regard to this serious crime, and then the judicial investigator will be freed from articles that do not give him legal and constitutional rights to try presidents and other officials.”
The Consultative Gathering, a Sunni parliamentary bloc affiliated with Hezbollah and its allies, also criticized Bitar’s decision.
“Bitar disregarded all those who covered and participated for years in the negligence that turned into a crime against the homeland and decided to target Diab and make allegations against him,” they said. “He made a dangerous, unprecedented step by issuing a subpoena against him. Bitar would not have dared to do so had Diab been a leading sectarian figure in this country that has turned into a sad laughing stock. The decision to accuse Diab of violating his duties ought to be made by Parliament, according to Article 70 of the constitution. Bitar committed a constitutional violation.”
They stressed that they opposed “defying” the prime minister’s stature and “treating this position as a scapegoat.”
Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah has been criticizing Bitar for weeks, demanding he provide evidence to support his decision to summon current and former officials for questioning. “The investigation is politicized. Either it works clearly, or the judiciary must find another judge,” he said.
On Friday, the Parliament’s General Secretariat reacted to Bitar’s action by saying it was not up to the judiciary to decide on his jurisdiction. “Parliament follows up on this matter in preparation for the necessary procedures.”
The immunity of former ministers Ali Hassan Khalil, Ghazi Zeaiter, Youssef Fenianos and Nohad Machnouk has not yet been lifted to allow Bitar to interrogate them, after he accused them of negligence.
Bitar also does not have permission to pursue the heads of General Security, State Security, and judges.
Lebanon’s Public Prosecution hinted that it might reject the subpoena against Diab because it was “impossible to implement it, as he is a current prime minister and not a former one, and since all the security services are affiliated with him.”
Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian also raised the subpoena scandal during a Friday sermon at the inauguration of a new mosque in Beirut. The inauguration was attended by Diab and Lebanon’s Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati.
“The prime minister’s position is just as important as any other leading position in Lebanon, and targeting the caretaker prime minister is reprehensible as well as it is an offense to the way of behaving with a prime minister,” Derian said, calling on Parliament to issue a law to lift “all immunities” for the probe.
“Let justice take its course by all means, without any selectiveness, discretion and maliciousness,” added the cleric.


Turkiye’s foreign minister visits Athens to help mend ties between the regional rivals

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Turkiye’s foreign minister visits Athens to help mend ties between the regional rivals

ATHENS, Greece: Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived Friday in Athens for meetings with his Greek counterpart as part of efforts to ease tension between the two neighbors and regional rivals.
Both NATO members, Greece and Turkiye have been at loggerheads for decades over a long series of issues, including volatile maritime boundary disputes that have twice led them to the brink of war. The two have renewed a diplomatic push for over a year to improve ties.
“Step by step, we have achieved a level of trust so that we can discuss issues with sincerity and prevent crises,” Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said in an interview with Turkiye’s Hurriyet newspaper published Thursday.
The meeting between the two foreign ministers follows a series of high-profile talks between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as part of a relation-mending initiative launched in 2023.
Officials in Athens are expected to raise concerns about rising illegal migration, as Greece has seen an uptick in arrivals. And, despite deep disagreements on Israel and fighting in the Middle East, both foreign ministers are also expected to explore ways to improve regional stability.
The talks will help set the stage for a Greece-Turkiye high-level cooperation council planned for early 2025 in Ankara, Turkiye.

Turkiye’s Erdogan hopes Trump will tell Israel to “stop,” NTV reports

Updated 9 min 57 sec ago
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Turkiye’s Erdogan hopes Trump will tell Israel to “stop,” NTV reports

ANKARA: Turkiye’s President Tayyip Erdogan said that he hoped US President-elect Donald Trump will tell Israel to “stop” the attacks and halting arms support to Israel could be a good start, broadcaster NTV reported on Friday.
Trump’s presidency will seriously affect political and military balances in the Middle East region, Erdogan was quoted as telling reporters on his flight back to Turkiye from Budapest, where he attended a European Political Community summit. 


Nearly 70% of Gaza war dead women and children, UN rights office says

Updated 15 min 55 sec ago
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Nearly 70% of Gaza war dead women and children, UN rights office says

  • UN Human Rights Office: Systematic violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law
  • The youngest victim whose death was verified by UN monitors was a one-day-old boy, and the oldest was a 97-year-old woman

GENEVA: The UN Human Rights Office said on Friday nearly 70 percent of the fatalities it has verified in the Gaza war were women and children, and condemned what it called a systematic violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.
The UN count covers the first seven months of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip that began more than a year ago.
The 8,119 victims verified by the UN Rights Office in that seven-month period is considerably lower than the toll of over 43,000 provided by Palestinian health authorities for the full 13 months of conflict.
But the UN breakdown of the victims’ age and gender backs the Palestinian assertion that women and children represent a large portion of those killed in the war.
This finding indicates “a systematic violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, including distinction and proportionality,” the UN rights office said in a statement accompanying the 32-page report.
“It is essential that there is due reckoning with respect to the allegations of serious violations of international law through credible and impartial judicial bodies and that, in the meantime, all relevant information and evidence are collected and preserved,” United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said.
Israel did not immediately comment on the report’s findings.
Israel’s military, which began its offensive in response to the Oct. 7, 2023 attack in which Hamas fighters killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and seized more than 250 hostages, says it takes care to avoid harming civilians in Gaza.
It has said approximately one civilian has been killed for every fighter, a ratio it blames on Hamas, saying the Palestinian militant group uses civilian facilities. Hamas has denied using civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, as human shields.
YOUNGEST VICTIM AGED ONE DAY
The youngest victim whose death was verified by UN monitors was a one-day-old boy, and the oldest was a 97-year-old woman, the report said.
Overall, children represented 44 percent of the victims, with children aged five-nine representing the single biggest age category, followed by those aged 10-14, and then those aged up to and including four.
This broadly reflects the enclave’s demographics, which the report said reflected an apparent failure to take precautions to avoid civilian losses.
It showed that in 88 percent of cases, five or more people were killed in the same attack, pointing to the Israeli military’s use of weapons with an effect across a wide area, although it said some fatalities may have been the result of errant projectiles from Palestinian armed groups.


Khamenei aide warns against impulsive Iran response to Israel attack

Updated 54 min 27 sec ago
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Khamenei aide warns against impulsive Iran response to Israel attack

  • Israel is engaged in conflicts with the Iran-backed Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon
  • Israeli warplanes struck military sites in Iran on October 26 in retaliation for a large Iranian missile attack

TEHRAN: An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned against launching an “instinctive” response to Israeli air strikes on the Islamic republic last month.
Israel, Iran’s sworn enemy, is engaged in conflicts with the Iran-backed Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israeli warplanes struck military sites in Iran on October 26 in retaliation for a large Iranian missile attack on Israel at the start of the month.
“Israel aims to bring the conflict to Iran. We must act wisely to avoid its trap and not react instinctively,” the adviser, Ali Larijani, told state television late Thursday.
Iran said it fired 200 missiles at Israel on October 1 in response to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a strike on Beirut and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh while he was in Tehran.
After Israel hit back, it warned Iran against any counterattack, but the Islamic republic has vowed to respond.
“Our actions and reactions are strategically defined, so we must avoid instinctive or emotional responses and remain entirely rational,” Larijani added.
The former parliament speaker also praised Nasrallah for accepting a ceasefire during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war rather than making an “emotional decision.”
On Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said a potential ceasefire between Tehran’s allies and Israel could affect Iran’s response to the Israeli strikes.


Hezbollah claims second attack on Israel naval base in 24 hours

Updated 08 November 2024
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Hezbollah claims second attack on Israel naval base in 24 hours

  • The group had on Thursday claimed another attack on the same area
  • Israel has been at war with Lebanon’s Hezbollah since late September

BEIRUT: Hezbollah said it targeted a naval base near the Israeli city of Haifa with missiles Friday, the second such attack in less than 24 hours.
The Iran-backed Lebanese group said it targeted the “Stella Maris” naval base northwest of Haifa with a missile barrage, “in response to the attacks and massacres committed by the Israeli enemy.”
The group had on Thursday claimed another attack on the same area.
In a separate statement, the group claimed that it had also targeted the Ramat David air base, southeast of Haifa, with missiles.
Israel has been at war with Lebanon’s Hezbollah since late September when it broadened its focus from fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip to securing its northern border.
It escalated its air campaign and later sent in ground forces into the country’s south.
This came after a year of cross-border exchanges with Hezbollah, which has said it was acting in support of Hamas Palestinian militants fighting Israel in Gaza.
The war has killed more than 2,600 people in Lebanon since September 23, according to the Lebanese health ministry.