KOBAYAT, Lebanon: Heatwaves, low rainfall and the threat of wildfires are compounding the woes of people in the forested north of Lebanon, a country where economic pain has long taken prominence over environmental concerns.
After a blistering and dry summer, residents of the mountainous Akkar region near the Syrian border are voicing fears about climate change and water scarcity.
Farmer Abdullah Hammud, 60, has spent his life in the green hills of Akkar, growing everything from tomatoes to figs, but says environmental problems are now hurting his livelihood.
“I’ve never seen it this hot,” Hammud said, looking at a field where he was planning to grow cabbage. “We lost part of the crops.”
With Lebanon’s mains water supply unreliable at best, he depends on a nearby spring for irrigation, but worries that the supply is falling.
Because trucking in water for his house and farm is not an option, he said, “if the water ran out, we would have to leave.”
Rainfall has been below average this year in Lebanon, Mohamad Kanj from the meteorological department told AFP.
A 13-day heatwave last month was “the most severe recorded in terms of the number of days, the area affected and the exceptional temperatures.”
Akkar was already one of Lebanon’s most disadvantaged regions before the national economy imploded in late 2019, plunging much of the population into poverty.
A report from the American University of Beirut last year found the region also has only low-to-moderate resilience to climate change.
Devastating forest fires raged two years ago near the town of Kobayat, where houses are nestled among the trees in surrounding hills.
A 15-year-old died while helping to battle the flames.
“The fires affected us a lot,” said Najla Chahine, 58, a former teacher. “We feared for our lives.”
Since those fires, “there’s more awareness,” said Chahine, noting however that the local community needs to work harder to face environmental threats because “the state is absent.”
She and her son Sami were on a hike as part of a recent local festival.
Several dozen people clambered up and down tree-covered slopes carpeted with dry pine needles and cones.
Sami Chahine, 13, said he has tried to “raise awareness as much as possible” about environmental issues among his friends.
He expressed worry about fires, but also other ecological threats such as pollution, in a country where people often burn trash at informal dump sites and recycling is sporadic.
The hike passed several local springs, one reduced to just a trickle, another totally dry.
Antoine Daher, head of the local non-governmental Council of Environment — Kobayat, blamed the water shortages on both a lack of rain and rising demand, urging people to reduce consumption.
Daher said his association set up Lebanon’s first fire watchtower some 25 years ago and had sought to educate people on ecological topics.
Despite Lebanon’s devastating economic crisis, he said, “we mustn’t see the environment as a luxury.”
Fires remain a major threat, and Khaled Taleb from the Akkar Trail association was training a group on how to prevent and fight them.
“We are currently at the peak of the fire season,” he said, warning that the risk only abates in late October.
His association, which now counts 15 volunteers, turned to firefighting in 2020 after major blazes hit the Akkar region.
The area is covered with 200 square kilometers (77 square miles) of forest and home to 73 out of Lebanon’s 76 tree species, he said.
The fires near Kobayat in 2021 alone “destroyed more than 1,800 hectares (4,450 acres),” he said, recalling that water access was a major problem for his team.
In October 2019, the Beirut government’s failure to contain devastating wildfires was among the triggers of an unprecedented, nationwide anti-government protest movement.
Lebanon “doesn’t have the logistical capabilities to deal with a huge fire,” said Taleb, whose group works alongside the civil defense and other first responders.
However, he expressed optimism at the local community’s willingness to pitch in.
“We weren’t born firefighters,” he said, adding that until three years ago, “we didn’t know anything about firefighting.”
“But our main priority now is to protect the forest from all threats.”
Heat, drought, fires threaten Lebanon’s northern forests
https://arab.news/496bz
Heat, drought, fires threaten Lebanon’s northern forests
- Rainfall has been below average this year in Lebanon
- A 13-day heatwave last month was “the most severe recorded in terms of the number of days, the area affected and the exceptional temperatures”
UN chief rejects new Israeli plan to control Gaza aid
- No aid has been delivered to the Palestinian enclave of some 2.1 million people since March 2
- Antonio Guterres called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and full humanitarian access in Gaza
UNITED NATIONS: The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday rejected a new Israeli proposal to control aid deliveries in Gaza, saying it risks “further controlling and callously limiting aid down to the last calorie and grain of flour.”
“Let me be clear: We will not participate in any arrangement that does not fully respect the humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality,” Guterres told reporters.
No aid has been delivered to the Palestinian enclave of some 2.1 million people since March 2. Israel has said it would not allow the entry of all goods and supplies into Gaza until Palestinian militants Hamas release all remaining hostages.
COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, last week met with UN agencies and international aid groups and said it proposed “a structured monitoring and aid entry mechanism” for Gaza.
“The mechanism is designed to support aid organizations, enhance oversight and accountability, and ensure that assistance reaches the civilian population in need, rather than being diverted and stolen by Hamas,” COGAT posted on X on Sunday.
Jonathan Whittall, the senior UN aid official for Gaza and the West Bank, said last week that there was no evidence of aid being diverted.
Israel last month resumed its bombardment of Gaza after a two-month truce and sent troops back into the enclave.
“Gaza is a killing field – and civilians are in an endless death loop,” said Guterres as he again called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and full humanitarian access in Gaza.
“With crossing points into Gaza shut and aid blockaded, security is in shambles and our capacity to deliver has been strangled,” he said.
“As the occupying power, Israel has unequivocal obligations under international law – including international humanitarian law and international human rights law,” Guterres said.
That means Israel should facilitate relief programs and ensure food, medical care, hygiene and public-health standards in Gaza, he said. “None of that is happening today,” he added.
Israel says it does not exercise effective control over Gaza and therefore is not an occupying power.
The war in Gaza was triggered on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel, and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities.
Palestinian minister appeals to Egyptian counterpart to support Gaza’s education
- Israeli actions in Gaza have led to the destruction of 95 percent of schools
- Ministry resumed educational activities through online platforms by creating new virtual classrooms amidst displacement
LONDON: The education system in the Gaza Strip has lost nearly 95 percent of its operational capacity due to Israeli attacks since October 2023.
Amjad Barham, the Palestinian minister of education, informed his Egyptian counterpart, Mohamed Abdel-Latif, during a meeting in Cairo on Tuesday about the significant damage sustained by the schooling sector in Gaza.
Barham reported that Israeli actions in Gaza have led to the destruction of 95 percent of schools, either through demolition, bombing, or severe damage, rendering 293 out of 309 schools non-operational.
Over 720,000 students in Gaza have been affected, with approximately 700,000 having no access to adequate education. He added that Gaza’s universities were significantly damaged by the Israeli military attacks, with around 85 percent of their buildings reduced to rubble.
Despite significant challenges, the ministry resumed educational activities through online platforms by creating new virtual classrooms amidst displacement. It also conducted 2024’s final year school exams in Egyptian schools for nearly 1,350 students from Gaza.
Barham appealed to his Egyptian counterpart to continue supporting online education initiatives for Palestinian students, according to Wafa news agency.
He urged opening courses in math, science, and language subjects. He requested that Palestinian teachers residing in Egypt be allowed to work and teach online for students in Gaza and those who have left the territory, Wafa added.
Oman, Pakistan sign MoU to cooperate in scientific fields between military learning institutions
- The signing ceremony was attended by senior officers from Oman’s Academy for Strategic and Defence Studies
- Lt. Gen. Babar Iftikhar, president of the National Defence University in Pakistan, led his country’s delegation to Muscat
LONDON: Oman and Pakistan signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday to collaborate in academic and scientific fields between their respective military and defense learning institutions.
The MoU was signed by Maj. Gen. Hamid Ahmed Sakroon, chairman of the Academy for Strategic and Defence Studies, and Lt. Gen. Babar Iftikhar, president of the National Defence University in Pakistan.
Iftikhar led the Pakistani delegation visiting Bait Al-Falaj Camp on Tuesday, where the Omani and Pakistani representatives exchanged friendly conversation and discussed academic matters, the Oman News Agency reported.
The signing ceremony was attended by senior officers from Oman’s Academy for Strategic and Defence Studies, the Pakistani ambassador, and the military attache at the Pakistani Embassy in Muscat.
Iran says deal can be reached if US shows goodwill
- Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran’s principal aim remained the lifting of sweeping US sanctions
- Speaking Monday in the Oval Office, Trump said he was hopeful of reaching a deal with Tehran
TEHRAN: Iran’s top diplomat said Tuesday he believed a new nuclear deal could be agreed with the United States provided Tehran’s longtime foe shows sufficient goodwill in talks to begin in Oman on Saturday.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran’s principal aim remained the lifting of sweeping US sanctions. Their reimposition by President Donald Trump in 2018 has dealt a heavy blow to the Iranian economy.
Trump made the surprise announcement that his administration would open talks with Iran during a White House meeting on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose country is an arch foe of Tehran.
Trump said the talks would be “direct” but Araghchi insisted his negotiations with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday would be “indirect.”
“We will not accept any other form of negotiation,” Araghchi told official media. “The format of the negotiations... is not the most important thing in my view. What really counts is the effectiveness or otherwise of the talks.
“If the other side shows enough of the necessary willingess, a deal can be found... The ball is in America’s court.”
Speaking Monday in the Oval Office, Trump said he was hopeful of reaching a deal with Tehran, but warned that the Islamic republic would be in “great danger” if the talks failed.
“We’re dealing with the Iranians, we have a very big meeting on Saturday and we’re dealing with them directly,” Trump told reporters.
Trump’s announcement came after Iran dismissed direct negotiations on a new deal to curb the country’s nuclear activities, calling the idea pointless.
The US president pulled out of the last deal in 2018, during his first presidency, and there has been widespread speculation that Israel, possibly with US help, might attack Iranian facilities if no new agreement is reached.
Trump issued a stern warning to Tehran, however.
“I think if the talks aren’t successful with Iran, I think Iran’s going to be in great danger, and I hate to say it, great danger, because they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
In an interview with US network NBC late last month. Trump went further. “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing,” he said.
China and Russia held consultations with Iran in Moscow on Tuesday, after which the Kremlin welcomed the planned talks.
Key Iranian ally Russia welcomed the prospect of negotiations for a new nuclear accord to replace the deal with major powers that was unilaterally abandoned by Trump in 2018.
“We know that certain contacts — direct and indirect — are planned in Oman. And, of course, this can only be welcomed because it can lead to de-escalation of tensions around Iran,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that Moscow “absolutely” supported the initiative.
China called on the United States to “stop its wrong practice of using force to exert extreme pressure” after Trump threatened Iran with bombing if it fails to agree a deal.
“As the country that unilaterally withdrew from the comprehensive agreement on the Iran nuclear issue and caused the current situation, the United States should demonstrate political sincerity (and)... mutual respect,” its foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said.
Washington should “participate in dialogue and consultation, and at the same time stop its wrong practice of using force to exert extreme pressure,” Lin added.
The Israeli prime minister, whose government has also threatened military action against Iran to prevent it developing a nuclear weapon, held talks with Witkoff as well as Trump on Monday.
Netanyahu was a bitter opponent of the 2015 agreement between Iran and Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States which Trump later abandoned.
That deal saw Iran receive relief from international sanctions in return for restrictions on its nuclear activities overseen by the UN watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Trump’s withdrawal from the deal was followed by an Iranian decision one year later to stop complying with its own obligations under the deal.
The result has been that Iran has built up large stocks of highly enriched uranium that leave it a short step from weapons grade.
In its latest quarterly report in February, the IAEA said Iran had an estimated 274.8 kilograms (605 pounds) of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent. Weapons grade is around 90 percent.
World bank approves $1.1 billion in new financing to support Jordan
AMMAN: The World Bank said on Monday it approved $1.1 billion in new financing to support Jordan's economy in the face of external shocks.
The bank said the financing bolsters the country's IMF-led reforms focused on four areas that aim to accelerate growth, create jobs and invest in sustainable energy projects.
