BEIRUT: Saudi’s Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari said on Tuesday the Kingdom would provide $10 million to Lebanon through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center.
KSrelief and Lebanon’s High Relief Commission signed a pact in Beirut to launch 28 projects across the country.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the strong fraternal relationship between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia had deepened and solidified over the years.
The Kingdom, he said, “has always been by Lebanon’s side and supported it in times of hardship, serving as a safety valve that has preserved the unity of the Lebanese, regardless of their sect, denomination, or political party.”
Mikati said the gesture represented Saudi Arabia’s keenness for stability in Lebanon.
“I am confident that the Kingdom has been and will remain the bigger brother of Lebanon,” he said.
Mikati added: “Saudi constants toward Lebanon are reflected by the Kingdom’s actions and deeds, through the Taif Agreement, which we adhere to fully, and which still serves as the appropriate framework for managing Lebanon’s affairs.
“In all the meetings I held with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he expressed his support for Lebanon to emerge from its crisis, but on the condition that the required structural reforms are implemented and that Lebanese institutions play their full role, especially concerning electing a new president.
“This responsibility falls on us, the Lebanese, and what is required of us first and foremost is to carry out our duties with the support of friendly countries, foremost among them Saudi Arabia.”
The prime minister continued: “The person who led Saudi Arabia and its youth to the leadership and pioneering positions … will not find it difficult to be a support for his brothers in Lebanon. We look forward to the Kingdom’s care and fraternal gesture toward my country Lebanon so that it can rise again.”
Ambassador Bukhari said the Saudi support was a continuation of the “commitment of the leadership in Saudi Arabia,” led by King Salman and the crown prince, “to help humanitarian efforts and promote stability and development in Lebanon with the highest standards of transparency and accountability.”
The Kingdom’s support “comes as a continuation of the solidarity approach adopted by the Kingdom toward the Lebanese people, based on the duty of true Arab brotherhood and teachings of Islam,” he added.
Saudi Arabia has already launched 129 relief, humanitarian and development projects for Lebanon, covering many sectors.
Bukhari said KSrelief was a leading international organization with the purpose of providing relief to communities hit by disasters and crises.
“Since its establishment, KSrelief launched more than 7,000 humanitarian projects with a total value of $129.68 billion in 169 countries,” Bukhari added.
Maj. Gen. Mohammed Khair, head of the Higher Relief Committee, signed a pact of joint cooperation with Abdulrahman Al-Quraishi, director of KSrelief in Lebanon.
The Kingdom’s support coincided with ongoing hostilities between the Israeli army and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
On Tuesday, an Israeli guided missile targeted farmers in Al-Zalutiyah, a town in the western sector, killing a Lebanese civilian. An Israeli drone also launched three missiles at Taybeh power plant, causing a fire and a power outage.
Saudi Arabia announces $10 million in aid for Lebanon
https://arab.news/2n7mk
Saudi Arabia announces $10 million in aid for Lebanon
- KSrelief and Lebanon’s High Relief Commission signed a pact in Beirut to launch 28 projects across the country
- Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the strong fraternal relationship between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia had deepened and solidified over the years
Israeli fire and airstrikes kill 35 in Gaza
- Hamas, which denies Israeli charges that it steals aid, accused Israel of “employing hunger as a weapon of war and turning aid distribution sites into traps of mass deaths of innocent civilians”
GAZA: Israeli fire and airstrikes killed at least 35 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, most of them near an aid distribution site operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, local health authorities said.
Medics at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa hospitals in central Gaza areas, where most of the casualties were moved to, said at least 15 people were killed as they tried to approach the GHF aid distribution site near the Netzarim corridor.
The rest were killed in separate attacks across the enclave, they added.
BACKGROUND
The Gaza Health Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that at least 274 people have so far been killed, and more than 2,000 wounded, near aid distribution sites since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operations.
There has been no immediate comment by the Israeli military or the GHF on Saturday’s incidents.
The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, overseeing a new model of aid distribution which the UN says is neither impartial nor neutral.
The Gaza Health Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that at least 274 people have so far been killed, and more than 2,000 wounded, near aid distribution sites since the GHF began operations in Gaza.
Hamas, which denies Israeli charges that it steals aid, accused Israel of “employing hunger as a weapon of war and turning aid distribution sites into traps of mass deaths of innocent civilians.”
Later on Saturday, health officials at Shifa Hospital in Gaza said Israeli fire killed at least 12 Palestinians, who gathered to wait for aid trucks along the coastal road north of the strip, taking Saturday’s death toll to at least 35.
The Israeli military ordered residents of Khan Younis and the nearby towns of Abassan and Bani Suhaila in the southern Gaza Strip to leave their homes and head west toward the so-called humanitarian zone, saying it would forcefully work against “terror organizations” in the area.
The war in Gaza erupted 20 months ago after militants raided Israel and took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel’s single deadliest day.
Israel’s military campaign has killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the densely populated strip, which is home to more than 2 million people.
Most of the population is displaced, and malnutrition is widespread.
Despite efforts by the US, Egypt, and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal.
Egypt delays opening of massive new museum
- Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told a press conference on Saturday that the grand opening would be delayed until the last quarter of this year
CAIRO: Egyptian authorities announced on Saturday that the long-awaited inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum, known as GEM, would once again be delayed as a result of escalating regional tensions.
“In view of the ongoing regional developments, it was decided to postpone the official inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which was scheduled for July 3,” the Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said in a statement.
Spanning 50 hectares, the GEM is twice the size of both Paris’ Louvre and New York’s Metropolitan, and two-and-a-half times that of the British Museum, according to its director.
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told a press conference on Saturday that the grand opening would be delayed until the last quarter of this year.
In view of current events, “we believed it would be appropriate to delay this big event so that it can maintain the appropriate global momentum,” he added.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has previously described the GEM as “the largest archeological museum in the world dedicated to one civilization.”
The opening of the massive, ultra-modern museum situated near the Giza Pyramids has been repeatedly delayed over the years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other reasons.
Iran activates air defences, Israelis told to shelter as both sides trade strikes
- Netanyahu said Israel’s strikes had set back Iran’s nuclear program possibly by years but rejected international calls for restraint
TEHRAN: Iran activated its air defenses in several regions on Saturday and Israel told its citizens to take shelter ahead of a fresh barrage of missiles, as the arch-foes exchanged massive strikes in their fiercest direct confrontation in history.
The fresh attacks came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to hit “every target of the ayatollah regime,” and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned further strikes would draw “a more severe and powerful response.”
As calls for de-escalation grew, a new round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran scheduled for Sunday was canceled, with Iran saying it could not negotiate while under attack from Israel.
Israel’s operation, which began early Friday, has targeted Iran’s air defenses and hit key nuclear and military sites, killing dozens of people including top army commanders and atomic scientists, according to Tehran.
On Saturday night Israel said it was simultaneously working to intercept a new salvo of missiles fired from Iran, while also carrying out strikes on “military targets in Tehran.”
The Israeli military told citizens to heed air alerts and “enter a protected space and remain there until further notice.”
Iran, meanwhile, announced a “new wave” of attacks targeting Israel.
Tehran’s UN ambassador said 78 people were killed and 320 wounded in Friday’s first wave of Israeli strikes.
Israel said three people were killed and 76 wounded by Iran’s retaliatory drone and missile barrage overnight, which lit up the skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu vowed to keep up Israel’s campaign.
“We will hit every site, every target of the ayatollah regime,” he said in a video statement, threatening greater action “in the coming days.”
He added that the Israeli campaign had dealt a “real blow” to Iran’s nuclear program and maintained it had the “clear support” of US President Donald Trump.
Netanyahu’s defense minister, Israel Katz, warned “Tehran will burn” if it kept targeting Israeli civilians.
Israel’s fire service reported residential buildings were hit following the latest launches.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian fired back that “the continuation of the Zionist aggression will be met with a more severe and powerful response from the Iranian armed forces.”
According to a statement from his office, Pezeshkian also condemned Washington’s “dishonesty” for supporting Israel while engaged in nuclear talks with Iran — which mediator Oman said would no longer take place on Sunday.
Western governments have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, which it denies.
Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, said the Israeli attacks undermined negotiations and were pushing the region into a “dangerous cycle of violence.”
With world leaders seeking to contain the conflict, Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed in a phone call that it needed to stop.
“He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end,” Trump said on Truth Social.
After decades of enmity and conflict by proxy, it is the first time the arch-enemies have traded fire with such intensity, triggering fears of a prolonged conflict that could engulf the Middle East.
Highlighting the unease, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned against a “devastating war” with regional consequences in a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Ankara said.
Israeli strikes have hit Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment plant and killed its highest-ranking military officer, Mohammad Bagheri, as well as the head of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami.
The Israeli military said its strikes had killed more than 20 Iranian commanders.
Iranian media reported five Guards killed Saturday in Israeli strikes, while authorities in one northwestern province said 30 military personnel had been killed there since Friday.
Iran’s Red Crescent said an ambulance was hit Saturday in Urmia city, killing two.
Iran called on its citizens to unite in the country’s defense, while Netanyahu urged them to rise up against against the government.
Iran’s Mehr news agency said Tehran had warned Britain, France and the United States it could retaliate if they came to Israel’s defense.
AFP images from the city of Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv showed blown-out buildings, destroyed vehicles and streets strewn with debris after Iran’s first wave of attacks.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had struck dozens of targets in Israel. One Iranian missile wounded seven Israeli soldiers, the military said.
Firefighters had worked for hours to free people trapped in a Tel Aviv high-rise building on Friday.
Chen Gabizon, a resident, said he ran to an underground shelter after receiving an alert.
“We just heard a very big explosion, everything was shaking, smoke, dust, everything was all over the place,” he said.
In Tehran, fire and heavy smoke billowed over Mehrabad airport on Saturday, an AFP journalist said.
The Israeli army said it had struck an underground military facility Saturday in western Iran’s Khorramabad that contained surface-to-surface and cruise missiles.
Iranian media also reported a “massive explosion” following an Israeli drone strike on an oil refinery in the southern city of Kangan.
The attacks prompted several countries to temporarily ground air traffic, though on Saturday Jordan, Lebanon and Syria reopened their airspace.
Iran’s airspace was closed until further notice, state media reported, as was Israel’s, according to authorities.
We will recognize the State of Palestine soon, Macron tells Asharq News
- French president: ‘I have agreed with the Saudi crown prince to postpone the New York conference to a date in the near future’
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron pledged, in statements to Asharq News on the sidelines of a meeting with journalists and representatives of Palestinian and Israeli civil society institutions, that his country will recognize the State of Palestine at an upcoming conference that France will organize with Saudi Arabia in New York.
In response to a question about whether there are conditions for recognizing the Palestinian state, Macron said: “There are no conditions. Recognition will take place through a process that includes stopping the war on Gaza, restoring humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip, releasing Israeli hostages, and disarming Hamas.”
He stressed: “This is one package.”
Macron indicated that France and Saudi Arabia have agreed to postpone the UN conference they are co-organizing, which was originally scheduled to take place in New York next week. He noted that current developments have prevented Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from traveling to New York.
Macron explained that he had spoken several times with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Friday and Palestinian President Abbas, and it was agreed to “postpone the meeting to a date in the near future.”
He also claimed that the president of Indonesia, which currently does not officially recognize Israel, had pledged to do so if France recognizes the State of Palestine. Macron emphasized “the need for maintaining this dynamic.”
The International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine, scheduled to be held in New York from June 17-20 and co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, outlined in its paper a commitment to the “two-state solution” as the foundational reference. The paper defines a timeline for implementation, outlines the practical obligations of all parties involved, and calls for the establishment of international mechanisms to ensure the continuity of the process.
Asharq News obtained a copy of the paper, which asserts that the implementation of the two-state solution must proceed regardless of local or regional developments. It ensures the full recognition of a Palestinian state as part of a political solution that upholds people’s rights and responds to their aspirations for peace and security.
The paper highlights that the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and the war on Gaza have led to an unprecedented escalation in violence and casualties, resulting in the most severe humanitarian crisis to date, widespread destruction, and immense suffering for civilians on both sides, including detainees, their families, and residents of Gaza.
It further confirms that settlement activities pose a threat to the two-state solution, which it states is the only path to achieving a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace in the region. The paper notes that the settlement activities undermine regional and international peace, security, and prosperity.
According to the paper, the conference aims to alter the current course by building on national, regional, and international initiatives and adopting concrete measures to uphold international law. The conference will also focus on advancing a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace that ensures security for all the people of the region and fosters regional integration.
The conference reaffirms the international community’s unwavering commitment to a peaceful resolution of the Palestinian cause and the two-state solution, highlighting the urgent need to act in pursuit of these objectives.
Iranian media claims Israeli pilots captured, IDF denies
DUBAI: The Iranian army has claimed they have downed a third Israeli F-35 fighter jet since Israel’s attacks began on Friday.
State Iranian media, Tehran Times, reported that one pilot is believed to have been liquidated and another captured by Iranian forces.
However, the Israeli Defense Forces denied the claims dubbing the news “fake”.
“This news being spread by Iranian media is completely baseless” the IDF’s Arabic spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday the launch of “Operation Rising Lion” against Iran in an effort to deter the Iranian threat of nuclear weapons to Israel. Netanyahu confirmed the operation will continue until the mission is accomplished.
