PARIS: A second French national has been killed in Lebanon, France’s foreign ministry said Sunday, as Israel carried out fresh strikes against the country’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.
The announcement came as French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot flew into Beirut Sunday evening for talks with the authorities there and bringing humanitarian aid.
“We confirm the death of a second French national,” said the foreign ministry statement, adding that they would release more details later.
Last Monday, an 87-year-old French woman was killed when her home collapsed following an explosion in the south of the country.
Second French national killed in Lebanon: ministry
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Second French national killed in Lebanon: ministry

- “We confirm the death of a second French national,” said the foreign ministry statement
- Last Monday, an 87-year-old French woman was killed when her home collapsed following an explosion in the south of the country
Lebanon seeks to firm up state authority by naming new army chief, top security officials
The new appointees include army chief, Gen. Rudolph Haikal
BEIRUT: Lebanon appointed a new army chief and heads of three security agencies on Thursday as the government seeks to firm up state authority, especially in the country’s south, following the militant Hezbollah group’s devastating war with Israel.
The appointments also come after Lebanese political faction in January overcame a crippling, two-year deadlock, electing a president, Joseph Aoun, a former army chief, and forming a new government under Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
A US-brokered ceasefire went into effect in late November, halting nearly 14 months of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. The militants began firing rockets into Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after a deadly Hamas-led incursion into southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.
Israel responded with shelling and airstrikes in Lebanon, and the two sides became locked in an escalating conflict that became a full-blown war last September.
In announcing the new appointments, Aoun also said that five Lebanese nationals detained by Israeli troops during the fighting have been released following indirect negotiations.
Morgan Ortagus, deputy special envoy for Middle East in the Trump administration, told Lebanon’s Al Jadeed television on Tuesday that the five were a mix of soldiers and civilians. Ortagus said she was confident Lebanon and Israel would resolve outstanding territorial disputes.
The new appointees include army chief, Gen. Rudolph Haikal; head of State Security agency, Brig. Gen. Edgar Lawandos, and Brig. Gen. Hassan Choucair, who was named head of General Security. Brig. Gen. Raed Abdullah was named head of Internal Security Forces.
Lebanon would also recruit 4,500 soldiers this year to help further increase its military’s presence in its southern region.
Syrian leader signs constitution placing country under Islamist group’s rule for 5 years

- Former HTS leader Ahmad Al-Sharaa is now the country’s interim president
- A new committee to draft a permanent constitution will be formed, but it is unclear if it will be more inclusive of Syria’s political, religious, and ethnic groups
DAMASCUS: Syria’s interim president on Thursday signed a temporary constitution that leaves the country under Islamist rule for five years during a transitional phase.
The country’s interim rulers have struggled to exert their authority across much of the country since the Islamist former insurgent group, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, or HTS, led a lightning insurgency that overthrew former leader Bashar Assad in December.
Former HTS leader Ahmad Al-Sharaa is now the country’s interim president — a decision that was announced after a meeting of the armed groups that took part in the offensive against Assad. At the same meeting, the groups agreed to repeal the country’s old constitution and said a new one would be drafted.
While many were happy to see an end to the Assad family’s dictatorial rule of over 50 years in the war-torn country, religious and ethnic minorities have been skeptical of the new Islamist leaders and reluctant to allow Damascus under its new authorities to assert control of their areas.
Abdulhamid Al-Awak, one of the seven members of the committee Al-Sharaa tasked to draft the temporary constitution, told a press conference Thursday that it will maintain some previsions from the previous one, including the stipulation that the head of state has to be a Muslim, and Islamic law is the main source of jurisprudence.
However, Al-Awak, a constitutional law expert who teaches at the Mardin Artuklu University in Turkiye, also said the temporary constitution includes provisions that enshrine freedom of expression and the press. The constitution will “balance between social security and freedom” during Syria’s shaky political situation, he said.
A new committee to draft a permanent constitution will be formed, but it is unclear if it will be more inclusive of Syria’s political, religious, and ethnic groups.
Al-Sharaa on Monday reached a landmark pact with the US-backed Kurdish-led authorities in northeastern Syria, including a ceasefire and a merging of their armed forces with the central government’s security agencies.
The deal came after government forces and allied groups crushed an insurgency launched last week by gunmen loyal to Assad. Rights groups say that hundreds of civilians — mostly from the Alawite minority sect to which Assad belongs — were killed in retaliatory attacks by factions in the counter-offensive.
A key goal of the interim constitution was to give a timeline for the country’s political transition out of its interim phase. In December, Al-Sharaa said it could take up to three years to rewrite Syria’s constitution and up to five years to organize and hold elections.
Al-Sharaa appointed a committee to draft the new constitution after Syria held a national dialogue conference last month, which called for announcing a temporary constitution and holding interim parliamentary elections. Critics said the hastily-organized conference was not inclusive of Syria’s different ethnic and sectarian groups or civil society.
The United States and Europe have been hesitant to lift harsh sanctions imposed on Syria during Assad’s rule until they are convinced that the new leaders will create an inclusive political system and protect minorities. Al-Sharaa and regional governments have been urging them to reconsider, fearing that the country’s crumbling economy could bring further instability.
Israel sends aid to Syrian Druze as clerics prepare for historic visit

JERUSALEM/BEIRUT: Israel has sent 10,000 humanitarian aid packages to Syria’s Druze community while also strengthening ties with the group, as a delegation of Druze clerics prepares for a historic visit to Israel.
The aid, including basic goods such as oil, flour, salt, and sugar, was delivered to the conflict-affected southern province of Suwayda, Israel’s Foreign Ministry reported on Thursday.
Meanwhile, a delegation of Syrian Druze clerics is preparing to visit Israel this Friday, marking the first such visit since 1948.
The group, invited by Israel's Druze community, will visit the Tomb of Nabi Shuaib in the Galilee and meet with Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community.
The visit has faced strong opposition within Syria's Druze community, with some members expressing disapproval of the trip.
Russian says military base in Syria sheltering 8,000 displaced

- The Russian airbase at Hmeimim has sheltered over 8,000 locals fleeing violence
MOSCOW: Russia is sheltering at its Hmeimim military air base in western Syria more than 8,000 Syrians who fled a wave of sectarian mass killings, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman said Thursday.
“The Russian air base at Hmeimim has opened its doors to local residents fleeing from the pogroms... Our military have given refuge to more than 8,000 people,” Maria Zakharova told reporters at a regular briefing.
Israeli airstrike targets Palestinian Islamic Jihad headquarters in Damascus

- The Syrian monitor says at least one dead in Israel strike
DAMASCUS: Israeli aircraft struck a building in Damascus on Thursday, Syria's state news agency SANA reported. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, confirmed the attack, stating that two missiles hit the building, killing at least one person. The airstrike took place in an area where Palestinian leaders are known to reside.
According to two Syrian security sources, the target of the Israeli strike was a Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization headquarters. One of the sources identified the victim as a Palestinian person. However, the Israeli military did not immediately comment on the attack, though an Israeli army radio military correspondent confirmed that an Israeli aircraft had targeted the Islamic Jihad headquarters in Damascus.