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Lebanon: PM Hariri withdraws resignation, business back to normal

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Lebanon: PM Hariri withdraws resignation, business back to normal

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Cabinet decided to dissociate from regional conflict

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Sa’ad Hariri has officially announced withdrawing his resignation, what he did while he was in Saudi Arabia on November 4. He announced his decision after Lebanon’s cabinet voted to affirm it’s disengagement from regional conflicts on Tuesday.

According to almanar.com, Hariri read the final statement after the cabinet meeting and asserted that Lebanon remains stick to the “dissociation policy and Taef Accord”.

“The government has unanimously approved a statement pledging compliance with a policy of dissociation, the president’s oath of office in terms of dissociating the country from regional conflicts and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries,” he added.

President Michel Aoun and PM Hariri held a closed door meeting before the cabinet meeting.

Taef  accord was reached in 1989 to provide “the basis for ending of civil war and the return to political normalcy in Lebanon.”  Rafik Hariri, former Lebanese PM and father of Sa’ad Hariri, was once Saudi diplomatic representative who played constructive role in formulating the agreement. Sa’ad Hariri enjoys dual citizenship of both the countries: Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

The Taef accord covered political reform, ending of civil war, establishment of special relations between Syria and Lebanon and a framework for the beginning of complete Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon.

Sa’ad Hariri had suddenly announced his resignation on November 4 from Riyadh. According to earlier reports Hariri received a telephonic call from Riyadh on November 3 asking him to travel the Kingdom without aides.  On his arrival at Riyadh airport his mobile was confiscated and no official came to receive him. He read his resignation live on Saudi official TV.

At that time, he alleged Iran for interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs and Hezbollah for its involvement in the regional conflicts. Hariri also cited “threats” against his life similar to his father Rafik Hariri who was killed in a bomb explosion in Beirut in 2005.

The resistance group Hezbollah  played important role in crushing IS terrorists in Syria and Iraq on the invitation of the respective governments. The governments of Iran, Iraq and Syria and Lebanon’s Hezbollah along with Russian air power defeated Daesh (IS) in both the countries.

So far, Hariri has not revealed the details of what he went through before announcing his resignation in Riyadh. After the resignation he had a short visit to Abu Dhabi to meet the Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on November 7.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun had expressed fear of Hariri’s detention in Saudi Arabia. Reuters had confirmed on November 12 about the shocks Hariri went through immediately after his arrival in Riyadh. His location was kept secret that vindicated Aoun’s fear of Hariri being detained by Saudi authorities.

On November 13, Hariri chose to get himself interviewed by his party mouthpiece Future TV. Saudi authorities did not allow even Future TV crew to travel from Beirut to Riyadh for the conducting the interview. With crew and equipment from Saudi official TV, Hariri declared he was living free in Saudi Arabia. He explained that by resigning he “gave a positive shock” to protect his country from imminent danger and pledged to return to Beirut “within days”.

He travelled to France on November 18  to meet President Emmanuel Macron. He also met with Egyptian President Abdel Fettah el-Sisi  in Cairo  before returning to Beirut on November 21, one day before independence day celebrations on November 22.

However, on his first day in Beirut he met President Micheal Aoun and announced his intention to defer his resignation. He said, “Today, I presented my resignation to the president and he urged me to hold onto it for more dialogue about its reasons and its political underpinnings … and I accepted.”

According to Aljazeera, the Iranian-backed forces in Iraq, Yemen, and Syria are on the winning side of years-long conflicts against Saudi-backed armed groups. Hezbollah has been instrumental in assisting these forces, it said.

The reports also indicate that Hezbollah has agreed to the disassociation policy promising to withdraw its fighters from Iraq once the campaign against Daesh (IS) is declared over.

Recently Lebanese President Michel Aoun, had promised that Hezbollah fighters will return from neighbouring countries once IS was defeated. For now, these guarantees are enough to end Lebanon’s uncertainty, he said.

Aljazeera correspondent from Beirut Zeina Khodr says, “Clearly the political crisis is over. The cabinet met and it’s back in business and this country – which found itself in the middle of a Saudi-Iranian rivalry” is back to the political status quo before Hariri’s resignation.

Analysts believe that with Hariri’s decision to withdraw his resignation after Hezbollah’s commitment to return its fighters once war against Daesh (IS) is declared over, Saudi Arabia’s plot to ignite another war in Lebanon has failed.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Amid India-Canada diplomatic tensions, Justin Trudeau shares video of his Diwali celebrations

This comes a day after India expressed its concern over the reports of cancelled Diwali celebrations in Canada.

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Amid the ongoing diplomatic tensions between Canada and India over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday shared a video of his Diwali celebration on social media platform X.

Sharing a 44-second video of his Diwali celebrations on social media, the Canadian Prime Minister wrote, “Happy Diwali! So many special moments shared celebrating with the community this week.”

This comes a day after India expressed its concern over the reports of cancelled Diwali celebrations in Canada.

The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Saturday, while addressing the media over Canada’s serious allegation against Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Nijjar, said it was unfortunate that the prevailing atmosphere in Canada has reached high levels of intolerance and extremism.

In the video, Prime Minister Trudeau showed off some colorful religious threads on his wrists, explaining that he received them during visits to three Hindu temples in Canada recently. He called them symbols of “good luck” and “protection,” adding with a smile, “I’m not taking them off until they fall off”.

Trudeau was also seen interacting warmly with the community, celebrating the festival, and enjoying delicious Indian sweets like jalebis, which he jokingly said he would “save for the team.”

On November 1, Trudeau posted on X, “Happy Diwali! Today, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain families will celebrate the triumph of light over darkness with festivities, candles, diyas, and fireworks. Wishing you all joy and prosperity during this special time.”

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Jaiswal said India condemns the recent allegations made by the Canadian government against Shah that he was purportedly involved in the killing of Nijjar and called it “absurd and baseless”.

Jaiswal also said that India had summoned the Canadian High Commissioner on Friday to protest in the strongest terms for the references made to the Union Home Minister of India before the Committee by Canada’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison.

On Tuesday, Morrison claimed that Shah orchestrated a campaign of violence, intimidation, and intelligence-gathering aimed at Sikh separatists on Canadian soil. He informed members of Canada’s national security committee in Parliament that he had confirmed Shah’s name to The Washington Post, which was the first to report the allegations. However, Morrison did not provide details on how Canada became aware of Shah’s alleged involvement.

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India, China complete disengagement in Depsang, Demchok at LAC after 4 years standoff

The Indian Army said that coordinated patrolling will start soon by both sides, and the ground commanders will continue to hold talks.

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India, China complete disengagement in Depsang, Demchok at LAC after 4 years standoff

In a significant development, India and China have completed the disengagement exercise in the Depsang and Demchok friction points at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The troops of both the countries are now verifying the vacation of positions and removal of infrastructure.

Reportedly, the Indian Army said that coordinated patrolling will start soon by both sides, and the ground commanders will continue to hold talks. The two sides will exchange sweets for Diwali tomorrow.

Earlier, Foreign secretary Vikram Misri announced that New Delhi and Beijing reached an agreement to disengage in the remaining friction points at LAC in eastern Ladakh. After the agreement, the two countries began troops disengagement at the two friction points at Demchok and Depsang plains on October 23.

India-China relations worsened because of the Chinese troops’ aggression along the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border, in April 2020. It further deteriorated on June 15, 2020, after 20 Indian soldiers died in the line of duty thwarting the Chinese offensive in the Galwan Valley. New Delhi had said India’s bilateral relations with China will normalise only after the situation at the LAC returns to what it was before May 2020.

Reports said that the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have pulled back their forward-deployed troops and equipment from the two flashpoints, and have also dismantled temporary structures that had been built during the four-year-long standoff.

The Indian soldiers will resume their patrolling in areas that had been cut off because of the PLA’s presence. Nonetheless, the disengagement in Depsang and Demchok will not lead to the creation of buffer zones.

Both the countries had disengaged from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15) areas and created buffer zones. Speaking to a newspaper publication, Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retd), a former director general of military operations said that the disengagement at Depsang and Demchok will facilitate patrolling by both sides in a coordinated manner, and in the agreed upon frequency and strength of the patrolling parties.

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Iran says 2 soldiers killed in Israeli air strikes

Emphasising Iran’s right to self-defense under the UN Charter, the Iranian Foreign Ministry highlighted its obligation to counter foreign aggression.

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The Iranian Army said on Saturday that two of its soldiers were killed in Israeli air strikes that targeted military bases.

Iran stated that its air defenses effectively countered the attack, resulting in the unfortunate deaths of two soldiers and some areas suffering limited damage.

The Israeli military conducted strikes on Iranian military sites after 2 am on Saturday, responding to what they cited as ongoing attacks by Iran and its allies in the region.

Following the strikes, the Israeli military announced they had successfully completed the mission and achieved their objectives.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the precise targeting of military sites in Iran to neutralize immediate threats to Israel.

“I can now confirm that we have concluded the Israeli response to Iran’s attacks against Israel. We conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran — thwarting immediate threats to the State of Israel,” the Israel Defence Force posted on X.

Iran’s air defense headquarters acknowledged the hits on bases in Ilam, Khuzestan, and Tehran but asserted that these attacks were effectively repelled, with investigations ongoing to assess damages. Moreover, Iran indicated its readiness to retaliate against any Israeli aggression, stating that Israel would face proportional consequences for its actions.

Iran expressed its intentions to respond to the Israeli attacks on its military bases, condemning the actions as a violation of international law and the UN Charter’s principles on the use of force.

Emphasising Iran’s right to self-defense under the UN Charter, the Iranian Foreign Ministry highlighted its obligation to counter foreign aggression.

Pakistan strongly condemned Israel’s strikes on Iran, attributing the escalation to Israel and urging the UN Security Council to intervene for peace and security.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasised that Iran should refrain from retaliating against Israel, advocating for restraint on all sides to prevent further escalation.

“I am clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against Iranian aggression. I’m equally clear that we must avoid further regional escalation and urge all sides to restrain. Iran should not respond,” the PM said at a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The United States advised Iran to halt its attacks on Israel to cease the ongoing violence and break the cycle of conflict, underlining the importance of de-escalation.

“We urge Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation,” U.S. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett told reporters.

President Joe Biden was briefed on the Israeli operation throughout its development and execution by his National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan.

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