Israel strikes landmark residential tower in southern Rafah as truce talks stall

BEIRUT: Lebanese leaders were close to reaching a new government lineup on Thursday, three weeks after the designation of Nawaf Salam to form the Cabinet.

However, last-minute changes occurred after parliament speaker Nabih Berri rejected the name of the fifth minister, which was proposed by Salam in consultation with President Joseph Aoun, stalling the formation process.

A political source following the formation process told Arab News that “things didn’t reach a deadlock," adding that “there’s an understanding of the importance to reach a governmental lineup as soon as possible, and under this understanding, the name of the fifth Shiite minister is being reconsidered.”

The government, he said, might be announced in the coming two days.

Aoun received Salam and Berri at the presidential palace. Mahmoud Makieh, secretary-general of the council of ministers, was subsequently summoned, signaling that the governmental lineup was ready to be announced by Makieh.

However, Berri left the presidential palace two hours after the meeting, followed by Salam.

According to information circulating at the palace, the selection of the fifth Shiite minister remains the root cause of the problem.

Aoun and Salam insist on naming the fifth Shiite minister in the government in lieu of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement.

That is because they want to avoid repeating former premier Saad Hariri’s experience, whose government lost its legitimacy and collapsed in 2011 following the resignation of 11 Shiite ministers.

According to the political source, Salam insists on appointing Lamia Moubayed, who previously held the position of head of the Basil Fuleihan Institute of Finance, for the Administrative Development portfolio, a choice that Berri rejected.

The source said that the president was handling the issue, especially since Berri insists on having a say in naming the fifth Shiite minister, after having already proposed the names of the other four ministers in coordination with Hezbollah — figures close to them but not affiliated with any party.

On Wednesday night, after meeting Aoun, Salam reaffirmed his commitment to “forming a government with a high level of harmony among its members, committed to the principle of ministerial solidarity, and this applies to all ministers without exception.”

Salam emphasized his efforts to “form a reformist government composed of highly competent individuals, and I will not allow any element within it that could obstruct its work in any way.”

He stressed that “in the process of forming previous governments, there were inherited customs and narrow calculations that some find difficult to abandon or to accept a new approach in dealing with.

“However, I am determined to confront these practices and adhere to the constitution and the standards I have previously announced — excluding parliamentary candidates from joining the government and preventing the appointment of partisan figures.

“These standards provide an additional guarantee for the independence of the government's work, the integrity and neutrality of the upcoming elections, addressing the major challenges ahead, and laying the groundwork for reforms to rebuild the Lebanese state in a manner befitting its citizens.”

If formed, Salam’s government is expected to consist of 24 ministers, most of whom will be technocrats, according to leaked names.

Parallel to the government formation process, the fate of the Israeli withdrawal from the southern border area remains a source of Lebanese concern.

Aoun emphasized to the chief of staff of the UN Truce Supervision Organization, Maj. Gen. Patrick Gauchat, whom he met on Thursday, the necessity of “implementing Resolution 1701, ensuring the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories occupied in the recent war, and releasing Lebanese prisoners.”

On Thursday, Israeli forces continued to demolish the remaining houses in the southern town of Kafr Kila.

The Israeli army issued a new warning to the residents in the border area that had not yet been evacuated, advising them not to move south.

Avichai Adraee, spokesperson for the Israeli military, said: “The Israeli army remains deployed in the field. Therefore, you are prohibited from returning to your homes in the areas in question until further notice. Anyone attempting to move south is at risk.”

On the Lebanese Syrian border, tensions escalated between the new Syrian administration and Lebanese tribal groups involved in smuggling through illegal crossings in Hawik — a town straddling both Lebanese and Syrian territories and populated by Lebanese-origin residents with Syrian citizenship. The Syrian administration is working to secure the border and close these crossings following recent rocket and artillery clashes.

A Lebanese security source reported that “two members of the Syrian administration were killed, and two others were captured.” Video footage circulated online showed the captives being beaten and bleeding.

Shells also struck the Lebanese border town of Al-Qasr, injuring a Lebanese soldier.

According to security reports, Syrian administration forces entered the town two hours later and deployed reinforcements to maintain control of the border.

Many residents of Lebanese origin fled the town toward Lebanese territory in the aftermath.

About 150,000 Syrians, mostly Shiites and Alawites, fled to the Baalbek-Hermel region following the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria.

LONDON: King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain arrived in the UAE on Thursday.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the ruler’s representative in the Al-Dhafra region, received the king on his arrival.

During his visit to the UAE, King Hamad will be accompanied by Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al-Khalifa and Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, among other senior officials, the Bahrain News Agency reported.