France urges Syrian transitional government to partner coalition fighting Daesh

DOHA: Qatar, a key mediator in the Gaza conflict, said on Tuesday that Palestinians — not outsiders — must decide the territory’s future after the Israel-Hamas war.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari told a Doha news conference that the issue was “a Palestinian question,” after Israel insisted on removing Hamas and the US proposed taking over the territory.

“From our perspective, this is a Palestinian question on what happens post this conflict,” said Ansari when asked about Israel’s stated objective to eliminate Hamas.

“It is a Palestinian question on who represents the Palestinians in an official capacity and also the political groups and parties in the political sphere,” he said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said earlier on Tuesday that negotiations for the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire, which Qatar helped broker, would begin this week.

The second phase of the truce is meant to facilitate the release of all remaining hostages seized during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war.

Saar said Israel demanded the “complete demilitarization of Gaza” and would “not accept the continued presence of Hamas or any other terrorist groups” in the territory, ruled by Hamas since 2007.

More hostage-prisoner exchanges are expected before the end of the first phase, which has also allowed humanitarian aid into besieged Gaza.

Hamas however has accused Israel of blocking the entry of prefabricated structures and heavy machinery to clear rubble.

Ansari, the Qatari spokesman, said that “the aid that enters the Gaza Strip today is insufficient.

“Using humanitarian aid as a bargaining chip in negotiations is a crime in and of itself.”

BEIRUT: President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced on Tuesday that “the continued Israeli presence in any inch of Lebanese territory is considered an occupation, with all the legal consequences that entails under international legitimacy.”

They also affirmed “Lebanon’s right to use all means to ensure the withdrawal of the Israeli enemy.”

In a joint statement following Tuesday’s meeting at the presidential palace, the three leaders stressed the need for a full Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territories, in adherence to international laws and UN resolutions, primarily Resolution 1701.

They added that Lebanon’s full commitment to this resolution came “at a time when the Israeli side continues to violate it repeatedly and disregard its terms.”

They also emphasized “the role of the Lebanese army and its full readiness to take over its duties along the internationally recognized borders, in a manner that preserves national sovereignty, protects the people of southern Lebanon, and ensures their security and stability.”

The stance came hours after Israeli forces completed their withdrawal from the last villages and towns. However, they maintained a military presence at five key points along the border — the Labouneh hills, on the outskirts of Naqoura, which overlook Rosh HaNikra, Shlomi and Nahariyya; Jabal Blat, between Marwahin and Ramyah, facing Shtula and Zar’it; the Jal Al-Deir and Jabal Al-Bat site, on the outskirts of Aitaroun, facing Avivim, Yiftah, and Malikiya; Dawawir, along the Markaba–Hula road, which faces Wadi Hunayn and the Margaliot settlement; and the Hammamis hill, which faces Metula.

A military source said the continued presence at these locations was likely for political reasons, possibly a message of reassurance to settlement residents to encourage their return.

On Monday night, Israeli forces continued to withdraw from villages in the central and eastern sectors, while the Lebanese army promptly deployed its units in the vacated areas. At dawn, residents of Yaroun, Maroun al-Ras, Blida, Mays al-Jabal, Houla, Markaba, Adaisseh, Kfar Kila, and al-Wazzani gathered to return to their homes.

The Lebanese army cleared roads and dismantled barriers raised by the Israeli army, advancing to Khirbet Yaroun, its final military outpost along the border. A moment captured on social media shows a soldier from the Lebanese army removing an Israeli flag from an electricity pole in Mays al-Jabal.

UN Interim Force in Lebanon forces conducted simultaneous patrols and established several points alongside the Lebanese Army.

Municipalities requested that residents wait until Wednesday before entering their towns to allow inspection “after the Lebanese army has completed the clearance of the areas from unexploded ordnance and shells.”

Some people, however, climbed over remaining barriers and debris to search for remaining bodies belonging to Hezbollah fighters killed during hostilities; in Kfar Kila alone, 30 are still missing.

Residents of Maroun al-Ras entered the town on foot due to excavations and earth-moving operations affecting the roads. Hezbollah supporters raised images of their leaders and the party’s flags as they did so.

Meanwhile, Israeli reconnaissance aircraft flew overhead, while a military drone dropped a sound bomb on a gathering of journalists in Kfar Shouba.

In Kfar Kila, two fighters emerged from the rubble, having survived despite being presumed dead for over three months. Their deaths had been announced by Hezbollah.

The emotional reunion with their families was shared on social media, and the two were taken to hospital with their conditions later described as “stable.”

A joint statement by UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, and UNIFIL Force Commander and head of its mission Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lazaro said: “Any further delay in the complete withdrawal contradicts our hopes for progress, particularly as it constitutes a continued violation of Resolution 1701.”

It added: “A sense of safety among communities of southern Lebanon, who are grappling with the wide-scale destruction of their villages and towns, as well as residents of northern Israel who had to leave their homes, will not be built overnight and cannot come from a continuation of military operations. Rather, sustained political commitment is the only way forward.”

The US embassy in Beirut issued a warning to its citizens, advising them to avoid the area around Bir Hassan and Beirut airport on Feb. 23 due to the funeral processions of former Hezbollah chiefs Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine. The embassy also urged citizens to be extra cautious around large gatherings and stay up to date with events through local media outlets.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport announced that all flights would be suspended on that day from noon until 4 p.m.