Jumblatt calls on Syrian Druze to preserve their Arab identity

Walid Jumblatt (R), the former leader of Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), delivers a speech during a ceremony marking the 48th anniversary of his father Kamal Jumblatt's assassination, at the El-Moukhtara palace in Lebanon's Shouf mountains on March 16, 2025, in (2ndR) and Lebanese Phalangist party chief Sami Gemayel (2nd L). (AFP)
Walid Jumblatt (R), the former leader of Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), delivers a speech during a ceremony marking the 48th anniversary of his father Kamal Jumblatt's assassination, at the El-Moukhtara palace in Lebanon's Shouf mountains on March 16, 2025, in (2ndR) and Lebanese Phalangist party chief Sami Gemayel (2nd L). (AFP)
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Jumblatt calls on Syrian Druze to preserve their Arab identity

Jumblatt calls on Syrian Druze to preserve their Arab identity
  • Lebanese Druze leader emphasizes the need for Israeli forces to withdraw completely from southern Lebanon

BEIRUT: Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt on Sunday warned Syrian Druze against foreign influence, urging them to resist Israeli approaches and protect their heritage.

Jumblatt, former leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, was speaking on the 48th anniversary of the assassination of his father, and party founder, Kamal Jumblatt.

He said that the arrest of Ibrahim Huweija — who was responsible for the assassination — by Syrian authorities a week ago “represents historical justice taking its course, albeit after a while.”

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The commemoration of the 48th anniversary of Kamal Jumblatt’s assassination took place on Sunday in Moukhtara, Jumblatt’s political stronghold and the center of Druze leadership in Lebanon,

Jumblatt urged Druze from Syria’s Jabal Al-Arab region to defend their shared struggle with Syrian and Arab citizens against “occupation, colonialism, and mandates imposed on the Golan Heights.”

“Safeguard your heritage and beware of being used by some to divide Syria under the banner of the ‘alliance of minorities,’ which Kamal Jumblatt opposed,” he said.

The commemoration of the 48th anniversary of Kamal Jumblatt’s assassination took place on Sunday in Moukhtara, Jumblatt’s political stronghold and the center of Druze leadership in Lebanon, evolving into a significant and inclusive political gathering.

On March 16 every year the Progressive Socialist Party gathers at Kamal Jumblatt’s tomb, marking the anniversary of his assassination and those who were with him.

His convoy was ambushed in Deir Dourite at a pivotal moment in Lebanese politics.

Investigations determined that Ibrahim Huweija, a general in the ousted Syrian regime’s army and a senior security officer, was responsible for the crime.

According to the new Syrian authorities, Huweija is accused of “committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the assassination of Jumblatt.”

Jumblatt’s speech on Sunday coincided with his announcement that the annual commemoration of his father’s assassination would be discontinued after the arrest of its perpetrator.

In his speech, Jumblatt said: “For 48 years, we have gathered on March 16 to recite Al-Fatiha and place a red flower on Kamal Jumblatt’s tomb. This occasion symbolizes our defiance and strength to remember, endure, and persevere.

“We have stood in reverence for the blood of the martyrs who fell treacherously on that fateful day. The Lebanese people will remember their sacrifices and the political legacy.”

Jumblatt said that the Progressive Socialist Party looked forward to a new phase of struggle, challenges, and adherence to the most humane form of socialism.

Jumblatt emphasized the party’s position on recent developments, highlighting the need to end Israeli occupation in the south and establish borders under international resolutions to maintain sovereignty.

He emphasized the need to reconstruct the south and other affected areas by establishing a reliable mechanism at both Arab and international levels.

He also underlined the importance of “rebuilding relations between Lebanon and Syria based on new principles. This includes clearly defining land and maritime borders, supporting legitimate Palestinian rights — particularly the two-state solution and the affirmation of the right of return — and upholding the ceasefire agreement.”

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov participated in the commemoration.

Former French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin sent a message to Walid Jumblatt, acknowledging the “void left by the assassination of his father.”

He emphasized that his father was an advocate for peace in the Middle East, believing that true peace cannot be achieved without recognizing the Palestinians’ right to establish their own state.

In the meantime, the municipality of the border town of Houla released a statement condemning the ongoing Israeli attacks, especially in the eastern region of the town, where Israeli soldiers are digging a trench extending toward the Al-Abbad site.

The municipality said that Israel’s actions indicated an occupation beyond the five occupied heights.

The municipality urged all relevant officials in the Lebanese government to take immediate action and exert pressure on the UN and the five-member committee responsible for overseeing the implementation of UN Resolution 1701.

The goal is to prevent further aggression and to ensure the return of the occupied territories, it added.

The appeal came as Israeli forces opened fire with bursts of machinegun fire and bombs from the Ruwaisat Al-Alam border site on the outskirts of Kafr Shuba late on Saturday and into Sunday.

The forces also launched a military incursion into Odaisseh, occupying the town square for several hours before withdrawing.

A security source reported that a Lebanese army motorized unit was sent from Taybeh to Odaisseh after the Israeli forces pulled out.

 

 


Netanyahu seeks to dismiss Israel’s internal security chief as power struggle boils over

Netanyahu seeks to dismiss Israel’s internal security chief as power struggle boils over
Updated 13 sec ago
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Netanyahu seeks to dismiss Israel’s internal security chief as power struggle boils over

Netanyahu seeks to dismiss Israel’s internal security chief as power struggle boils over
  • Shin Bet Director Ronen said he would refuse to immediately step down
  • Netanyahu’s proposed resolution for Bar’s dismissal would need the approval of parliament

TEL AVIV: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he will seek to dismiss the head of the country’s internal security service this week, deepening a power struggle between the men focused largely on who bears responsibility for the Hamas attack that sparked the war in Gaza.
The effort by Netanyahu to remove Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar is the latest move in an increasingly acrimonious dispute, which also involves the security service’s investigation into close aides of Netanyahu. In response, Bar said he would refuse to immediately step down, heightening the turmoil.
Netanyahu said in a statement he has had “ongoing distrust” with Bar, and “this distrust has grown over time.”
Bar replied in a statement that he planned to continue in the post for the near future and had told that to Netanyahu, citing his “personal obligations” to free the remaining hostages in Gaza, finish sensitive investigations and prepare potential successors.
The Shin Bet is responsible for monitoring Palestinian militant groups, and recently issued a report accepting responsibility for its failures around the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. But it also criticized Netanyahu, saying failed government policies helped create the climate that led to it.
Whereas the army concluded in a recent report that it underestimated Hamas’ capabilities, Shin Bet said it had a “deep understanding of the threat.” In veiled criticism of the government, the agency said its attempts to thwart the Hamas threat were not implemented.
“The investigation reveals a long and deliberate disregard from the political leadership from the organization’s warnings,” Bar said Sunday.
The tensions boiled over this weekend when Bar’s predecessor, Nadav Argaman, said he would release sensitive information about Netanyahu if it is found that the prime minister had broken the law. Netanyahu accused Argaman of blackmail and filed a police complaint.
Netanyahu has resisted calls for an official state commission of inquiry into the Oct. 7 attack and has tried to blame the failures on the army and security agencies. In recent months, a number of senior security officials, including a defense minister and army chief, have been fired or forced to step down.
Bar has been been one of the few senior security officials since the Oct. 7 attack to remain in office.
Netanyahu said removing Bar as Shin Bet chief would help Israel “achieve its war goals and prevent the next disaster.” The prime minister is expected to appoint a loyalist in his place, slowing any momentum for the commission of inquiry.
Netanyahu’s proposed resolution for Bar’s dismissal would need the approval of parliament, the Knesset, and it is likely he has support to pass it.
However, a personnel decision of this magnitude must get the attorney general’s approval, said Amichai Cohen, a senior research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute think tank. Cohen said Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara may challenge Netanyahu, setting up a court battle.
The two have a combative relationship, with the prime minister accusing Baharav-Miara of meddling in government decisions. Earlier this month, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, one of Netanyahu’s biggest supporters, initiated the process of firing her.
Cohen also called Netanyahu’s decision “very problematic,” and said it illustrates the conflict of interest regarding investigations into connections between the prime minister’s office and Qatar and the information Shin Bet published in its investigation into the failures leading up to the Oct. 7, 2023 attack.
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, a good-governance civil society group, called Netanyahu’s announcement a “declaration of war on the rule of law” and claimed that he does not have the authority to take the step against Bar because of investigations into his own office.
Netanyahu is angry that the Shin Bet is investigating members of his staff for their dealings with Qatar, a mediator in talks on the war in Gaza. The Shin Bet, and Bar, have been closely involved with the hostage negotiations.
Netanyahu recently removed Bar from the negotiating team and replaced him with a loyalist, Cabinet minister Ron Dermer. Israeli media have reported on deep policy differences between the negotiators, who have pushed for a hostage deal, and Netanyahu, who continues to threaten to resume the war.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Netanyahu of attempting to fire Bar over the investigation into connections between the prime minister’s office and Qatar, and said he would appeal the dismissal, calling the resolution “shameful” and politically motivated.


Libya education minister convicted over textbook scandal

Libya education minister convicted over textbook scandal
Updated 16 March 2025
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Libya education minister convicted over textbook scandal

Libya education minister convicted over textbook scandal
  • Libya’s education minister has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison

TRIPOLI: Libya’s education minister has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison because of a textbook shortage dating back to 2021, the attorney-general’s office announced on Sunday.
The Tripoli court of appeal also fined Moussa Al-Megarief 1,000 dinars (about $200) and deprived him of his civil rights for the duration of his sentence and a year afterwards, the same source said in a statement on Facebook.
Megarief, a member of the national unity government, was accused of “violating the principle of equality,” interceding in favor of an unnamed party, and “favoritism in contract management ... over the printing of textbooks.”
The case dates to the start of the 2021 school year, when a textbook shortage forced parents to spend money on photocopies of textbooks supposed to be provided free in public schools.
An investigation began into Megarief over his management of “contractual procedures for printing textbooks and the reasons behind this shortage.”
He was then placed in preventive detention as part of an investigation into “negligence in the exercise of his functions.”
Megarief was later released from custody for lack of evidence, and resumed his post as education minister.
He attributed the textbook shortage to unifying the school curriculum among the North African country’s three regions, saying this delayed payments owed to suppliers.
Before the attorney-general’s announcement on Sunday, the education ministry’s Facebook page posted a picture showing Megarief at work.


Israeli strikes kill 14 people in Gaza over past day, Palestinian medics say

Mourners gather by the shrouded bodies of victims killed by Israeli bombardment in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.
Mourners gather by the shrouded bodies of victims killed by Israeli bombardment in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.
Updated 16 March 2025
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Israeli strikes kill 14 people in Gaza over past day, Palestinian medics say

Mourners gather by the shrouded bodies of victims killed by Israeli bombardment in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.
  • Palestinian officials say dozens of people have been killed by Israeli fire despite the January 19 truce that halted large-scale fighting in Gaza

CAIRO: Israeli military strikes have killed at least 14 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the enclave’s Health Ministry said on Sunday, as Arab and US mediators work to shore up a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Palestinian officials say dozens of people have been killed by Israeli fire despite the January 19 truce that halted large-scale fighting in Gaza.
Israel’s military has said its forces have intervened to thwart threats by “terrorists” approaching its troops or planting bombs since the ceasefire took effect.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said most of the latest deaths took place on Saturday when an Israeli airstrike killed nine Palestinians including four journalists in the town of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military said six men that it had identified as members of the armed wings of Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad militant group had been killed in the strike. It said some of the militants had operated “under the cover of journalists.”
Salama Marouf, the head of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, said the military’s statement about the incident included the names of people who were not present.
It was based on inaccurate social media reports “without even bothering to verify the facts,” Marouf said.
At least four more Palestinians were killed in separate Israeli strikes on Saturday, the Gaza health officials said.
An Israeli drone had fired a missile at a group of Palestinians in the town of Juhr Eldeek in central Gaza on Sunday, killing a 62-year-old man and wounding several others, the medics said. Several others were hurt when an Israeli drone fired a missile toward a group of people in Rafah, they added.
The Israeli military said it was not familiar with the reported drone strikes.
Ceasefire talks
Persistent bloodshed in Gaza underscores the fragility of the three-stage ceasefire agreement mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, which have stepped in to hammer out a deal between Israel and Hamas over how to proceed.
Israel wants to extend the ceasefire’s first phase, a proposal backed by US envoy Steve Witkoff. Hamas says it will resume freeing hostages only under the second phase that was due to begin on March 2.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday negotiators had been instructed to be ready to continue talks based on the mediators’ response to a US proposal for the release of 11 living hostages and half of the dead captives.
Hamas on Friday said it had agreed to release American-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander and four bodies of the hostages if Israel agreed to begin talks immediately on implementing the second phase of the agreement. Israel responded by accusing Hamas of waging “psychological warfare” on the families of hostages.
An Israeli delegation was in Egypt discussing a possible deal with senior Egyptian officials that would release more hostages, Netanyahu’s office said on Sunday.
The war began when Hamas carried out a cross-border raid into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, displaced most the population and reduced much of the territory to rubble.


Israel’s military campaign in northern West Bank still ongoing after almost 50 days

Israel’s military campaign in northern West Bank still ongoing after almost 50 days
Updated 16 March 2025
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Israel’s military campaign in northern West Bank still ongoing after almost 50 days

Israel’s military campaign in northern West Bank still ongoing after almost 50 days
  • Israeli forces hand eviction notices to residents in Dhannaba neighborhood, told to leave by noon on Sunday
  • Forces evict last residents of Al-Murabba’at Hannoun district in Tulkarm refugee camp

LONDON: Israeli forces have demolished several homes in the Palestinian city of Tulkarm and its refugee camps as part of a military campaign in the northern-occupied West Bank which has lasted nearly 50 days.

Israel’s military campaign in Tulkarm and its refugee camp has been ongoing for 49 days, and 36 days in the Nour Shams refugee camp, the Palestine News Agency reported.

Nearly 24,000 have been displaced from the Tulkarm and Nour Shams camps, and 13 have been killed since Israel launched its campaign in late January.

Israeli forces raided several homes in the Tulkarm refugee camp on Sunday, forcing residents from the Al-Murabba’at Hannoun, Qaqoon, and Abu Al-Foul neighborhoods. WAFA also reported that forces had handed eviction notices to residents in the Dhannaba district, compelling them to leave their homes by noon on Sunday.

Israeli forces had evicted the last residents of Al-Murabba’at Hannoun district in Tulkarm refugee camp the previous day, warning that anyone still in their homes would be arrested. Israel deployed infantry units inside the camp’s alleys on Sunday, barring residents from returning for essential supplies.

Israeli forces set fire to a home and destroyed others in the Nour Shams camp after displacing residents on Sunday. They also raided homes in the Al-Jabal, Al-Nasr, and Al-Mahjar neighborhoods and interrogated some residents, WAFA said.

The Israeli military campaign has caused significant damage to the infrastructure of Tulkarm city and its refugee camps, affecting water, electricity, sewage, and communication networks, along with the destruction of homes, businesses, and vehicles.


US vows to keep hitting Houthis until shipping attacks stop

US vows to keep hitting Houthis until shipping attacks stop
Updated 30 min 49 sec ago
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US vows to keep hitting Houthis until shipping attacks stop

US vows to keep hitting Houthis until shipping attacks stop
  • Houthis spokesperson said, without offering evidence, that the group had targeted US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and its warships in the Red Sea
  • US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, dismissed the claims

WASHINGTON/ADEN: The United States will keep attacking Yemen’s Houthis until they end attacks on shipping, the US defense secretary said on Sunday, as the Iran-aligned group signaled it could escalate in response to deadly US strikes the day before.
The airstrikes, which the Houthi-run health ministry said killed at least 31 people, are the biggest US military operation in the Middle East since President Donald Trump took office in January. One US official told Reuters the campaign might continue for weeks.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi said on Sunday that his militants would target US ships in the Red Sea as long as the US continues its attacks on Yemen. “If they continue their aggression, we will continue the escalation,” he said in a televised speech.
The Houthi movement’s political bureau described the attacks as a “war crime,” while Moscow urged Washington to cease the strikes.
The Houthis’ military spokesperson on Sunday said, without offering evidence, that the group had targeted US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and its warships in the Red Sea with ballistic missiles and drones in response to the US attacks.
A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to Reuters, dismissed the claims, saying they were not aware of any Houthi attack on the Truman.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures“: “The minute the Houthis say we’ll stop shooting at your ships, we’ll stop shooting at your drones. This campaign will end, but until then it will be unrelenting.”
“This is about stopping the shooting at assets ... in that critical waterway, to reopen freedom of navigation, which is a core national interest of the United States, and Iran has been enabling the Houthis for far too long,” he said. “They better back off.”
The Houthis, who have taken control of most of Yemen over the past decade, said last week they would resume attacks on Israeli ships passing through the Red Sea if Israel did not lift a block on aid entering Gaza.
They had launched scores of attacks on shipping after Israel’s war with Hamas began in late 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with Gaza’s Palestinians.
Trump also told Iran, the Houthis’ main backer, to stop supporting the group immediately. He said if Iran threatened the United States, “America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!“

Iran warns US not to escalate
In response, Hossein Salami, the top commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, said the Houthis made their own decisions.
“We warn our enemies that Iran will respond decisively and destructively if they carry out their threats,” he told state media.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for “utmost restraint and a cessation of all military activities” in Yemen and warned new escalation could “fuel cycles of retaliation that may further destabilize Yemen and the region, and pose grave risks to the already dire humanitarian situation in the country,” his spokesperson said in a statement.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” program: “There’s no way the ... Houthis would have the ability to do this kind of thing unless they had support from Iran. And so this was a message to Iran: don’t keep supporting them, because then you will also be responsible for what they are doing in attacking Navy ships and attacking global shipping.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Rubio to urge an “immediate cessation of the use of force and the importance for all sides to engage in political dialogue,” Moscow said.
Most of the 31 people confirmed killed in the US strikes were women and children, said Anees Al-Asbahi, spokesperson for the Houthi-run health ministry. More than 100 were injured.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the claims of civilian casualties. Reuters could not independently verify the claims.
Residents in Sanaa said the strikes hit a neighborhood known to host several members of the Houthi leadership.
“The explosions were violent and shook the neighborhood like an earthquake. They terrified our women and children,” said one of the residents, who gave his name as Abdullah Yahia.
In Sanaa, a crane and bulldozer were used to remove debris at one site and people used their bare hands to pick through the rubble. At a hospital, medics treated the injured, including children, and the bodies of several casualties were placed in a yard, wrapped in plastic sheets, Reuters footage showed.
Strikes also targeted Houthi military sites in the city of Taiz, two witnesses said on Sunday.

Houthis’ Red Sea attacks disrupt global trade route 
Another strike, on a power station in the town of Dahyan, led to a power cut, Al-Masirah TV reported early on Sunday. Dahyan is where Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, the enigmatic leader of the Houthis, often meets visitors.
The Houthi attacks on shipping have disrupted global commerce and set the US military off on a costly campaign to intercept missiles and drones.
The group suspended its campaign when Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza in January.
But on March 12, the Houthis said their threat to attack Israeli ships would remain in effect until Israel reapproved the delivery of aid and food into Gaza.