Two days after the visit to Lebanon by the new French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Séjourné, Lebanese Prime Minister Nagib Mikati received French Ambassador to Beirut Hervé Magro on Thursday.
Two days after the visit to Lebanon by the new French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Séjourné, Lebanese Prime Minister Nagib Mikati received French Ambassador to Beirut Hervé Magro on Thursday.
Following the meeting, Magro asserted that he had presented to the Prime Minister the "ideas" of Paris regarding the situation in southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah and the Israeli army have been engaging in a barrage of bombings since October 8, 2023, following the Hamas attack in Israel.
One does not need to be a globally renowned expert to know the immediate measures to reduce tension. It suffices for Hezbollah to respect UN Resolution 1701 and demand that its militants vacate the border area and move beyond the Litani River, as required since 2006.
Furthermore, the narrative of the Lebanese government aligns with that of Iran. This implies that Mikati dares not ask Hezbollah to cease provocations.
This charade of diplomatic discussions between France and Lebanon appears nothing more than a theatrical performance, where "ideas" are presented with little hope of implementation and where political realities are overshadowed by regional power dynamics. The theater of diplomacy continues, while the people of southern Lebanon bear the brunt of escalating violence.
By Marc Fakhoury
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis will impose a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, they said on Monday, further throttling a global energy market already greatly restricted by Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis on Monday declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia effective immediately, their military spokesperson said in a televised speech.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Monday they had struck U.S. military assets across the Middle East after another night of U.S. bombardment of Iranian cities, part of a cycle of attacks that has all but wrecked an interim ceasefire agreement.
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