BEIRUT: Islamic and Christian spiritual authorities in Lebanon have called unanimously for “the immediate and full implementation of Resolution 1701,” which includes supporting the Lebanese army, enhancing its capabilities to defend the country, and ensuring its widespread deployment south of the Litani River and across all Lebanese territories.
The summit took place on Wednesday at the Maronite Patriarchate headquarters in Bkerke amidst escalating Israeli attacks and included Shiite representatives, despite previous differences between the sect and Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi over Lebanon’s neutrality and Hezbollah’s weapons.
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon was praised for “remaining at their positions despite unjustified Israeli harassment and warnings aimed at removing any witnesses to the brutal massacres Israel is committing against our nation.”
In its closing statement, it added: “Solutions for Lebanon will only, and must only, come through comprehensive national solutions.
“These solutions should be based on adherence to the Lebanese constitution, the Taif Agreement, the Lebanese state, its unified authority, its free decision-making, and its responsible role in protecting the nation, national sovereignty, and its responsibilities toward its people, ensuring their security, stability, and prosperity.”
The summit stressed the need for “reforming constitutional institutions, especially for parliament to immediately begin the election of a president who enjoys the trust of all Lebanese, in accordance with the provisions of the constitution, with as much understanding and consensus as possible, based on a collective Lebanese will, adhering to the spirit of the National Pact, prioritizing the national interest, and surpassing external interests.”
It also called on the government to “fully assume its responsibilities and to cooperate with parliament according to the Constitution, to mobilize the efforts of Arab brothers and the many friends around the world, to contribute with the Lebanese in saving Lebanon.”
Parallel to the summit, Israeli attacks and confrontations continued along the border.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health announced a case of cholera 01 in a Lebanese woman in the Akkar region As a result, the national cholera plan and containment measures were being deployed.
Some 1.2 million people have been displaced from the south, Bekaa and Beirut’s southern suburb as a result of the war, moving toward central and northern Lebanon. Hundreds are without shelter, sleeping outdoors or in their cars.
Israeli airstrikes have targeted the southern suburb of Beirut — specifically the uninhabited area of Haret Hreik — following a week-long cessation of such attacks. It came after a warning to evacuate residential buildings was issued by Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee on social media, claiming the raids “targeted, with precise intelligence guidance from the Military Intelligence Service, a strategic weapons depot for Hezbollah that was stored in an underground warehouse in the southern suburb.”
Airstrikes targeted the city of Nabatieh, 56 km from Beirut, unleashing a series of missiles that destroyed the municipal building.
At the time, the mayor, council members and administrative personnel were organizing humanitarian aid for displaced people in the region. The attack left six people dead, including Mayor Dr. Ahmad Kahil, and 43 injured.
Condemning the attack, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said it was “a message to the world that remains deliberately silent on the crimes of the occupation, which encourages it to persist in its transgressions and crimes.”
He added: “If all the countries in the world are unable to deter a blatant aggression against the Lebanese people, what is the point of turning to the Security Council to demand a ceasefire? What can possibly dissuade the enemy from committing atrocities that have escalated to the point of targeting peacekeeping forces in the south? What solution can be anticipated in light of this reality?”
The UN’s special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, called for “the protection of civilians at all times.”
She said “violations of international humanitarian law are entirely unacceptable. It is imperative that all concerned parties immediately cease hostilities and pave the way for diplomatic solutions.”
Media reports indicated that Israel had captured three additional members of Hezbollah after initially detaining four on Tuesday. This was not confirmed by the organization.
Airstrikes on the town of Qana at dawn left three people dead and 54 more injured. The Ministry of Health confirmed rescuers were working to clear rubble in an effort to reach those trapped beneath it, while an infant who was found still alive had been taken to hospital.
Mourners and rescue teams in cemeteries in Jouya were also targeted by airstrikes as they tried to buy the victims of previous attacks, resulting in additional injuries.
Direct confrontations between the Israeli army and Hezbollah continued along the routes of Taybeh, Rab El-Thalathine, Markaba, Hula, Ramya, Aita Al-Shaab, and Qaouzah.
Shebaa also experienced heavy artillery shelling, prompting the intervention of the Lebanese Red Cross to evacuate several elderly individuals who insisted on remaining in the town rather than relocating to Hasbaya.
The Israeli army reported 13 injured soldiers along the Lebanese front in the past 24 hours. A statement said: “Israeli naval forces attacked dozens of Hezbollah terrorist targets, in cooperation with the fighters on the ground.”
Meanwhile, it also waged psychological warfare by calling civilians directly.
The Ghandour Hospital in Nabatieh Al-Fawqa, which closed some years ago, received warnings to evacuate after hosting displaced people from border villages. A man driving his car on the coast ride in Sidon was also prompted to flee his vehicle after he received a call.
Six people were wounded in airstrikes on the town of Yammoune, while Israeli drones flew at low altitude over the Lebanese-Syrian border area in Hermel in an attempt to prevent the reopening of crossings shelled in previous attacks.
Hezbollah announced a series of targets on the Israeli side, including Safed, the Yeftah settlement and Israeli army artillery positions in Dalton, Dishon and Misgav Am.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that two Israelis were wounded after five Lebanese rockets struck the yard of a house in Safed.
The Israeli army said 50 missiles had been launched from Lebanon toward the north of the country at dawn, some of which were intercepted.
Spiritual summit in peace push amid continued Israeli massacres in southern Lebanon
https://arab.news/g9pd3
Spiritual summit in peace push amid continued Israeli massacres in southern Lebanon

- The summit took place on Wednesday at the Maronite Patriarchate headquarters in Bkerke amidst escalating Israeli attacks and included Shiite representatives
- In its closing statement, it added: “Solutions for Lebanon will only, and must only, come through comprehensive national solutions
UN-backed experts focusing on Palestinian rights quit

- Council spokesman Pascal Sim said the move marked the first joint resignations of Commission of Inquiry members since the council was founded in 2006
GENEVA: A team of three independent experts working for the UN’s top human rights body with a focus on Israel and Palestinian areas say they are resigning, citing personal reasons and a need for change, in the panel’s first such group resignation.
The resignations, announced Monday by the UN-backed Human Rights Council that set up the team, come as violence continues in Palestinian areas with few signs of letup in the Israeli military campaign against Hamas and other militants behind the Oct. 7 attacks.
The Israeli government has repeatedly criticized the panel of experts, known as the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, and denied their repeated requests to travel to the region or otherwise cooperate with the team.
Council spokesman Pascal Sim said the move marked the first joint resignations of Commission of Inquiry members since the council was founded in 2006.
The team said in a statement that the resignations had “absolutely nothing to do with any external event or pressure.”
Navi Pillay, 83, a former UN human rights chief who has led the commission for the last four years, said in a letter to the council president that she was resigning effective Nov. 3 because of “age, medical issues and the weight of several other commitments.”
Survivors bury dead after RSF attack devastates Sudan village

- The Emergency Lawyers reported on Monday that nearly 300 people were killed in North Kordofan villages
- The area is home to several armed tribes that have refused to pledge allegiance to the RSF
PORT SUDAN: It took a full day for the villagers of Shaq Al-Nom, in Sudan’s North Kordofan state, to bury their dead after an attack by paramilitary fighters that left the village in ruins, a survivor told AFP on Tuesday.
The Saturday attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — the paramilitary force at war with the regular army since April 2023 — was part of a series of raids in recent days on villages in North Kordofan, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) southwest of the capital Khartoum.
“On Sunday, we collected the bodies from the village streets and inside the houses, and we buried 200 bodies,” Saleh Abdel Rahim, 34, told AFP.
The Emergency Lawyers, a group that documents atrocities by both sides in the war, reported on Monday that nearly 300 people were killed in North Kordofan villages between Saturday and Sunday.
Tolls are nearly impossible to independently verify in Sudan, with many medical facilities forced out of service and limited media access.
“It was indescribable,” Abdel Rahim said, using a pseudonym for fear of retaliation because he had fled to an area close to RSF positions.
“Under artillery shelling, houses burned with their families inside,” he told AFP via satellite Internet connection to circumvent a communications blackout.
Since it began, the war has killed tens of thousands and created the world’s largest hunger and displacement crises, with 14 million Sudanese currently displaced inside the country and across borders.
The Emergency Lawyers reported on Monday that paramilitaries had killed women and children, abducted civilians and looted livestock in the villages surrounding the RSF-controlled city of Bara.
In Shaq Al-Nom, “RSF vehicles arrived in the village, in an attempt to storm it” on Saturday under a hail of machine gun fire and drone strikes, according to Abdel Rahim.
“We had no choice but to resist in defense,” he said, adding that “all of the villagers of the Bara countryside have fled.”
The area is home to several armed tribes that have refused to pledge allegiance to the RSF.
North Kordofan, key to the RSF’s fuel smuggling route via Libya, has been an important battleground between the army and the paramilitaries for months.
The RSF has tried to encircle the North Kordofan state capital of El-Obeid — the only road link between Khartoum and the vast western region of Darfur, which the RSF has all but conquered.
It has been unable, however, to seize the North Darfur state capital of El-Fasher despite an ongoing siege for more than a year.
Sudanese analyst Kholood Khair told AFP that “they want to consolidate that road that links El-Fasher to El-Obeid and other parts of Kordofan, so effectively they’re in a race against time to consolidate in the west before the rains come.”
Sudan’s rainy season, which peaks in August, renders much of the country’s roads inaccessible, making it impossible for either side to capture territory until the floods start clearing in September.
Can Beirut’s new bus network succeed where past reform efforts in Lebanon failed?

- Sleek new AC buses equipped with GPS and modern fare systems offer a welcome glimpse of efficiency
- World Bank warns that dependence on private vehicles is unsustainable amid rising poverty and costs
LONDON: On Beirut’s congested roads, where traffic crawls and crumbling infrastructure testifies to decades of neglect, a new rhythm is quietly taking shape.
Sleek, navy-blue buses — equipped with GPS, air conditioning and modern fare systems — now trundle through the city’s chaos, offering a welcome glimpse of efficiency. Whether they can truly deliver long-term impact, however, remains uncertain.

For decades, Lebanon’s public transportation system has been an informal patchwork dominated by private minibuses and shared taxis. Now, the government is attempting to reassert control through a partnership with a private company aimed at modernizing the daily commute.
The new fleet operates on 11 routes, primarily across Greater Beirut, but also extending to parts of northern, southern and eastern Lebanon. A private logistics firm, Ahdab Commuting and Trading Co., manages day-to-day operations under a public-private partnership model.
FASTFACTS
• France donated 50 of the buses currently in use across Greater Beirut and beyond.
• A network of private vans and minibuses run fixed routes without schedules or stops.
• The 2024 Israel-Hezbollah conflict damaged Lebanon’s transport infrastructure.
While the initiative shows promise, commuters are aware of its limitations.
“Overall, you’ll mostly notice the impact of public transit inside the major cities, but even there, the system still heavily relies on taxis,” Mohammed Ali Diab, a Beirut-based journalist, told Arab News.

“Most taxis operate on a shared-ride basis unless a passenger specifically requests a private ride.”
Passengers typically say “service” to request a shared taxi, paying a flat fare — usually around 200,000 Lebanese pounds, or $2 — while the driver continues picking up others along the same route.

“In Beirut, there are also vans, but their routes are limited and fixed,” Diab added. “They don’t operate citywide.”
These vans and buses, he noted, are primarily used by working-class commuters and students, largely due to their affordability.

Beyond Beirut, shared taxis and buses connect major cities such as Tripoli, Tyre and Sidon. But in rural and mountainous regions, Diab said, residents still depend on private cars.
That dependence is becoming increasingly unviable. The World Bank’s Beirut office recently warned that Lebanon’s “reliance on private vehicles is increasingly unsustainable,” particularly amid rising poverty rates and vehicle-operation costs.

Lebanon is reeling from one of the world’s worst economic crises since 1850, according to the World Bank. Since 2019, currency collapse and high inflation have wiped out savings, shrunk incomes and pushed millions of people into poverty.
A 2024 World Bank report revealed that poverty has more than tripled over the past decade, now affecting 44 percent of the population. A separate study by Walid Marrouch, an economics professor at the Lebanese American University, found that at least 60 percent of citizens live below the poverty line.

Against this economic backdrop, the government’s partnership with ACTC represents a promising policy shift.
In 2023, the company won a competitive bid launched by the Ministry of Public Works to operate the bus system under specific contractual conditions. As part of the deal, ACTC contributes 10 percent of its revenues to the ministry.

Despite the financial risks, ACTC leaders believe in the project’s potential. “We took a risk during a difficult time and invested in a project that’s close to our hearts — one we believe adds real value to the country,” Aoni Ahdab, the ACTC CEO, told Lebanese media. “We’re hopeful it will succeed.”
The service officially launched in July 2024, despite regional instability and periodic hostilities between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah that temporarily disrupted routes. Israel’s escalation of attacks from September through late November did not halt the project.

The 2024 conflict caused heavy damage to Lebanon’s transport infrastructure. The World Bank estimates $1 billion is needed for infrastructure sectors, including transport, within an $11 billion national recovery plan.
Much of the new fleet’s foundation was laid earlier. In 2022, France donated 50 buses to Lebanon, with more expected. Meanwhile, the Railway and Public Transport Authority refurbished 45 vehicles locally, raising the operational fleet to 95 — a modest but tangible effort to ease the transportation burden.

Although the ACTC contract did not mandate fleet upgrades, the company voluntarily refurbished and standardized the buses, repainting them in navy blue for easy identification and installing safety and tracking technologies.
To test viability, a pilot phase launched in April. Buses operated from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily to assess travel times, stop durations and operational needs. The goal was to ensure departures every 25 minutes.

Pricing was designed to be accessible. Fares vary by distance: 70,000 Lebanese pounds within Beirut, 100,000 to Baabda, and 150,000 to Tripoli, according to local passengers.
Riders can purchase single-use tickets or opt for rechargeable cards. For now, those without cards can still pay drivers directly and receive a scannable paper ticket.
As Beirut confronts long-standing infrastructure challenges, this initiative is viewed as cautious progress. Yet its success will depend on earning public trust and expanding service sustainably.
Initial data is encouraging. Ziad Nasr, head of Lebanon’s public transport authority, told AFP last month that daily ridership has risen to around 4,500 passengers, up from just a few hundred at launch.
Authorities hope to expand service further, including routes to Beirut’s airport, but additional buses and international support will be needed.
However, the rollout has not been smooth. Resistance from private transport operators, who view the initiative as a threat to their livelihoods, has been fierce.
According to local media, several buses were vandalized and drivers, especially on the Adlieh–Hadath University Campus route, faced threats and harassment toward the end of 2024. The Ministry of Public Works and security forces intervened to keep services running.
These tensions are symptomatic of deeper, long-standing issues. Lebanon’s public transport sector has suffered for decades from weak oversight, overlapping private interests, chronic underfunding, and lack of strategic planning — all of which have repeatedly hindered reform efforts.
The roots of dysfunction stretch back to the civil war of 1975–1990, which devastated infrastructure and governance. In the years that followed, a car-dependent culture took hold. Even before the 2019 economic collapse, Lebanon was already struggling with failing power grids, unsafe roads and limited water access.
Beyond reducing congestion and improving mobility, public transportation could also play a key role in environmental reform — an often overlooked priority in Lebanon. A World Bank climate and development report noted that the transport sector is the country’s second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, second only to the energy sector.
Indeed, in cities like Beirut, poor air quality is a growing concern. Frequent traffic jams and widespread use of diesel-powered generators — especially during routine blackouts — have worsened pollution and related health risks.
On the upside, there are signs of innovation. In Zahle, east of Beirut, four hybrid buses are already operating, Nabil Mneimne of the UN Development Program told AFP in June.
More progress is expected this year. Lebanon’s first fully electric buses, powered by a solar charging system, are set to launch between Beirut and the northern city of Jbeil.
A longer-term roadmap for reform has also been laid out. A 2022 World Bank report on improving public transport in Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq outlined key recommendations. These included unifying bus operators, creating a fund to buy back public licenses, implementing intelligent transport systems, and developing a national road safety strategy.
The report also urged the government to adopt “quick-win” solutions to improve the user experience — such as reliable schedules, journey-planning apps, real-time tracking, and updated data to enable effective planning.
Together, these steps could help Lebanon transform its transportation landscape — if the political will and public support can be sustained.
Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 93 Palestinians, including several families, health officials say

- Strike in Gaza City’s Tel Al-Hawa district Monday evening kills 19 members of same family
- Gaza’s Health Ministry says bodies of 93 people killed by Israeli strikes brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Israeli strikes overnight and into Tuesday killed more than 90 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, including dozens of women and children, health officials said.
One strike in the northern Shati refugee camp killed a 68-year-old Hamas member of the Palestinian legislature, as well as a man and a woman and their six children who were sheltering in the same building, according to officials from Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken.
One of the deadliest strikes hit a house in Gaza City’s Tel Al-Hawa district on Monday evening and killed 19 members of the family living inside, according to Shifa Hospital. The dead included eight women and six children. A strike on a tent housing displaced people in the same district killed a man and a woman and their two children.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strikes.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said in a daily report Tuesday afternoon that the bodies of 93 people killed by Israeli strikes had been brought to hospitals in Gaza over the past 24 hours, along with 278 wounded. It did not specify the total number of women and children among the dead.
The Hamas politician killed in a strike early Tuesday, Mohammed Faraj Al-Ghoul, was a member of the bloc of representatives from the group that won seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council in the last election held among Palestinians, in 2006.
Hamas won a majority in the vote, but relations with the main Fatah faction that had long led the Palestinian Authority unraveled and ended with Hamas taking over the Gaza Strip in 2007. The legislative council has not formally convened since.
The Israeli military says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in densely populated areas. But daily, it hits homes and shelters where people are living without warning or explanation of the target.
The latest attacks came after US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held two days of talks last week that ended with no sign of a breakthrough in negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage release.
Israel has killed more than 58,400 Palestinians and wounded more than 139,000 others in its retaliation campaign since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Just over half the dead are women and children, according to the ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its tally.
The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, is led by medical professionals. Its count, based on daily reports from hospitals, is considered by the United Nations and other experts to be the most reliable.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after its attack 20 month ago, in which militants stormed into southern Israel and killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. They abducted 251 others, and the militants are still holding 50 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive.
Israel’s air and ground campaign has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and driven some 90 percent of the population from their homes. Aid groups say they have struggled to bring in food and other assistance because of Israeli military restrictions and the breakdown of law and order, and experts have warned of famine.
UN’s Syria commission urges deescalation amid Suwayda clashes, warns against Israeli airstrikes

- Clashes in southern region between Bedouin tribal forces and Druze-affiliated armed groups have killed dozens, including women and children
- Ministry of Defense says at least 18 soldiers have been killed; residents describe widespread killings, abductions, arson, looting, and surge in hate speech
NEW YORK CITY: The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic expressed grave concern on Monday about escalating violence in Suwayda Governorate in the south of the country.
Clashes there between Bedouin tribal forces and Druze-affiliated armed groups have left dozens dead, including women and children.
More than 100 people have reportedly been injured in recent days, as fighting intensifies and the Syrian Interim Government deploys security and military forces to the area. The Ministry of Defense said at least 18 soldiers had been killed. Local residents describe widespread killings, abductions, arson, looting, and a surge in hate speech, both online and in public.
The UN commission urged all parties to immediately cease hostilities and engage in dialogue to deescalate the situation. It emphasized the obligation of the government to uphold human rights and protect all civilians, without discrimination, and called for the provision of safe passage for those attempting to flee the violence, along with access for humanitarian aid efforts.
The commission also expressed alarm over reports of Israeli airstrikes in the region, warning that any third-party interventions risked expanding the conflict and compounding the suffering of the Syrian population.
It said it was investigating alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws linked to the recent unrest, and its findings would be published in a forthcoming report.