Judge sets new date for questioning Lebanese PM

Lebanese prime minister Hassan Diab had been questioned by Judge Fadi Sawwan as a witness earlier but now he would face questions as a defendant. (Reuters)
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Updated 14 December 2020
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Judge sets new date for questioning Lebanese PM

  • Activists support the judge in what they see as a challenge to the political establishment

BEIRUT: The judicial investigator of the Beirut port bombing has said he will interrogate caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab at 9 a.m. on Friday.

The move means the judge has decided to proceed with his allegations against those accused of involvement in the explosion crime on Aug. 4, in which 202 people were killed.

Judge Fadi Sawan was supposed to go to the Prime Minister’s office on Monday to interrogate Diab after he had charged him and 3 other ministers with “negligence causing the death and injury of hundreds of people.”

The massive explosion of tons of ammonium nitrate injured more than 6,500 people and destroyed Beirut’s waterfront and entire residential neighborhoods.

Arab News learned from judicial sources that Judge Sawan also set next Friday as a date for the questioning of the former Minister of Public Works and Transport Ghazi Zaiter.

On Tuesday, Judge Sawan is scheduled to question two defendants, a member of the Higher Council of Customs, Hani Hajj Shehadeh, and the former customs chief, Moussa Hazimeh.

The former Minister of Finance, Ali Hassan Khalil, and the former Minister of Public Works and Transportation, Youssef Fenianos, is to be questioned on Thursday.

 Zaiter and Hassan Khalil said that they would not appear before Judge Sawan for questioning because “Sawan is violating constitutional principles.”

The Prime Minister’s media office repeated Diab’s previous position, which “respects the constitution that has been violated by Judge Sawan.”

On Monday, Diab resumed his job as usual in the Prime Minister’s office according to a schedule that did not include an appointment with Judge Sawan.

Mohammed Fahmy, interior minister in the caretaker government, confirmed his rejection of “targeting the prime minister’s position in the Beirut port explosion case because of the consequences of a 7-year-old complicated file cannot be blamed on a prime minister who has only been in office for a few months.”

Fahmy said that if Judge Sawan decides to issue arrest warrants against Diab and the accused former ministers, he (Fahmy) will not carry out any warrant and will not ask the security services under his authority to carry out a judicial decision of this kind. “They may prosecute me if they wish,” he said.

The number of officials, employees and workers arrested over the port explosion has reached 25, and there is a charge in absentia against the owner and captain of the ship that carried the ammonium nitrate.

The Future Parliamentary Bloc criticized against those who “stand behind Diab’s accusation.”

MP Mohammed Al-Hajjar, from the Future bloc, said: “Judge Sawan may have been pressured by the presidential team to take this option in the investigation, and Sawan was provided with false legal information to take a step that does not respect constitutional principles.”

The Amal Movement, to which ministers Zaiter and Hassan Khalil belong, said that the move by Judge Sawan was “contrary to the constitutional rules, and the port investigation must be kept away from any politicization.”

However, many activists carried out a sit-in in front of the Palace of Justice in Beirut, in solidarity with Judge Sawan.

Hayat Arslan called on Judge Sawan to “summon every perpetrator, and he must not retreat because his authority is from the people.”

Bahjat Salameh said: “If the state is against him, then he must know that the people are with him. Justice is indivisible and does not belong to a sect or doctrine, and every person who commits major or minor crimes must be brought to justice.”

The disobeying of Judge Sawan’s summons and solidarity with Diab contributed to the complexity domestic scene, amid the labors to form a government and the audit file in the Central Bank’s accounts.

The media office of the Prime Minister-designate, Saad Hariri, revealed that he “visited the President of the Republic 12 times so far in a relentless attempt to reach an understanding regarding the formation of the government, and each time Aoun expressed his satisfaction with the discussion process, and then things had changed after Hariri left the Republican Palace.”

In a statement on Monday, Hariri declared that “the Prime Minister-designate wants a government of non-partisan specialists to stop the collapse of the country and rebuild what was destroyed by the port explosion, while the president of the republic calls for a government in which all political parties are represented, including those that nominated the Prime Minister-designate or those that opposed his nomination.

“This will inevitably lead to controlling the decision-making process in the government, and will lead to the repetition of the experiences of several governments that were controlled by the factors of quotas and political tensions.”

He said that during his last visit to Aoun, Hariri “presented him with a complete government list with names and portfolios, including four names from the list that the President of the Republic handed over to the Prime Minister-designate” at a previous meeting.

 
 


Trump hails US-Israeli hostage release as ‘monumental news’

Updated 12 May 2025
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Trump hails US-Israeli hostage release as ‘monumental news’

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump on Sunday celebrated an announcement by Hamas that it would release US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander from Gaza, with the US president saying he hoped all hostages would be released and fighting ended.
“I am grateful to all those involved in making this monumental news happen,” Trump said in a post on social media, describing the release as a “good faith gesture,” adding: “Hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict.”
 

 


Israel attacks Yemen’s Hodeidah after evacuation warnings, Houthis say

A charred tank truck stands at an oil storage facility after Israeli strikes in Yemen’s Houthi-held port city of Hodeidah.
Updated 11 May 2025
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Israel attacks Yemen’s Hodeidah after evacuation warnings, Houthis say

  • Strikes came shortly after Israel warned residents of Ras Isa, Hodeidah and Salif to leave, saying the ports were being used by the Iranian-backed Houthis

HODEIDAH: Israel attacked Hodeidah in Yemen after the Israeli army said it had warned residents of three ports under Houthi control to evacuate, the Houthi interior ministry said on Sunday.
The strikes came shortly after Israel warned residents of Ras Isa, Hodeidah and Salif to leave, saying the ports were being used by the Iranian-backed Houthis.
There was no immediate comment on the attack from Israel.
The strikes came a few days after a missile launched toward Israel by the Houthis was intercepted.
The attack came ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East this week.
Trump, who had launched an intensified military campaign against Houthi strongholds in Yemen on March 15, agreed to an Oman-mediated ceasefire deal with the group, who said the accord did not include Israel.
The Houthis have been launching missiles and drones at Israel as well as attacking vessels in global shipping lanes, in a campaign that they say is aimed at showing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel has carried out numerous retaliatory airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.


Hamas, Trump envoy say last living US hostage in Gaza to be released in truce efforts

US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander has been held by Hamas since the October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the Gaza war. (File/AFP
Updated 12 May 2025
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Hamas, Trump envoy say last living US hostage in Gaza to be released in truce efforts

  • Envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed that Hamas had agreed to release Edan Alexander as a good will gesture toward Trump
  • Alexander is an Israeli-American soldier who grew up in the United States
  • Trump has frequently mentioned Alexander, now 21, by name in the past few months

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Hamas said Sunday that the last living American hostage in Gaza, Edan Alexander, will be released as part of efforts to establish a ceasefire, reopen crossings into the Israeli-blockaded territory and resume the delivery of aid. Two Hamas officials told The Associated Press they expect the release in the next 48 hours.
US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed late Sunday in a message to AP that Hamas had agreed to release Alexander as a good will gesture toward Trump.
The announcement of the first hostage release since Israel shattered a ceasefire in March comes shortly before Trump visits the Middle East this week. It highlighted the willingness of Israel’s closest ally to inject momentum into ceasefire talks for the 19-month war as desperation grows among hostages’ families and Gaza’s over 2 million people under the new Israeli blockade.
Alexander is an Israeli-American soldier who grew up in New Jersey. He was abducted from his base during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that ignited the war in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the US informed it of Hamas’ intent to release Alexander “without compensation or conditions” and that the step is expected to lead to negotiations on a truce. Netanyahu’s government was angered by US direct talks with Hamas earlier this year — which led to a Hamas offer to release Alexander and the bodies of four other hostages if Israel recommitted to a stalled ceasefire deal. Days later, however, Israel resumed the war.
Witkoff told the AP that Hamas’ goal in releasing Alexander was to restart talks on a ceasefire, the release of additional hostages and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza before Israel carries out a threatened total takeover of the territory.
Khalil Al-Hayyah, a Hamas leader in Gaza, said the group has been in contact with the US administration over the past few days.
Al-Hayyah said in a statement Hamas is ready to “immediately start intensive negotiations” to reach a final deal for a long-term truce, which includes an end to the war, the exchange of Palestinian prisoners and hostages in Gaza and the handing over of power in Gaza to an independent body of technocrats.
Indirect talks between Hamas and the US began five days ago, an Egyptian official and a senior Hamas official told the AP, with both describing the release of Alexander as a gesture of goodwill.
The senior Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said Alexander is expected to be released on Monday. Hamas was advised to “give a gift to President Trump and in return he will give back a better one,” the official said.
Another Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations, said Alexander’s release is expected in the next 48 hours, adding that it requires Israel to pause fighting for a couple of hours.
The Egyptian official involved in ceasefire negotiations, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss talks, said Hamas received assurances from the Trump administration through Egyptian and Qatari mediators that Alexander’s release “will put all files on the negotiating table” including an end to the war.
Alexander’s parents did not immediately return requests for comment.
Trump and Witkoff have frequently mentioned Alexander, now 21, by name in the past few months. Witkoff was traveling to the region on Monday ahead of Alexander’s expected release.
“Every time they say Edan’s name, it’s like they didn’t forget. They didn’t forget he’s American, and they’re working on it,” Edan’s mother, Yael Alexander, told The Associated Press earlier this year.
Hamas released a video of Alexander in November during the Thanksgiving weekend, his mother said. The video was difficult to watch as he cried and pleaded for help, but it was a relief to see the latest sign that he was alive, she said.
Fifty-nine hostages are still in Gaza, around a third of them believed to be alive. Most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. The Hostages Families Forum, the grassroots forum representing most hostage families, said Alexander’s release “must mark the beginning of a comprehensive agreement” that will free everyone.
Trump, whose administration has voiced full support for Israel’s actions, is set to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week in a regional tour.
Bombardment continues
Israeli strikes overnight and into Sunday killed 15 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to local health officials.
Two strikes hit tents in the southern city of Khan Younis, each killing two children and their parents, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. Another seven people were killed in strikes elsewhere, including a man and his child in a Gaza City neighborhood, according to hospitals and Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The Israeli military says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames Hamas for civilian deaths in the 19-month-old war because the militants are embedded in densely populated areas.
Israel has sealed Gaza off from all imports, including food, medicine and emergency shelter, for over 10 weeks in what it says is a pressure tactic aimed at forcing Hamas to release hostages. Israel in March shattered the ceasefire that had facilitated the release of more than 30 hostages.
Aid groups say the humanitarian crisis is worse than at any time in the war, with food running low.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostage.
Israel’s offensive has killed over 52,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants or civilians. The offensive has destroyed vast areas of the territory and displaced some 90 percent of its population.
Israel recovers remains of soldier killed in Lebanon in 1982
In a separate development, Israel said it retrieved the remains of a soldier killed in a 1982 battle in southern Lebanon after he had been classified as missing for more than four decades.
The Israeli military said Sgt. 1st Class Tzvi Feldman’s remains were recovered from deep inside Syria, without providing further details.
Netanyahu visited Feldman’s surviving siblings and told them that the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad late last year led to an “opportunity” that allowed the military and the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, to gather additional intelligence and locate and retrieve the body, according to video released by his office.
Feldman went missing, along with five other Israeli soldiers, in a battle with Syrian forces in the Lebanese town of Sultan Yaaqoub.


Qatar delivers more than 60,000 tonnes of fuel to Lebanese army

Updated 11 May 2025
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Qatar delivers more than 60,000 tonnes of fuel to Lebanese army

  • Delivery is third and final shipment of fuel for 25
  • Qatar’s actions indicate its support for the Lebanese people

LONDON: Qatar dispatched more than 60,000 tonnes of fuel to Lebanon on Sunday as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the country’s security capabilities.

The Qatar Fund for Development delivered the third and final fuel shipment for 2025, which comprised 62,000 tonnes of fuel, to the northern Lebanese port of Tripoli.

The fund stated that the shipment is intended to strengthen the Lebanese army’s operational capabilities and contribute to Lebanon's security and stability, the Qatar News Agency reported.

The delivery is a sign of Qatar’s support for the Lebanese people, as well as a contribution to prosperity and stability in the country, the QNA added.


Palestinian vice president discusses Gaza, West Bank with Qatar’s prime minister

Updated 11 May 2025
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Palestinian vice president discusses Gaza, West Bank with Qatar’s prime minister

  • Hussein Al-Sheikh calls for Palestinian Authority to take on civil, security responsibilities in Gaza
  • Qatari official briefed on latest developments in West Bank

LONDON: Hussein Al-Sheikh, the vice president of Palestine, has discussed in Doha the latest developments in the Gaza Strip and West Bank with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani.

Al-Sheikh spoke of the Palestinian stance on Gaza, calling for the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave to allow the Palestinian Authority to take on civil and security responsibilities, the Palestine News Agency reported.

The officials looked at the preparations for the upcoming Arab League Summit in Baghdad and the anticipated visit of US President Donald Trump to the region this week.

Al-Sheikh also briefed the Qatari official on the latest developments in the West Bank, highlighting the urgent need for a ceasefire and the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Qatar’s prime minister reaffirmed his country’s strong support for the Palestinian cause, emphasizing the importance of international law and the establishment of a Palestinian state, the WAFA Agency added.

Al-Sheikh was appointed vice president by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas after being selected as the deputy chairman of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization in April.

He met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Jeddah last week during his first regional visit following his appointment.