‘Nowhere is safe’: Lebanon Christian village reels from Israel strike
‘Nowhere is safe’: Lebanon Christian village reels from Israel strike/node/2575430/middle-east
‘Nowhere is safe’: Lebanon Christian village reels from Israel strike
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Men clear debris off the roof of a building by the site of a previous Israeli air strike on the village of Aito in northern Lebanon on October 15, 2024. (AFP)
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People search the rubble of a destroyed building at the site of a previous Israeli air strike on the village of Aito in northern Lebanon on October 15, 2024. (AFP)
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A Lebanese army soldier checks a destroyed car at the site of Monday's Israeli airstrike in Aito village, north Lebanon, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP)
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A man walks through rubble past an excavator showing a poster of the Virgin Mary clearing debris at the site of a previous Israeli air strike on the village of Aito in northern Lebanon on October 15, 2024. (AFP)
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A torn plush bear doll is strewn past debris and rubble at the site of a previous Israeli air strike on the village of Aito in northern Lebanon on October 15, 2024. (AFP)
‘Nowhere is safe’: Lebanon Christian village reels from Israel strike
The bombing sent many people fleeing to Lebanon’s mountains, including Christian villages which are coming to fear the cost of hosting displaced communities
Updated 16 October 2024
AFP
AITO: Elie Alwan sheltered a displaced Shiite family from southern Lebanon in his peaceful Christian-majority village, believing they would be safe — instead an Israeli air strike killed them, destroyed his home and injured his mother.
The October 14 strike on the north Lebanon village of Aito in the Zgharta district killed 23 people, including at least 12 women and two children, many of them displaced from south Lebanon, according to the official National News Agency.
“It’s a massacre that happened in my home,” said 42-year-old Alwan.
The attack, which wiped out an entire family, was the first time the mountain village has been struck by Israel, which has mostly targeted Shiite-dominated Hezbollah strongholds.
The four-story building where Alwan lived was destroyed and the displaced family whom he had known for 15 years were wiped out.
“They were a decent family,” said the father of four, blood stains still visible on the rubble-strewn ground beside him.
“I welcomed them as friends.”
Michel Moawad, an MP opposed to Hezbollah and a native of the region, said the strike targeted a member of the pro-Iranian militant group.
A security official, speaking anonymously to AFP, said the strike occurred just after a man arrived by car at the building to visit the displaced family.
“I blame the man who came here. Why did you put us in this mess?” said Alwan, who is now forced to rent a house in the coastal town of Chekka, several kilometers (miles) away.
He was not there during the strike, but his mother was wounded in the leg and was being treated in hospital.
As excavators worked to clear the mountain road a day after the strike, the stench of corpses hung in the air and human remains lay in a ditch at the side of the road.
A statue of Saint Charbel Makhlouf, a Christian Maronite was intact but surrounded by destruction.
The strike sparked alarm across Lebanon’s north and prompted a call for an independent and thorough investigation from the UN rights office.
“We have real concerns with respect to... the laws of war and the principles of distinction, proportion and proportionality,” spokesman Jeremy Laurence told reporters on Monday.
A year of cross-border clashes between Israel and Hezbollah escalated on September 23 when Israel dramatically increased its bombing of Hezbollah strongholds in the country’s east, south and Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The bombing sent many people fleeing to Lebanon’s mountains, including Christian villages which are coming to fear the cost of hosting displaced communities.
“We are Christians, our religion teaches us tolerance. But now we have learned our lesson. We will no longer welcome anyone into the family” home, said Alwan’s brother Sarkis, who lives just next door.
Sarkis did not name Hezbollah but suggested he was angry with the powerful Iran-backed group for dragging Lebanon into a war with Israel.
“We are no match for the United States,” Israel’s main ally, said Sarkis.
Nearby, Adele Khoury was unequivocal in her condemnation of the militant group.
“Hezbollah has brought us into a war from which we can no longer escape,” she said.
Standing beside the church square, the elderly woman said she feared Israel’s string of assassinations of Hezbollah officials would leave no community unharmed.
“We are afraid every day that Israel will come and target us, because wherever there is a (Hezbollah) commander, they target him,” she said.
But when talking about the displaced, she was more sympathetic.
“The poor things, they fled to safe areas, but now nowhere is safe.”
Syria’s Sharaa to discuss defense pact with Turkiye’s Erdogan, sources say
Updated 5 sec ago
Reuters
AMMAN/BEIRUT/DAMASCUS: Syria’s transitional President Ahmed Al-Sharaa and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan are expected to discuss a joint defense pact in Ankara on Tuesday, including establishing Turkish air bases in central Syria and training for Syria’s new army, four sources familiar with the matter said. NATO member Turkiye has long backed Syria’s armed and political opposition to ousted leader Bashar Assad, who was toppled in late December in a lightning offensive spearheaded by Sharaa’s forces. Ankara is positioning itself to play a major role in the new Syria, filling a vacuum left by Assad’s main regional backer Iran, in an expansion of Turkish sway that could spark rivalry with Gulf Arab states and put Israel on edge. The sources — a Syrian security official, two Damascus-based foreign security sources and a senior regional intelligence official — spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media about the meeting. This is the first time that elements of any strategic defense arrangement by Syria’s new leaders, including details of additional Turkish bases, have come to light. The pact could see Turkiye establish new air bases in Syria, use Syrian airspace for military purposes, and take a lead role in training troops in Syria’s new army, the sources said. Syria’s new leadership has dissolved the army and its various rebel factions, and is working on integrating them into a new military command. The sources said the deal was not expected to be finalized on Tuesday.
TURKISH AIR BASES IN SYRIA The regional intelligence official, the Syrian security official and one of the Damascus-based foreign security sources said the talks would include setting up two Turkish bases in Syria’s vast central desert region, known as the Badiyah. An official in Syria’s presidency told Reuters that Sharaa would discuss Turkiye’s “training of the new Syrian army, as well as new areas of deployment and cooperation” with Erdogan, without specifying the deployment locations. The Turkish presidency and Syrian defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the issue. The Turkish presidency’s communications director Fahrettin Altun said on Monday that Erdogan and Sharaa would discuss the latest developments in Syria and possible joint measures to rebuild Syria’s economy and achieve stability and security. A Turkish defense ministry official familiar with the talks between both defense ministries told Reuters he did not have information on Turkish bases in Syria and training for Syrian troops as part of a possible defense pact.
TURKEY’S AIR DEFENSE ROLE The senior regional intelligence official, the Syrian security official and one of the Damascus-based foreign security sources said the bases under discussion would allow Turkiye to defend Syria’s air space in case of any future attacks. Assad’s other main backer — Russia — is also in talks with the new Damascus administration about the fate of its two military bases in Syria, a naval base in Tartous and an air base near the port city of Latakia, the Kremlin said on Monday. In an interview in January, Syria’s defense minister Murhaf Abu Qasra told Reuters the country’s new leaders would seek to build strong ties in the region, “and that through these ties, we will be able to build our military force well.” If these ties lead to a partnership “on arming, training, air defense or other issues — we would welcome it,” Abu Qasra said, without mentioning Turkiye. The regional intelligence official said the possible air base locations were the Palmyra military airport and the Syrian army’s T4 base, both in the province of Homs.
MESSAGE TO KURDISH FIGHTERS The official said Ankara was keen to set up bases there as a message to Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria, known as the People’s Protection Units (YPG). Ankara views them as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 and is deemed a terrorist group by both Turkiye and the US Turkiye has threatened a military offensive against the YPG, but has held off as talks are underway to address the fate of the Kurdish forces. The Turkish defense ministry official told Reuters that Turkish and Syrian military delegations exchanged views last week on “what can be done in defense and security matters, especially in the joint fight against terrorist organizations that pose a threat to both Syria and Turkiye.” “Our meetings will continue within the framework of the needs that will occur in coming period,” the official added. Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said in December that Turkiye was “ready to provide the necessary support if the new (Syrian) administration requested it. Ankara may discuss and reevaluate the issue of Turkiye’s military presence in Syria with the new Syrian administration “when necessary conditions arise,” Guler said at the time.
Israeli military says troops shoot dead gunman in West Bank
Updated 40 min 12 sec ago
AFP
JERUSALEM: The Israeli army said Tuesday that its troops had killed a gunman who critically wounded two soldiers when he opened fire at a military post in the occupied West Bank.
“A terrorist fired at soldiers at a military post in Tayasir. The soldiers exchanged fire with the terrorist and killed him,” the military said in a statement.
Israeli emergency services said six people were treated at the scene and evacuated to hospitals for treatment.
Israeli army radio reported that two of the soldiers were in critical condition.
Israeli forces have been engaged in what the army says is “an operation to thwart terrorism” in the northern area of the West Bank, primarily in the area of Jenin, long a hotbed of militancy.
On Sunday, the army said that it had killed at least 50 “militants” since it launched an operation on January 21, while the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah said Israeli forces have killed 70 people in the territory since the start of the year.
The operation has also seen troops levelling buildings in a refugee camp adjacent to Jenin.
The offensive has drawn sharp condemnation from the Palestinian Authority, which called Israel’s actions “ethnic cleansing.”
Violence has surged across the West Bank since war began in Gaza with the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 884 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the war, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
At least 30 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military raids in the territory over the same period, according to official Israeli figures.
Israel preparing to send team to Doha to discuss ceasefire
Talks on a second phase, paving the way to a possible end to the war, are due to begin on Tuesday
Updated 04 February 2025
Reuters
JERUSALEM: Israel is preparing to send a high-level delegation to the Qatari capital Doha to discuss continued implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Tuesday.
Under the terms of the original deal that sealed a 42-day truce and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners, talks on a second phase, paving the way to a possible end to the war, are due to begin on Tuesday.
From urban bars to country weddings, Moroccan folk singers break barriers and keep traditions alive
Those who come to hear them sing say cheikha can serve as a community’s truth-tellers, singing about often unspoken dynamics related to marriage, agriculture or, historically, colonial resistance
Morocco’s music scene is increasingly embracing Middle Eastern pop and rap by North African artists from throughout the diaspora
Updated 04 February 2025
AP
SIDI YAHYA ZAER, Morocco: Mbarka Moullablad’s family frowned when she first told them she planned to make a living as a cheikha, singing about love, pain, and societal change to the melodies of her ancestors under the stage name “Thouria.”
Women like her are the stewards of one of Morocco’s most cherished oral traditions: a form of folk singing known as aita, which means a “cry” or “lament” in Arabic. From smoky bars and cabarets in Morocco’s largest cities to the gatherings in the country’s rural regions, they croon at weddings, festivals and private events and pub nights, hypnotizing audiences both humble and wealthy.
Girls dance during a traditional performance known as Aita, in Tamesna, south of the capital Rabat, Morocco, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP)
But despite aita’s position in Moroccan culture, the genre’s popularity does not always translate into acceptance for those who perform it. Cheikha are often stigmatized, eroticized, and pushed to society’s margins. That was once a fear for Moullablad, but she says her community in Sidi Yahya Zaer, a farming town on Morocco’s Atlantic plains, has mostly accepted her.
“My family did not agree at first and I used to suffer from society’s judgment, but now everything is good,” Moullablad said on the sidelines of a recent performance south of Morocco’s capital, Rabat. “I do it in order to earn money for my children.”
Cheikha folk singer Mbarka "Thouria" Moullablad applies makeup as she prepares for a traditional performance known as Aita, in Sidi Yahya Zaer, south of the capital Rabat, Morocco, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP)
A form of sung poetry, aita has long explored themes of societal triumphs, ironies, and unspoken struggles, including those related to relationships and economic hardship. Cheikha don heavy stage makeup, silk caftans, and golden takchita belts as they sing about their community’s agonies and triumphs. They sway their hips to amplify emotion, dancing seductively or cheerfully depending on the context.
When Moullablad performs, men and women lean in as her voice softens, captivated as she climbs octaves into a full-throated howl. The beads wrapped around her sister Fatiha’s belly shake as she dances. The band leader, another singer, backs her with his own poetry while a drummer keeps the beat, a guitarist strums, and a violinist drags his bow in sync.
A music band prepares for a traditional performance known as Aita, in Sidi Yahya Zaer, south of the capital Rabat, Morocco, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP)
Those who come to hear them sing say cheikha can serve as a community’s truth-tellers, singing about often unspoken dynamics related to marriage, agriculture or, historically, colonial resistance. Moullablad sings in Moroccan Arabic, embodying traditions specific to her community. But cheikha across the North African Kingdom also perform in the indigenous Amazigh language, adapting the music and lyrics to reflect their region.
The art form has inspired contemporary acts like the electro-infused “Aita, Mon Amour” and Kabareh Cheikhats, a troupe of male actors who pay homage, dress and sing in the tune of Morocco’s most celebrated 20th century women folk singers. It is also the subject of Morocco’s submission for this year’s Academy Awards, “Everybody Loves Touda,” which follows a single mother who leaves her town in the Atlas Mountains to pursue her dream of singing in bars, cabarets, and hotels in Casablanca.
Moroccan tea is distributed during a traditional performance known as Aita, in Tamesna, south of the capital Rabat, Morocco, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP)
“I was always amazed by their strength and the power that they have toward people when they open their mouths. Whether they are modern or conservative people, they all stand up and get into a kind of trance like gospel,” Nabil Ayouch, the film’s director, said in an interview when the film premiered at the Marrakech Film Festival last year.
Morocco’s music scene is increasingly embracing Middle Eastern pop and rap by North African artists from throughout the diaspora. And rural communities are shrinking amid the country’s rapid development and urbanization. But though the future of aita may seem uncertain, its musicians and listeners remain confident that it will endure.
“Aita will not die because it is renewed by young people. Aita will remain in all times and is loved by old people and young people as well. It is developed and improved, but they preserve its origins,” said Rachid Kadari, a Cheikh who also sings aita.
How the Zayed Award amplifies the work of its honorees to further their humanitarian missions
This year’s award recognizes Barbados PM Mia Mottley, World Central Kitchen, and young innovator Heman Bekele
By receiving the award in 2024, surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub has been able to expand his life-saving care to underserved communities
Updated 04 February 2025
Arab News
DUBAI: In a world grappling with crises ranging from conflict and humanitarian emergencies to economic vulnerability and climate change, the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity stands as a beacon of hope.
Since its establishment in 2019, the award, which includes a $1 million prize, has recognized individuals and organizations whose work embodies the universal values of peace, solidarity, and human dignity.
The trophies for the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity. (Supplied)
This year, the 2025 honorees — Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, humanitarian relief organization World Central Kitchen, and 15-year-old health innovator Heman Bekele — have each demonstrated a commitment to making the world a better place.
The Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, named in honor of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late founder of the UAE, has become a symbol of recognizing and amplifying transformative humanitarian efforts worldwide.
The award is one of the outcomes of the dialogue between the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb and Pope Francis, which led to the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity in Abu Dhabi in 2019.
With Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (L) as witness, Pope Francis (C) and Egypt's Al Azhar Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb sign documents during the Human Fraternity Meeting at the Founders Memorial in Abu Dhabi on February 4, 2019. (AFP)
Egyptian-British cardiothoracic surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub meeting with Pope Francis during last year's edition of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity. (Supplied)
Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb congratulates Sir Magdi Yacoub during last year's awarding ceremonies. (Supplied)
This year’s three recipients will be honored at a ceremony at the Founder’s Memorial in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 4.
The selection process for the annual award is rigorous, with an independent jury reviewing hundreds of nominations from individuals and organizations dedicated to advancing human fraternity.
“It is the judging committee’s honor to spotlight three outstanding honorees who are addressing some of today’s most urgent challenges — climate resilience, humanitarian relief, and youth-driven innovation,” Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, secretary-general of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, said in a statement.
2025 HONOREES
• Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has long advocated for climate resilience, global financial reform, and renewable energy.
• World Central Kitchen has provided more than 300 million meals in crisis zones, including 70 million meals in Gaza since 2023.
• Heman Bekele developed an affordable soap to treat early-stage skin cancer, demonstrating the power of youth-led solutions in healthcare.
“This year’s recipients demonstrate that transformative work can be undertaken at any age, in any place in the world, and in any field.”
Mottley has gained international recognition for her relentless advocacy in addressing climate change and her leadership in pushing for financial reform to support vulnerable nations.
Her efforts through the Bridgetown Initiative — a bold call for restructuring global financial systems — aim to ensure that developing nations have equitable access to climate resilience funding.
“She has committed to achieving 100 percent renewable energy for Barbados by 2030, investing in solar, wind, and other clean energy sources,” the award committee said in a statement.
Through her persistent advocacy, Barbados PM Mia Amor Mottley (shown on screen) has helped enable nations burdened by debt to reallocate funds toward climate adaptation and sustainability projects. (Supplied)
By pioneering debt-for-climate swaps, Mottley has enabled nations burdened by debt to reallocate funds toward climate adaptation and sustainability projects.
The award committee said Mottley’s leadership is a testament to how governance, when rooted in sustainability and equity, can create lasting change, and that her selection reinforces the global urgency of addressing climate change as an issue of human fraternity and justice.
Also among this year’s honorees is World Central Kitchen. Founded by Jose Andres in 2010, the charity has redefined humanitarian relief by providing immediate, fresh, and locally-sourced meals to people affected by disasters and crises.
World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres attends an interfaith memorial service for the seven WCK workers killed in Gaza, at the Washington National Cathedral, in Washington, DC, on April 25, 2024. (AFP)
With more than 300 million meals served in over 30 countries, WCK’s work has proven essential in responding to humanitarian emergencies.
A particularly poignant example of the charity’s impact came in 2023 and 2024 when WCK delivered more than 70 million meals to Palestinians in Gaza, collaborating with local chefs and suppliers to ensure swift and effective relief under challenging circumstances.
Volunteers of the World Central Kitchen cook meals to be distributed to needy Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 3, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement. (AFP)
“Through collaborations — including with the UAE — and its innovative ‘first-on-the-ground’ approach, WCK has demonstrated its capabilities in providing meals to the people who need them most,” the award committee said.
The organization’s commitment to dignity and community resilience has earned it admiration worldwide. By working alongside local communities, WCK ensures that its relief efforts do not just provide temporary aid but strengthen long-term food security.
In a first for the Zayed Award, a youth category was introduced this year to honor the contributions of the next generation.
At just 15 years of age, Ethiopian-American innovator Heman Bekele has already made a significant contribution to global healthcare.
Hemen Bekele competing in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge in 2023. (Instagram)
In 2024, at the age of 14, he developed a cost-effective soap to help prevent and treat early-stage skin cancer, a breakthrough that earned him TIME’s “Kid of the Year” and various accolades in science competitions.
Now working alongside researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Bekele aims to scale up his innovation to reach communities most in need.
“His ambition to save lives and his vision of accessible and affordable healthcare” were central to his selection as the first youth honoree of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, the award committee said.
Bekele’s work exemplifies the award’s commitment to recognizing contributions at any age. Indeed, his inclusion sends a strong message that the next generation is not just the future of humanitarian innovation but an active and powerful force in the present.
Since its inception, the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity has sought to amplify the voices and initiatives of individuals and organizations that inspire hope and action.
“Beyond recognizing outstanding contributions to human solidarity and fraternity, the award actively fosters global dialogue through dedicated platforms,” Abdelsalam, the award’s secretary general, told Arab News.
One such initiative is the Human Fraternity Majlis, which brings together global leaders, Nobel laureates, and youth representatives to explore solutions to pressing global challenges.
Last year’s winner Sir Magdi Yacoub mee other winners nof the Fraterniuty Awadrd (Supplied)
Another is the annual Zayed Award for Human Fraternity Roundtable, which provides a space for honorees and judges to collaborate on advancing the principles of human fraternity worldwide.
“In just five years, the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity has grown into a worldwide movement that encourages collaboration, fraternity, and communication between individuals from different cultures, religions, and backgrounds,” said Abdelsalam.
“Millions of people worldwide have benefited from the projects spearheaded by past honorees.”
AWARD IMPACT
* Since receiving the award in 2024, Egyptian-British cardiothoracic surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub has been able to expand his life-saving care to underserved communities.
The award does not just celebrate achievements — it actively supports and expands their reach. A striking example of this is last year’s honoree, renowned cardiac surgeon Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub.
His groundbreaking work in heart surgery and his initiatives to provide life-saving care to underserved communities were amplified through the award’s recognition.
With financial backing from the Zayed Award, Yacoub expanded his work to establish the Rwanda Heart Center in Kigali — a project modeled after his successful Aswan Heart Centre in Egypt.
“The prize means we can do more research, speed up the building of the Rwanda Heart Centre, and continue making an impact,” Yacoub said in 2024.
Sir Magdi Yacoub visiting a patient at the Rwanda Heart Centre. (Courtesy of My Heart Centre Rwanda)
Such outcomes highlight the real-world impact of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity. It is not merely an honor — it is an investment in solutions that drive tangible change.
In recognizing Mottley, WCK, and Bekele, the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity reaffirms the importance of leadership, innovation, and service to humanity.
Whether through shaping climate policy, feeding those in crisis, or developing life-saving healthcare solutions, these honorees exemplify what it means to act for the greater good.
As the 2025 ceremony approaches, the award serves as a reminder that impactful change can come from governments, non-profits, or even a determined teenager with a vision for a better world.
More than ever, these efforts need to be celebrated, supported, and replicated. Or, as Abdelsalam put it: “Now more than ever, these contributions serve as a beacon of hope in a world facing increasing division.”
