One killed in Syria clashes near Damascus

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Health Minister, Rakan Nasser Al-Din, announced on Saturday a comprehensive assessment of hospital needs in border areas that suffered significant damage during the recent Israeli offensive.

Al-Din traveled to the south on his first mission following the confidence vote in parliament for the government of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

He inspected several hospitals in the border area that were badly damaged during the recent Israeli offensive.

During a visit to Mays Al-Jabal Governmental Hospital, Al-Din said he wanted to see the extensive destruction caused by the brutal aggression that Lebanon has faced.

The minister highlighted the need to provide support and assistance, saying that the will to endure cannot be strengthened without aiding hospitals, particularly those in border areas.

Al-Din also visited hospitals in Bint Jbeil, Salah Ghandour, and Tebnine.

He told workers and activists in the towns that the government is committed to rebuilding and restoring all infrastructure, particularly health facilities.

“This will involve exploring avenues for reconstruction, enhancing medication availability, improving health care mechanisms, and strengthening human resources to ensure the effective operation of hospitals,” he said.

Lebanon’s “great ordeal is its repeated need, every decade or two, for reconstruction,” Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian said in his Ramadan message.

“We have tens of thousands of citizens who have lost their loved ones, their homes, or their villages.

“And there is no reconstruction without reform — not only because of resource-related challenges but because reform ensures that rebuilding and development are sustainable.

“Over two decades, we have seen how corruption destroyed the reconstruction and development efforts.”

Derian also referred to “the calamities and hardships facing Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, and the wider Arab world.”

He said that “one of the first signs of change is the downfall of those responsible for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, along with the deaths of hundreds of Lebanese and tens of thousands of Syrians.

“This dark cloud over Lebanon and Syria has been lifted all at once,” he said.

Derian added: “We know the difficulties are great and numerous.”

He hoped that “next Ramadan, we will witness the establishment of the state of Palestine, thanks to the perseverance and struggle of its people and the consensus of Arabs and Muslims on renewing the experience of a free and sovereign national state.”

Derian reflected on Saudi Founding Day, which was celebrated in an atmosphere of security and prosperity.

He said even the Americans and Russians found no better place to meet than Saudi Arabia, which plays a significant global role for itself, as well as for Arabs and Muslims.

The grand mufti’s message came as Lebanese President Joseph Aoun prepares to undertake his first foreign visit on Monday after being elected president.

Saudi Arabia will be his first destination, with Foreign Affairs Minister Youssef Rajji accompanying him.

According to the Presidential Palace, Aoun will meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before heading to Cairo to take part in the emergency Arab Summit on the rebuilding of Gaza.

A source at the presidential palace told Arab News that “this is not an official visit to Saudi Arabia but a response to the crown prince’s invitation to visit the Kingdom.”

No agreements will be signed during the visit, said the source.

According to the source, other ministers will accompany Aoun on a later visit to sign agreements and protocols to strengthen cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.

Aoun congratulated Lebanon’s Muslims on the arrival of Ramadan, which coincides with the beginning of Lent for Christians on Monday.

“This allows Lebanese of all religions to share the spiritual values embodied by fasting,” he said.

The grand mufti also said that the president’s election and inauguration provided Lebanon with opportunities for relief and recovery, including the possibility of peace in the south, the restoration of state authority over its territory, and the enhancement of relations with neighboring Arab nations and the international community.

“Now that the government has gained the confidence of parliament, it is entering a phase of follow-up and testing.

“This is intended to demonstrate to the Lebanese people, as well as to Arab and international public opinion, that the Lebanese state alone has the authority to make decisions on its territory.

“It alone shapes its relations with its Arab brothers and the rest of its friends,” said Derian.

UNITED NATIONS: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday warned against a return to hostilities in war-torn Gaza, saying such an outcome would be “catastrophic.”
As the first phase of the Israel-Hamas truce agreement drew to a close with uncertainty over the next steps, Guterres said in a statement that a “permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages are essential to preventing escalation and averting more devastating consequences for civilians.”