Lebanon is reaching a critical point in its efforts to disarm Hezbollah, with the cabinet due to formally discuss the issue on August 5 and President Joseph Aoun expected to address it in a speech on Friday.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called for a cabinet session next Tuesday to conclude discussions over “the extension of state sovereignty over all its territories” and weapons exclusivity − which in essence means disarming Hezbollah and other non-state groups.
“The session was brought forward due to external pressure on Lebanon regarding Hezbollah disarmament,” Lebanese sources familiar with the matter told The National. “Important decisions are expected to be made soon.”
The US has tied any postwar reconstruction aid and a potential halt to Israeli military operations to the full disarmament of Hezbollah across Lebanon. The country is still reeling from the aftermath of Hezbollah's year-long war with Israel and the economic collapse that began in 2019.
Whether the ministers will vote to issue a formal cabinet decision committing to disarm the Iran-backed group remains unclear. Although the cabinet does not consist of any political parties, it includes members who back Hezbollah or its allies.
“The Council of Ministers will focus on how to implement arms exclusivity,” said a source close to Mr Salam, but added that the road map to achieve that remains undecided.
They said it remained unclear “if there will be a vote or if there will be a decision by agreement. We will wait and see”.
The US continues to exert significant pressure on Lebanon to push forward and disarm Hezbollah. Mr Aoun and his government have repeatedly said this is their objective. But they warn that unless achieved in the right way, it risks fuelling tensions in a country already on edge.
Disarming Hezbollah became a possible outcome after its war with Israel left it weakened by significant losses.
The group's new reality has made it open to discussions on a national defence strategy but it has rejected talk of disarming while Israel continues to bomb Lebanon daily and occupies five points on Lebanese soil.
Hezbollah secretary general Naim Qassem spoke on Wednesday night to mark the first anniversary of the assassination of the group's top military commander, Fouad Shukr. A series of assassinations followed, targeting senior leaders of the group including long-serving secretary general Hassan Nasrallah.
Mr Qassem reiterated that Hezbollah's weapons arsenal was a “domestic issue," and insisted that Israel's continued occupation of Lebanese territory was a prelude to further expansion.
He added that the Lebanese state should focus on ending Israeli attacks on Lebanon and commencing with reconstruction projects before there is any talk of disarmament.
As he has repeatedly said previously, Mr Qassem insisted Hezbollah would never hand over their weapons to Israel.
US special envoy Tom Barrack has made regular visits to Lebanon, including last week, to push the disarmament plan.
He has warned that Lebanon risks being left behind in a rapidly changing region if it does not proceed with the reforms and disarm Hezbollah. Key international donors have also made clear that any desperately needed economic assistance hinges on progress on both fronts.
In March, the World Bank said reconstruction and recovery needs in Lebanon were estimated at US$11 billion after Israel's war with Hezbollah. Some US$4.6 billion of the damage costs were to the housing sector alone – with around 100,000 housing units partially or fully damaged, the World Bank said.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
The Two Popes
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce
Four out of five stars
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
European arms
Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons. Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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Torque: 175Nm
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