Lebanon

BEIRUT (AP) — The holiday of Eid al-Fitr ushered in a day of prayers and joy for Muslims around the world on Friday. The celebration was marred by tragedy amid the explosion of conflict in Sudan, while in other countries it came against the backdrop of hopes for a better future.

After the Ramadan month of fasting, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr with feasts and family visits. The start of the holiday is traditionally based on sightings of the new moon, which vary according to geographic location.

BEIRUT (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat arrived in the Syrian capital on Tuesday, the first official visit by an official from the kingdom in more than a decade, the Syrian government said.

The visit by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to Damascus follows that of his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mikdad, to Riyadh last week. Syrian state news agency SANA reported that after his arrival, the Saudi top diplomat was received by Syrian President Bashar Assad.

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s parliament Tuesday postponed municipal elections for up to a year for a second time amid concerns the government would not be able to secure the needed funding in time for polling.

The delay came as Lebanon’s economy and infrastructure continue to crumble, with legislators in the deeply divided parliament unable to reach a settlement to end a presidential vacuum for almost six months.

15 Apr 2023; MEMO: The Secretary-General of the Lebanese Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah has called for providing arms and financial support to West Bank fighters to confront the Israeli occupation.

14 Apr 2023; MEMO: Lebanon's Hezbollah warned on Wednesday that any Israeli escalation, including in Jerusalem, would be met with responses "from all arenas."

The head of Hezbollah's Executive Council, Sayyed Hashim Safi Al-Din, said in a press conference on the occasion of Quds Day that Palestine and Jerusalem have "united the resistance" and that "Zionists are losing their temper."

"Today, many people as well as the great Palestinian people are standing behind the resistance," he added.

BEIRUT (AP) — Syria and Saudi Arabia are moving toward reopening embassies and resuming flights between the two countries for the first time in more than a decade, the countries said Thursday in a joint statement.

The announcement followed a visit by Syria’s top diplomat to the kingdom, the first since Saudi Arabia cut off diplomatic relations with Syria in 2012.

BEIRUT (AP) — It was a cold night 50 years ago when an Israeli commando team led by a man disguised as a woman infiltrated a posh Beirut neighborhood and shot and killed three top officials from the Palestine Liberation Organization in their apartments.

The anniversary is little noted, but the April 10, 1973 operation has a relevance that continues today.

09 Apr 2023; MEMO: Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah held talks on Sunday with Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh amid tension in occupied East Jerusalem, Anadolu reports.

Violence rose across the Palestinian territories after Israeli forces last week forcibly removed worshippers from inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.

The Israeli raids on the mosque triggered rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, with Israeli retaliating with air and artillery shelling.

07 Apr 2023; MEMO: "Targeting of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israel will inflame the region," the head of Hezbollah's Executive Council, Hashem Safieddine, said on Thursday.

He added in brief remarks that he gave to Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV channel, that the "Zionists should know that Al-Aqsa Mosque is not alone; rather, behind it are hundreds of millions of Muslims who are ready to die for it."

Dozens of rockets were fired from Lebanon on Thursday noon towards the settlements of the Upper Galilee.

07 Apr 2023; MEMO: Lebanon intends to lodge an official complaint with the UN Security Council over the deliberate Israeli aggression that took place early Friday, according to a Foreign Ministry statement, reports Anadolu Agency.

The ministry said Israel had violated Lebanon's sovereignty by bombing areas in southern Lebanon.