{"id":47561,"date":"2022-01-31T12:23:26","date_gmt":"2022-01-31T12:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=47561"},"modified":"2022-01-31T12:23:26","modified_gmt":"2022-01-31T12:23:26","slug":"syria-air-defenses-intercept-israeli-missile-barrage-state-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=47561","title":{"rendered":"Syria air defenses intercept\u00a0Israeli missile barrage: state media"},"content":{"rendered":"<div readability=\"130\">\n<p>\nKUWAIT CITY:\u00a0Kuwait said on Sunday that a Lebanese response to a list of suggested measures to ease a diplomatic rift with Gulf countries is currently under review.<\/p>\n<p>\nKuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah said that receiving the response was a \u201cpositive step by the Lebanese authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\nHe was speaking during a news conference following a meeting of Arab foreign ministers, which was attended by Lebanon\u2019s top diplomat Abdallah Bou Habib.<\/p>\n<p>\nSheikh Ahmed visited Beirut last week and handed Lebanese leaders a list of suggested measures to ease a diplomatic rift with Gulf countries.<\/p>\n<p>\nIn October, Saudi Arabia and its allies suspended diplomatic ties with Lebanon after the airing of comments by then Information Minister Georges Kordahi criticizing the military conflict in Yemen.<\/p>\n<p>\nKuwait recalled its ambassador from Beirut and also asked Beirut\u2019s charge d\u2019affaires to leave the emirate.<\/p>\n<p>\nKordahi resigned in November, in a bid to ease the standoff and French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris and Riyadh had agreed to fully engage to restore diplomatic ties.<\/p>\n<p>\n\u201cIt is now up to the relevant parties in Kuwait and in the Gulf states to study this response in order to find out what will be Lebanon\u2019s next step,\u201d said Sheikh Ahmed.<\/p>\n<p>\nHe thanked Beirut \u201cfor interacting\u201d with the demands, which he said was a positive step.<\/p>\n<p>\nThe measures presented by Kuwait are part of wider efforts to restore trust between Lebanon and its Gulf neighbors as Beirut grapples with an unprecedented financial crisis.<\/p>\n<p>\nThe terms delivered to Beirut on Jan. 22 include setting a time frame for implementing UN Security Council resolutions, among them Resolution 1559 which was adopted in 2004 and calls for the disarmament of nonstate militias in Lebanon.<\/p>\n<p>\nThe Lebanese draft letter had expressed respect for UN resolutions \u201cto ensure civil peace and national stability\u201d and said that Lebanon \u201cwill not be a launchpad for activities that violates Arab countries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\nDespite Kordahi\u2019s resignation, tension between Lebanon and Gulf states has persisted, mainly over Iran-backed Hezbollah.<\/p>\n<p>\nEarlier this month, Saudi Arabia\u2019s ambassador to Beirut called on Lebanese political parties to \u201cend Hezbollah\u2019s terrorist hegemony over every aspect of the state.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\nAlso on Sunday, the Maronite Christian patriarch said former Prime Minister Saad Hariri\u2019s decision to step back from politics and boycott a parliamentary election in May must not be used as an excuse to call for a delay.<\/p>\n<p>\nCardinal Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi said he was surprised by the decision and said he hoped Sunnis would still take part so the election \u201cexpresses the position of all Lebanese.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\nHariri\u2019s decision has turned the electoral landscape on its head, adding to the uncertainties facing the country.<\/p>\n<p>\n\u201cGiven the importance of this parliamentary (election), we must all confront attempts to circumvent it,\u201d Al-Rahi said, noting the new parliament would elect President Michel Aoun\u2019s replacement.<\/p>\n<p>\nReferring to Hariri\u2019s decision, he said \u201cit is not allowed for some to invoke the new reality and promote the postponement of the parliamentary elections.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\nHe did not say to whom he was referring.<\/p>\n<p>\nLebanon\u2019s 2018 election produced a majority for Hezbollah and its allies, who include Aoun. Its adversaries hope to overturn this in May.<\/p>\n<p>\nAl-Rahi is a critic of Hezbollah, saying it has harmed Lebanon by dragging it into regional conflicts.<\/p>\n<p>\nWhile none of Lebanon\u2019s main parties have called for an election delay, many observers believe this may well suit a number of influential players.<\/p>\n<p>\nWestern states want the vote to go ahead on time.<\/p>\n<p>\nSaad Hariri will leave a fractured Sunni community in his wake.<\/p>\n<p>\nOn Friday, his older brother, Bahaa signaled he was entering politics, saying he would \u201ccontinue the journey\u201d of his father Rafik Al-Hariri.<\/p>\n<p>\nBahaa plans to support candidates but will not be running himself.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>KUWAIT CITY:\u00a0Kuwait said on Sunday that a Lebanese response to a list of suggested measures to ease a diplomatic rift with Gulf countries is currently under review. Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah said that receiving the response was a \u201cpositive step by the Lebanese authorities.\u201d He was speaking during a news conference&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spotlight_news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47561","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=47561"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47561\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}