The Lebanese prime minister on Saturday headed to the Syrian capital, Damascus, for the primary official go to to satisfy with the brand new authorities there, after clashes alongside the international locations’ shared border left a number of Lebanese troopers wounded final week.
The prime minister, Najib Mikati, spoke with Ahmad al-Shara, the chief of the brand new Syrian authorities, on Saturday afternoon, in accordance with the Lebanese prime minister’s workplace. Mr. al-Shara leads Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamist group that spearheaded the lightning offensive that toppled the decades-long rule of Bashar al-Assad, the previous Syrian president, final month.
Mr. Mikati’s go to got here after the election of Joseph Aoun as Lebanon’s president this week after two years wherein the workplace lay vacant. Mr. Aoun will quickly start consultations on nominating a brand new prime minister subsequent week.
In Syria, Mr. al-Shara faces the problem of imposing order on a rustic that has been devastated by 14 years of civil battle that break up it into a number of warring areas and spurred a proliferation of armed teams.
Lebanon, like different international locations on Syria’s borders, fears that its inner chaos may spill over into its territory. Final week, at the least 5 Lebanese troopers had been wounded in clashes alongside the Syrian border after Syrian militants fired at Lebanese troopers. The Lebanese navy stated its troops had been attempting to close down an unlawful border crossing within the space.
Mr. Mikati spoke by cellphone with Mr. al-Shara after the incidents. Through the name, Mr. al-Shara pledged that “the Syrian authorities are doing all the pieces vital to revive calm on the border and stop the matter from recurring,” Mr. Mikati’s workplace stated on the time.
Additional underscoring these challenges, Syrian state media introduced on Saturday that its safety forces had arrested individuals accused of belonging to the Islamic State who had deliberate to commit a serious assault in Damascus.
The 2 males had deliberate to make use of explosives contained in the Sayeda Zeinab mausoleum, a holy web site notably commemorated by Shiite Muslims on the outskirts of Damascus, in accordance with SANA, the government-controlled outlet.
Whereas a world coalition led by the US has largely overwhelmed again ISIS in its former bastions in Iraq and Syria, the group remains to be energetic in some areas, and continues to encourage assaults on-line.
Right here’s what else is occurring within the area:
Gaza cease-fire talks: Efforts to succeed in a truce within the Gaza battle that might free the remaining hostages had been ongoing within the Qatari capital of Doha. Steve Witkoff, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s incoming Center East envoy, met on Friday evening with Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s prime minister. The 2 mentioned “efforts aimed toward reaching a cease-fire within the Gaza Strip,” amongst different points, in accordance with the Qatari overseas ministry. Qatar and Egypt have been mediating between Israel and Hamas — which refuse to barter immediately — with assist from the US.
Rockets from Gaza: Over 15 months within the battle between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militants are nonetheless firing munitions from the Gaza Strip, though each Israeli and U.S. officers say the group’s navy capability has been considerably degraded. Air-raid sirens went off in Kerem Shalom, an Israeli border neighborhood, on Saturday after a rocket launch from southern Gaza; the Israeli navy stated it was efficiently intercepted.
