Belgium’s deputy PM slams Israel’s ‘horrendous’ attacks
Petra de Sutter said she was “shocked” by the toll from Israel’s attacks on Lebanon on Monday.
“492 lives lost in Lebanon. +1600 injured. Tens of 1000s were ordered to flee their homes. In 1 day,” she wrote on X.
“This horrendous attack by Israel won’t lead to any solution for the region. Only diplomacy will bring citizens home safely. Only a ceasefire will end the suffering,” she added.
I’m shocked.
492 lives lost in Lebanon. +1600 injured. Tens of 1000s were ordered to flee their homes. In 1 day.
This horrendous attack by Israel won’t lead to any solution for the region.
Only diplomacy will bring citizens home safely. Only a ceasefire will end the suffering. https://t.co/Gd7Q7lOw0R
— Petra De Sutter (@pdsutter) September 24, 2024
Qatar Airways suspends flights to Beirut
The Qatari national carrier said it has “temporarily suspended flights to and from Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport” until Wednesday. It cited the “ongoing situation in Lebanon”.
“The safety of our passengers remains our highest priority,” it added.
Germany’s Lufthansa, Air France and Delta Air Lines of the United States have also suspended flights to Beirut in recent days with some carriers’ services to Israel and Iran also affected.
Lebanon’s PM Mikati to head to New York
The media office of Najib Mikati has said Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister has decided “in light of the recent developments” to travel to New York, where the United Nations is based, cancelling a cabinet meeting scheduled for this morning.
The announcement came after earlier reports that Mikati had cancelled the trip to remain in the country amid intense Israeli strikes. Yesterday, Mikati called Israel’s aggression “a war of extermination” and a “destructive plan that aims to destroy Lebanese villages and towns”.
He urged “the United Nations and the General Assembly and influential countries … to deter the [Israeli] aggression”.
Iran says it will ‘not remain indifferent’ to Israel’s ‘crimes’
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran will “not remain indifferent” to Israel’s actions in Lebanon and Gaza. “Israel’s crimes, enabled by the US, are crystal clear for the world to witness. Do not look away,” Araghchi said on X.
“This brutal and criminal disregard for human life cannot be permitted to continue.”
Iraq’s Muqtada al-Sadr calls for donations to Lebanon
In a post on X, Iraqi Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr has called for financial support for the Lebanese people to help the wounded and displaced.
The Office of the Prime Minister said it would extend the travel visas for Lebanese citizens currently in Iraq for a renewable period of 30 days and continue issuing free entry visas for Lebanese citizens at Iraq’s border crossings.
Lebanon war is third war sponsored by Biden administration
Ibrahim Fraihat, professor of international conflict resolution at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, says “The spillover of Israel’s war on Gaza into Lebanon was expected but what was not expected is the massive single-day death toll.”
“Nearly 500 civilians were killed in one day. The most surprising is the silence of the Western governments. There has been no real statements, no real pressure on the Israeli government to stop its attacks,” he told Al Jazeera.
Fraihat said US President Joe Biden “is funding this war”.
“This is the third war funded by the US during his presidency after Ukraine and Gaza. He is sending more troops and more weapons to Israel, so actions speak for themselves,” he added.
Fraihat also said the war in Lebanon was the result of Biden’s failure in Gaza “because he has been supporting and encouraging Israel there”.
“His secretary of state, Antony Blinken, achieved nothing during his seven visits to the region, not even a prisoners’ exchange. And who knows, maybe there is a fourth war coming before Joe Biden leaves office,” he said.
