The government endorsed on Friday the report from the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) concerning the investigation into the death of journalist Issam Abdallah. Caretaker Minister of Information Ziad Makary emphasized that “the Lebanese state, along with the family of Issam Abdallah, will have the opportunity to file a complaint, incorporating the findings of the TNO investigation, with the United Nations Security Council.”
Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah was killed on October 13. TNO’s analysis, commissioned by Reuters, determined that two shells were fired from an Israeli Merkava tank at the location where the journalist was, along with colleagues. Additionally, the tank’s machine gun was activated.
Makary also highlighted that the government granted approval for the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation’s request to finalize the construction project of the southern coastal highway.
Furthermore, caretaker Minister of Finance Youssef Khalil announced that civil servants’ salaries would be disbursed punctually.
At the onset of the session, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati addressed the issue of Syrian refugees, affirming that “the objective is to safeguard Lebanon and uphold existing laws.” He reassured that Syrian refugees meeting residency criteria will not face disturbances.
Concerning the situation in South Lebanon and the French initiative aimed at ceasing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel on the border, Mikati reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, rejecting initiatives beyond this framework. He mentioned that France would soon present a revised version of this initiative to Lebanon.
