united nations

Council of Ministers: LAF Is the Only Option in Southern Lebanon

Caretaker Information Minister, Ziad Makary, emphasized that the Lebanese government “believes in the army’s abilities as it is charged with implementing UN Resolution 1701 with the approval of the whole government,” noting that “there is no other option.” After a cabinet session held on Wednesday and in response to questions of ...

UN Reports Over 115,000 Newly Displaced in Syria

More than 115,000 people have been "newly displaced" in Syria's Idlib and Aleppo provinces, a UN official said Wednesday, following a major rebel offensive in the north. "It's been one week since the conflict escalated in Syria. More than 115,000 people have now been newly displaced across Idlib and northern Aleppo," UN deputy regional ...

Syrian Government Launches Counteroffensive Against Rebels

A Syrian war monitor said Wednesday that government forces have launched a counteroffensive near Hama, pushing back Islamist-led rebels seeking to advance on the key central city. Hama was a bastion of opposition to the government of President Bashar al-Assad early in the country's civil war, which erupted in 2011. It was also the scene of a ...

UN Warns "World on Fire", As it Seeks $47bn for Aid

The UN appealed Wednesday for more than $47 billion to deliver vital aid next year, warning surging conflicts and the climate crisis will leave hundreds of millions of people in need. "The world is on fire," the United Nations' new humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told reporters in Geneva, acknowledging he was looking ahead to 2025 with ...

Army Appoints Gen. Edgard Lawandos on Ceasefire Monitoring Committee

The Army has appointed General Edgard Lawandos, commander of the southern Litani sector, to represent Lebanon on the international truce monitoring committee set up under the ceasefire agreement with Israel, according to LBCI TV. The committee is made up of representatives from the USA, France, the UN, Lebanon and Israel. The United States will ...

UN Secretary-General "Alarmed" by Syria Fighting

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday he was "alarmed" by the escalation of violence in Syria and called for an immediate end to fighting that his organization says has displaced nearly 50,000 people. "All parties must do their utmost to protect civilians and civilian objects, including by allowing safe passage to civilians who are ...

UN: Gaza Has Most Child Amputees Per Capita Globally

The United Nations said Monday that Gaza now has the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world, after more than a year of war between Israel and Hamas. "Gaza now has the highest number of children amputees per capita anywhere in the world —- many losing limbs and undergoing surgeries without even anaesthesia," UN ...

Embattled Assad Seeks Support Amid Aleppo Setback

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad sought to shore up support from his allies Sunday, after a monitor said a shock rebel offensive saw government forces lose control of Aleppo for the first time since the start of the country's civil war. The Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group and allied factions now "control Aleppo city, except the ...

Iranian FM Vows Full Support to Syria in Meeting With Assad

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Damascus on Sunday to deliver a message of support to Syria's government and armed forces, days after rebels launched a swift offensive capturing Aleppo, the coutry’s second largest city, and other localities.  Araghchi is said to have assured Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ...

UNRWA Halts Aid Deliveries on Key Route Due to Security Concerns

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has halted the delivery of aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza because of security concerns, its chief said Sunday. "We are pausing the delivery of aid through Kerem Shalom, the main crossing point for humanitarian aid into Gaza. The road out of this crossing has not been safe ...

Teenage girls, the first victims of HIV

Seventy percent of young people aged 15 to 19 infected with HIV in 2023 were girls, a rate that reaches 90% in sub-Saharan Africa and could undermine recent progress in the fight against the disease, UNICEF said on Friday. While the number of children and adolescents infected with HIV has been declining globally over the past decade, adolescent ...

Naïm Qassem: "We Are Victorious!" — Or Back to Square One

In his first speech following the implementation of the ceasefire with Israel, Hezbollah's Secretary-General, Naïm Qassem, framed his remarks around the theme of a "divine victory, far surpassing that of 2006." However, he defined this "victory" in negative terms, stating: "We are victorious because we have prevented Israel from eliminating the ...