President of the Republic General Joseph Aoun said on the 44th anniversary of the assassination of President Bachir Gemayel, which falls tomorrow, Monday:“Every year on September 14, Lebanon pauses at one of the major milestones in its national memory, recalling the image of President-elect and martyr Bachir Gemayel, who was struck down by treacherous bullets before he could assume his constitutional duties. He thus became a martyr on the altar of the nation, and his name remains engraved in the conscience of the Lebanese as a symbol of faith in Lebanon as a message, and in its sovereignty and freedom.
The mayor of Kfar Shouba and head of the Arqoub Municipalities Union, Dr. Qassem Al-Qadri, was questioned and interrogated by an Israeli patrol while he was at the site of a water reservoir that pumps water to the town.He was interrogated and his phone was taken before he was released. He is safe and in good health.An Israeli mechanized infantry force comprising more than 10 vehicles had advanced into the Al-Dawwara area on the eastern outskirts of Kfar Shouba, where it remained for some time. Several vehicles then entered the town, where the mayor was confronted and detained.
Al-Modon newspaper reported that “the efforts undertaken by President of the Republic General Joseph Aoun were aimed at sparing Nabatieh the fate of Ali al-Taher. This led to the decision to deploy the Lebanese Army and other security agencies and prevent Hezbollah from carrying out any field or military activity in the city.”According to the information, the Americans agreed to this and granted Lebanon a deadline to prove its ability to achieve that objective. However, this did not prevent Israel from blowing up the Ali al-Taher tunnels with more than 1,100 tons of explosives, raising numerous questions about what happened inside the facility and how Hezbollah members and Iranians managed to leave it. Another question concerns what comes after Ali al-Taher: Will Israeli military activity ease and further expansion stop, or will Tel Aviv choose to move toward other areas such as Jabal al-Rihan and Iqlim al-Tuffah?