The U.S. airstrikes on a Syrian regime air base Thursday night have yielded widespread praise from America’s Western allies, but reaction in the Middle East has been mixed, with both condemnation of the attack and approval from the major players. President Donald Trump approved the strike as a response to a chemical attack in Idlib province by the Syrian government against civilians. Turkey’s health ministry confirmed that the attack used sarin gas, a nerve agent that was banned in the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993. The Pentagon is investigating the extent of Russia’s role in the attack, according to CNN. America’s escalated role in the Syrian crisis will directly affect members of the Arab world, and the stakes are high. Many countries there are deeply invested in working to resolve Syria’s six-year war, from funding and arming different parties to sheltering displaced refugees. Here’s how leaders and civilians in several Arab nations have responded to the strikes.
Lebanon In Lebanon, there has been a wide spectrum of reactions. The country is currently hosting more than 1.5 million refugees from Syria ― a group about one-third the size of Lebanon’s own population. A report from The Daily Star, an English-language newspaper based in Beirut, shows a few different responses from displaced Syrians there. Abudulkareem Raslan lives in a village near Sidon, a city in the southern region. “The American attack was an act of aggression against an Arab country that refuses to be under American tutelage,” Raslan told The Daily Star. “All [200] of us in this camp are with the Syrian regime.” “God curse everyone who took up arms and fought us. Why did Trump order to attack us?” he asked. Others, who are opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime, feel excited at the prospect of American intervention in Syria. “Let the American warplanes attack the regime forces, and send Bashar [Assad] to hell,” said Abu Hafez, a refugee who lives south of Beirut in Ouzai.
Lebanese politicians, who are much more skeptical of the situation, offered little praise for the airstrikes. Samir Jisr, a member of Lebanon’s Parliament, had harsh words for the strikes and blamed Russia for the escalation, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. “Americans and Europeans intervene indirectly and disregard crimes committed by the regime,” Jisr said. “They pretend that they are combating terrorism while they created it and are paying the price.” Lebanese President Michel Aoun responded by condemning the use of weapons of mass destruction during a meeting with the World Health Organization’s Middle East region director on Friday, according to NNA. Aoun took the opportunity to urge international leaders to push Israel to sign treaties restricting the use of these types of weapons.
by Bryan Logan and Alex Lockie
The United States launched a salvo of more than missiles on Shayrat airfield and nearby military infrastructure controlled by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in response to a chemical attack that killed at least 80 people in the northwestern part of the country on Monday. The Tomahawk missiles, launched from the USS Ross and the USS Porter at dawn local time, represent the first US strikes on the Assad regime, according to a statement from the Pentagon. US President Donald Trump, initially resistant to the idea of becoming involved in Syria, said it was in the vital national security interest of the US to prevent the use of chemical weapons. "No child of god should suffer such horror," Trump said in a televised address after the cruise missile strikes. “It is in this vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons."
Autopsies have confirmed that the attack involved chemical weapons, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said there can be "no doubt" that Assad's forces carried out the attack. Both Syrian and Russian forces have denied responsibility for the attack, with Russian forces claiming a conventional airstrike hit a cache of chemical weapons owned by rebels in Syria. International experts have dismissed this as an "infantile argument." Though the US strike targeted infrastructure and runways, a large volley of cruise missiles carries the risk of collateral damage to troops stationed nearby. Initial reports from Syrian military sources say the strikes "led to losses," as Reuters notes.
by ansamed.info - BRUSSELS - Lebanon is a ''ticking time bomb'', Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Wednesday, due to consequences of the Syrian war and huge refugee community resulting. ''Lebanon cannot and won't continue to sustain the consequences of hosting 1.5 million displaced on its territory unless a new plan is put in place,'' Hariri said, addressing the Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region. He noted that there are 4 million Lebanese in the country, alongside 1.5 million Syrians and over half a million Palestinians, comparing the situation to if 500 million EU citizens had to deal with 250 million people ''arriving in a single night'' and having to deal with them even if the EU was already experiencing difficulties. Hariri called on countries at the conference to ''invest in hope'', warning that otherwise desperation and radicalization would grow. Given worsening economic conditions of the country, he said that this would lead many Lebanese and Syrians to ''seek another home''. © Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved
Ayrault said the attack was a test for the new U.S. president, Donald Trump, and his stance on Assad. The future of Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, has always been the main point of contention blocking progress in talks. The war has raged for more than six years, displacing millions and throwing civilians into dire humanitarian conditions. "The need for humanitarian aid and the protection of Syrian civilians has never been greater. The humanitarian appeal for a single crisis has never been higher," United Nations' Secretary General Antonio Guterres said. The U.N. has called for $8 billion this year to deal with one of the world's most acute humanitarian crises, and the Brussels gathering responded with some fresh pledges of aid.
Population Movements to Keserwan - The Khazens and The Maans
ما جاء عن الثورة في المقاطعة الكسروانية
ثورة أهالي كسروان على المشايخ الخوازنة وأسبابها
Origins of the "Prince of Maronite" Title
Growing diversity: the Khazin sheiks and the clergy in the first decades of the 18th century
Historical Members:
Barbar Beik El Khazen [English]
Patriach Toubia Kaiss El Khazen(Biography & Life Part1 Part2) (Arabic)
Patriach Youssef Dargham El Khazen (Cont'd)
Cheikh Bishara Jafal El Khazen
Patriarch Youssef Raji El Khazen
The Martyrs Cheikh Philippe & Cheikh Farid El Khazen
Cheikh Nawfal El Khazen (Consul De France)
Cheikh Hossun El Khazen (Consul De France)
Cheikh Abou-Nawfal El Khazen (Consul De France)
Cheikh Francis Abee Nader & his son Yousef
Cheikh Abou-Kanso El Khazen (Consul De France)
Cheikh Abou Nader El Khazen
Cheikh Chafic El Khazen
Cheikh Keserwan El Khazen
Cheikh Serhal El Khazen [English]
Cheikh Rafiq El Khazen [English]
Cheikh Hanna El Khazen
Cheikha Arzi El Khazen
Marie El Khazen