ABU DHABI: President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, sent a congratulatory cable to President Rumen Radev of the Republic of Bulgaria, on the occasion of his country’s National Day.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, sent similar congratulatory cables to President Radev, and Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov.
Source: Emirates News Agency
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday said ‘no one should drag our country into war, killing, destruction, displacement and homelessness, for no use and for issues that the Lebanese in general and our people in the Lebanese south have nothing to do with.’
Al-Rahi’s remarks, in his Sunday Mass sermon, were an apparent jab at Hezbollah, which had activated Lebanon’s southern front against Israel a day after Hamas launched its unprecedented Oct. 7 attack on south Israel.
‘Lebanon’s message is to be a land of peace and a pioneer of peace, due to its composition, cultural and religious diversity, history, political system and coexistence pact,’ the patriarch added.
Al-Rahi also strongly condemned Israel’s ‘horrible and shameful crimes in the Gaza Strip,’ lamenting that ‘dozens were deliberately killed while starving and waiting for food aid.’
At least 289 people have been killed in Lebanon since the beginning of clashes, mostly Hezbollah fighters and their allies, along with 44 civilians. On the Israeli
side, the army says 10 soldiers and six civilians have been killed, while tens of thousands of residents on both sides have been displaced.
Source: National News Agency – Lebanon