RIYADH: Manama on Monday called for Qatar’s membership of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to be suspended until it accepts the demands of the Anti-Terror Quartet (ATQ), comprising Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain.
King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa called for further isolation of Doha, saying: “Bahrain will not attend any GCC Summit unless Qatar returns to its senses.”
During a Cabinet meeting, King Hamad said: “Doha has not respected the charters, the treaties and the policies that ensure the security of the Gulf region.”
This followed Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa’s call for “freezing” Qatar’s GCC membership, tweeting: “Manama will not attend the upcoming GCC Summit if Qatar takes part.”
He strongly criticized Doha for non-compliance with the ATQ’s 13 demands, which include scaling down ties with Tehran and closing down Al Jazeera.
The ATQ severed ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of supporting terrorism and extremism.
Contacted by Arab News on Monday, the spokesmen of the GCC general secretariat and the Saudi Foreign Ministry did not comment on Manama’s statements.
Bahrain’s king and foreign minister are the first senior officials from the GCC to suggest Qatar’s suspension from the six-nation bloc.
“Qatar’s failure to respond positively to our just demand to stop conspiring against our countries proves that it does not respect the GCC,” Sheikh Khalid said.
“Given Qatar’s rogue policy and pervasive evil that threaten our national security, our countries have taken an important step by boycotting Qatar in the hope it regains its senses.”
Sheikh Khalid, who posted a series of tweets to his 445,000 followers, added: “If Qatar thinks that its procrastination and its current evasion will buy time until the next GCC Summit, then it is wrong.”
He said: “If the situation remains as it is… Bahrain will not attend the summit and sit with Qatar, a country that is getting closer to Iran every day and is bringing in foreign forces, both of which are dangerous steps against the security of the GCC countries.”
Kuwait has tried to mediate between the two sides, but almost five months into the dispute, no progress has been achieved. Founded in 1981, the GCC is scheduled to hold its annual summit in Kuwait in December.
In a separate development, Qatar’s emir said he is ready for US-hosted direct talks aimed at solving the crisis, but has yet to hear a response to President Donald Trump’s invitation to the ATQ members.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani told US broadcaster CBS News that he wants an end to the dispute.
“Nothing is going to be above our dignity, our sovereignty. But we want it to end. I always say that,” he told the “60 Minutes” program in an interview aired on Sunday.
“If they (are) going to walk 1 meter toward me, I’m willing to walk 10,000 miles toward them.”
Sheikh Tamim said Trump had told him that he “will not accept my friends fighting among themselves,” and that in talks on the sidelines of a UN meeting in September, he had offered to host talks in the US.
“I told him straight away, ‘Mr. President, we are very ready. I’ve been asking for dialogue from day one’,” Sheikh Tamim said.
He reiterated that Qatar will not close down the Doha-based Al Jazeera television network. He also said he feared for the region if any military action is taken as part of the crisis, Reuters reported.
Bahrain calls for suspension of Qatar’s GCC membership
Bahrain calls for suspension of Qatar’s GCC membership
MPs, parties welcome Lebanon’s decision to ban Hezbollah’s military wing
- Lebanese judiciary issues arrest warrants to pursue those who fired rockets at Haifa
- Bilal Al-Houshaymi: It (Lebanon) is either a fully sovereign state with a single decision-making authority, or it will continue its downward slide into greater danger and collapse
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Cabinet decisions were described by political parties and parliamentarians as the boldest measures taken against Hezbollah to date, with ministers from the Amal Movement, the group’s key ally, joining in a show of government solidarity.
In an unprecedented move, Lebanon’s Cabinet on Monday declared Hezbollah’s military activities illegal and demanded the immediate handover of its weapons, following Israeli strikes that killed more than 40 people and wounded dozens across Beirut’s southern suburbs, southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.
The Israeli strikes came after rockets and drones were fired from Lebanese territory toward northern Israel — an assault Hezbollah said was carried out in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Among those killed were several Hezbollah officials.
Independent MP Ibrahim Mneimneh affirmed his support for the government’s decisions “at this sensitive stage” as he said they consolidate the sovereignty of the state and the confinement of security and military decision-making to its legitimate institutions.
“The protection of Lebanon requires the firm application of the law, without making any exceptions, and providing support for the army and security forces in carrying out their duties in order to safeguard stability and civil peace,” he added.
Beqaa MP Bilal Al-Houshaymi said Lebanon cannot withstand new experiments or further adventures. “It is either a fully sovereign state with a single decision-making authority, or it will continue its downward slide into greater danger and collapse.”
Lebanese Forces party leader Samir Geagea said in a statement that the cabinet had taken an additional step toward the establishment of a functioning state.
“The ball is now in the court of the Lebanese Armed Forces, the Internal Security Forces, General Security, State Security and the competent judicial authorities. It is their chance to begin implementing the government’s decision seriously and decisively as of this moment,” he added.
The party’s two ministers remained alone in their defense of what they called the “resistance.” This stance was articulated by Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine, whom Hezbollah named to represent it in the government, as he said after the session that “no one holds their resistance accountable as we have held ours accountable.” He questioned whether “the Israelis can be trusted.”
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun held those who launched the rockets responsible for their actions, noting that the Lebanese people should not bear responsibility “for a reckless operation.”
Aoun said Hezbollah’s morning strike was “not a defense of Lebanon nor a protection of the Lebanese; it is not acceptable in any way whatsoever, and it gives Israel a pretext to destroy what is left.”
The cabinet asked the Lebanese Army Command to immediately and firmly begin implementing the plan to restrict weapons north of the Litani River, announcing that Lebanon is ready to resume negotiations with Israel.
The cabinet decisions, read out by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in an address, announced that the government had formally rejected any military or security operations carried out from Lebanese territory outside the authority of the state, reaffirming that the decision of war and peace rests solely with the government.
The measures include an immediate ban on all Hezbollah military and security activities deemed unlawful, a requirement that the group hand over its weapons to the state, and a restriction of its role to political activity within constitutional and legal frameworks — a step aimed at ensuring the monopoly of arms remains exclusively with the state and reinforcing full sovereignty over Lebanese territory.
Salam said that the government does not seek confrontation with Hezbollah. “But we cannot in any way accept the launching of rockets from Lebanon nor the threat of civil war.”
In parallel with the political move, the Lebanese judiciary moved to pursue those who fired rockets at Haifa from Lebanese territory. The military judiciary issued warrants to arrest all those responsible for launching rockets at the Israeli city.
Government Commissioner to the Military Court Claude Ghanem requested that the security agencies identify those who took part in directing the rockets, arrest them immediately and refer them to the military public prosecution.
A judicial source confirmed that the security agencies verified that the rocket-launching operation took place from an area of valleys and forests located north of the Litani River.
A statement bearing the signature of Hezbollah’s Military Media had been issued at dawn claiming responsibility for the operation of bombarding the Mishmar site south of the city of Haifa with a salvo of rockets and drones, as “revenge for the blood of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.”
While Hezbollah has not issued any official statement tallying its human losses as a result of direct Israeli strikes, Lebanese and Israeli field reports cited the assassination of Mohammad Raad, head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, who in recent months had coordinated between the state and the party on the issue of restricting weapons; Sheikh Ali Daamoush, the head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council; and Hussein Moukalled, the head of Hezbollah’s intelligence services in the southern suburb.
The reports also mentioned the killing of Mohammad Rida Fadlallah, brother of the late scholar Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, along with his wife; and Sheikh Abdullah Shaito, a Ja‘fari Sharia judge, with his son and daughter.
Amid the strikes, citizens evacuated Beirut’s southern suburb, more than 53 southern villages and dozens of villages in the Beqaa region.
Many fled at night, remaining in their cars or along the roadsides in Beirut, amid successive warnings issued by the Israeli army urging civilians to leave their villages and homes ahead of strikes on Hezbollah targets, according to its claims.
As hotels reached full capacity, many turned to furnished apartments. Although the state opened a number of public schools to shelter the displaced, the hastily opened and prepared facilities were insufficient to accommodate tens of thousands of people.
Meanwhile, a military source suggested that the evacuation of the villages could be a prelude to a ground invasion.
Israel announced the mobilization of about 100,000 reservists along the border with Lebanon in preparation for expanding the war. Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted on social media that “all options are on the table,” adding that “Hezbollah chose to launch this campaign, and will pay a heavy price for it.”
Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warned of “many days of fighting ahead,” while Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that “Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem is now a ‘target for elimination,’ and Hezbollah will pay a heavy price for launching missiles toward Israel.”
