Syrian Foreign Minister hospitalized in Beirut

PanARMENIAN.Net - Lebanese security officials said Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem has been rushed to a Beirut hospital and is undergoing treatment there, according to the Associated Press.

The officials didn't say when al-Moallem, who is in his 70s, was brought to the American University of Beirut Medical Center. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations

Lebanese lawmaker Assem Qanso, who visited al-Moallem on Friday, March 14, said outside the hospital that Syria's top diplomat is "in stable condition" and would undergo an operation.

Lebanese police and plainclothes officers have been deployed outside the hospital. Syria's ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdul-Karim Ali, was seen entering the facility on Friday morning, presumably to visit al-Moallem.

Al-Moallem led the Syrian government delegation to the UN-hosted peace talks with the opposition in Switzerland earlier this year.