War on Lebanon
Israeli warplanes carried out massive airstrikes across the southern suburbs of Beirut, leveling nine apartment buildings after issuing evacuation notices. Israeli spokespeople claimed the strikes targeted underground drone production workshops. The Lebanese Army, in a statement, said it attempted to coordinate with the ceasefire monitoring committee and inspect the sites themselves but Israel “rejected the proposal.” In the same statement, the Lebanese Army accused Israeli forces of “persistent violation” of the ceasefire agreement. The attacks and the ongoing occupation were also condemned by the Prime Minister and the President.
Throughout the week, Israeli forces targeted Debel, Houla, Arnoun, Borj Qalaouiye, Ain Qana, and Yaroun. A total of three people were killed. Israeli boats entered Lebanese territorial waters and abducted a fisherman, whose fate remains unknown.
The Lebanese Army dismantled an Israeli spy device found in Yaroun. The army also redeployed to Aita al-Shaab.
The Palestinian Authority has postponed its scheduled meetings to handle the process of disarmament. A meeting is scheduled for next week, according to a report from The National.
Former Public Works Minister Ali Hamie has been appointed as an advisor for President Aoun for reconstruction affairs.
IMF
An IMF delegation concluded its visit to Lebanon on Thursday with a meeting headed by Prime Minister Salam. The IMF released a report describing the visit as productive and stressing the importance of passing a comprehensive banking reform law. LBCI reported that the IMF raised several concerns about the draft law, among them account aggregation and “public sector favoritism.”
Government
Prime Minister Salam issued a memorandum to security and military agencies, requesting immediate action to cancel “contact memos” and “subjugation lists”1 and rely on judiciary reviews and warrants instead. This is not the first time a government had tried to halt use of these lists.
Several politicians and unions continued to criticize the government’s decision, taken last week, to hike fuel prices. The General Labor Federation and the Land Transport Union have threatened escalation over the price increase. Environment Minister Tamara Elzein told Aljadeed that the decision to increase fuel prices was unanimous.
The Ministry of Education organized a national “Unified Diagnostic Assessment” across public schools to assess students’ levels in mathematics and languages. Minister Karami stated that the results will be used to determine future goals and strategies for the ministry.
Prime Minister Salam met with the Loyalty to the Resistance (Hezbollah) parliamentary bloc, with bloc president Mohammad Raad describing the meeting as positive.
Parliament
In an interview with Aljoumhouria, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri described the current electoral law as a “freak” and said that its results have “ruined the country.” Political parties are currently divided over electoral reform including the law to form the Senate and the mechanism for overseas voting.
A draft law was prepared by parliamentary committees aiming to regulate online gambling and internet casinos.
Araghchi Visit
During a visit to Lebanon, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Iran wants to turn a “new page” in relations between the two countries. Araghchi described relations with Lebanon as friendly and emphasized that “no country has the right to interfere in the affairs of any state in this region.”
Araghchi met with Prime Minister Salam, President Aoun, and with Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Kassem, who in turn praised Iran’s “positive role in the region.”
Syria
Al-Arida border crossing was reopened last Tuesday after being closed for months following Israeli strikes in November.
Syrian authorities reported that security forces have intercepted a shipment of weapons “heading to Lebanon.”
Legal Issues
Despite a judicial order to halt construction, the Ministry of Defense continues to build a new military club on the Tyre Coast Natural Reserve. A lawsuit by NGO Green Southerners has reignited the case, with the Defense Ministry ignoring a previous decision by the Culture Ministry to stop the project.
A series of lawsuits were filed by the banker Antoun Sehnaoui against several media outlets and journalists accusing them of undermining Lebanon’s financial stability, incitement, tarnishing the country’s foreign relations, and extortion.
Former minister Ghazi Zaiter will be questioned by Judge Tarek Bitar on June 13 over the Beirut Port Explosion.
MP Ali Hassan Khalil’s brother was arrested, along with two other people, on charges of smuggling counterfeit medicine.
Miscellaneous
Twelve members of the Tripoli Municipality are planning on submitting their resignation, which would trigger a repeat election.
وثائق الاتصال ولوائح الإخضاع - These documents are issued by security services and include names of people who are wanted or under surveillance, for various reasons. They are not judicial warrants, in the sense that they are not issued by a judge, but directly by the security authorities and are not subject to judicial review.