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The Lebanese lira rose in value on the parallel market yesterday for a few hours before wiping out most of its gains later in the day. The national currency’s short-lived resurgence came after the central bank’s announcement late Tuesday of a new plan to stabilize the lira. Outlined in broad strokes in a statement issued by Banque du Liban, the initiative would have BDL give the banks fresh dollars instead of lira this month to distribute to their clients. However, the specifics of the arrangement remain unclear. Nonetheless, in an apparent reaction to the news, the lira rose yesterday morning to LL26,000 to the dollar on the parallel market, before tumbling again to LL28,000 to the dollar last night. BDL’s maneuver came in response to the nosedive the national currency had taken over the previous five days, reaching an all-time low of LL29,000 to the dollar on Tuesday. The cause of this rapid drop is attributed to BDL’s decision to increase the withdrawal rate for US dollars in commercial bank accounts, so-called “lollars,” from LL3,900 to LL8,000.

Lebanon’s interior minister issued a deportation order yesterday against all non-Lebanese members of the Bahraini opposition group al-Wifaq. The decision came in the wake of Bahraini government anger over the group being permitted to hold a press conference in Lebanon last week — in which it released its annual report on human rights violations in Bahrain — and followed a call yesterday afternoon between Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi and his Bahraini counterpart. During the call, Mawlawi assured Bahrain that Lebanon would not turn into a “platform for spreading hatred or hostility against any Arab country.” Earlier this week, Prime Minister Najib Mikati promised to have the circumstances surrounding the holding of the conference investigated. Relations between Lebanon and the Gulf have been strained since late October, when video footage of Lebanon’s then-Information Minister George Kurdahi was released, in which he criticized the Saudi intervention in Yemen. In response, four of the six Gulf Cooperation Council members, including Bahrain, severed diplomatic ties with Lebanon. Since then, Mikati has been vying to reestablish relations with the Gulf, most recently via an initiative spearheaded by French President Emmanuel Macron. The efforts have yet to yield tangible results.

Hamas’ foreign political bureau chief Khaled Mechaal landed in Lebanon yesterday, days after tensions between the Palestinian party and Fatah, its rival, boiled over into deadly clashes in the Burj al-Shemali refugee camp. Mechaal, who resides in Qatar, will meet with both Lebanese and Palestinian officials during his trip to tackle pressing issues facing the Palestinian population in Lebanon. His visit is part of a commemoration of the 34th anniversary of the founding of Hamas, but it will likely take on a new dimension in light of recent events. On Friday, an explosion in a storage unit — which some claim, but Hamas denies, was a weapons depot — in the Burj al-Shemali camp left one dead. Gunfire broke out at the Sunday funeral for the deceased, a Hamas member, in the camp, leading to the deaths of three other Hamas members. Hamas has blamed Fatah for the deadly incident.

Sexologist Dr. Sandrine Atallah’s account ban on the social media app TikTok was overturned within a day of being imposed. Atallah’s account was banned after a video she posted, in which she uses an anatomically correct model to show the location of the clitoris, went viral, gaining over 30 million views. Earlier this year, Attallah made headlines after an appearance on Pierre Rabbat’s MTV show, during which he and another guest began to belittle her profession. In response, a social media campaign was launched in the sexologist’s defense.