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MORNING BRIEF

UN peacekeeper killed, additional cholera vaccines, still no president: Everything you need to know to start your Friday

Here’s what happened yesterday and what to expect today, Friday, Dec. 16:

UN peacekeeper killed, additional cholera vaccines, still no president: Everything you need to know to start your Friday

A man receives treatment for cholera in Akkar in Oct. 2022. (João Sousa/L'Orient Today)

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An “incident” in South Lebanon killed an Irish UN peacekeeper and injured three others — one of whom is in critical condition — Wednesday night. A convoy of UN armored utility vehicles with eight personnel aboard was conducting a standard run from UNIFIL's area of operations in South Lebanon to Beirut when it came under "small arms fire" in the village of al-Aaqbiya, according to the Irish Defense Forces. A village official, Bassam Jaafar, claimed shots were fired after the UNIFIL vehicles, in an attempt to avoid a crowd of residents protesting the convoy’s passage through the area, injured a local inhabitant. Three investigations are to be conducted into the incident: one led by Ireland, one by the UN and a third by Lebanon. Despite occurring in a Hezbollah-controlled region, the party denied involvement in what it called an “unintentional incident.”

Lebanon will enter 2023 without a president after Parliament’s 10th election session yesterday again proved inconclusive. MPs’ votes followed the same divisions as the previous session, except ballots for runner Zgharta MP Michel Moawad, which for the first time overtook the number of blank ballots — the latter cast primarily by Hezbollah and their allies. The reduced number of blank ballots since the last voting session is due to a change in voting strategy from Free Patriotic Movement MPs who previously voted blank but yesterday cast protest ballots in a show of dissent following a disagreement between the FPM and Hezbollah on the caretaker cabinet’s powers amid the presidential vacancy. The absence of a successor to former president Michel Aoun has sparked disagreements over Parliament and the cabinet’s powers. After the failed vote, Hezbollah MPs called for a dialogue to reach a consensus on a candidate — shortly after Lebanese Forces MPs announced their refusal to hold a dialogue session.

The Health Ministry will launch the second round of the cholera vaccination campaign today, while health experts advised additional caution against the flu and COVID-19. The second phase of the campaign will target Tripoli and Baalbeck after inoculating over half a million people — mainly in North Lebanon — during the first round. The Health Ministry recently claimed the cholera outbreak is “under control” owing partly to vaccination efforts and the provision of wastewater treatment plants with increased electricity. In a statement yesterday announcing the arrival of 900,000 additional cholera vaccine doses, WHO representative for Lebanon Dr. Abdinasir Abubakar said he was “thrilled” by the ministry’s efforts but emphasized there is “still more to do.” To date, cholera has killed 23 people and caused 660 confirmed cases in Lebanon since October. Ahead of the holiday season, national COVID-19 Committee head, MP Abdul Rahman Bizri, called on the elderly and those with chronic illnesses to get flu shots and COVID-19 jabs. “The flu is a little more severe this year and some patients have had to be hospitalized,” caretaker Health Minister Firass Abiad added.

Two men fired gunshots toward a woman’s house in Maghdouche, South Lebanon yesterday, one day after the Interior Ministry announced an end-of-year holiday security plan to combat violent outbursts. The two men fired at the woman’s house after an earlier “personal dispute” between the woman and their sister. The Internal Security Forces arrested several people and are continuing their investigation. Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi on Wednesday announced a security plan involving a “ban on carrying weapons during the holidays.” Unregulated weapon possession repeatedly endangers citizens across Lebanon.

In case you missed it, here's our must-read story from yesterday: “Lebanon's LGBTQ+ suffer impacts of discredited ‘conversion therapy’”

Compiled by Abbas Mahfouz

Want to get the Morning Brief by email? Click here to sign up.An “incident” in South Lebanon killed an Irish UN peacekeeper and injured three others — one of whom is in critical condition — Wednesday night. A convoy of UN armored utility vehicles with eight personnel aboard was conducting a standard run from UNIFIL's area of operations in South Lebanon to Beirut when it came under "small...