In this handout photo released by the media office of Hezbollah on April 9, 2023, the Lebanese militant group's secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah (3rd-R), meets with Hamas's political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh (3r-d-L), in the southern suburbs of Beirut. (Credit: AFP)
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Lebanon has filed a complaint to the UN after a retaliatory Israeli attack hit southern Lebanon on Friday, reportedly targeting infrastructure used by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which Israel blames for dozens of rockets fired against it from Lebanon on Thursday. The Lebanese government on Saturday instructed its representative to the UN to deliver a complaint to both the UN Secretary-General and Security Council condemning “flagrant violations” of Lebanon’s sovereignty and UN Security Council Resolution 1701 after an Israeli “aggression” on Friday, caretaker Foreign Affairs Minister Abdallah Bou Habib’s press office said. On Friday, Israel confirmed that it had launched airstrikes on Lebanon, which fell near Sour and caused no injuries. Israel said it was targeting infrastructure used by Hamas. The same day, Israel also appealed to the UN, calling for the condemnation of Lebanon and Hamas — which Israel blamed for dozens of rockets fired against it the day before from Lebanon. Over the weekend, the Lebanese army reported the discovery and dismantlement of rockets and launch pads in southern Lebanon. Hamas political bureau head Ismail Haniyeh concluded a five-day visit to Lebanon by meeting with Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah to discuss "the readiness of the axis of resistance" against Israel, a Hezbollah statement said Sunday.
Vehicle registration centers across Lebanon will reopen today, an Interior Ministry statement announced, after months of closure following the start of an anti-corruption campaign in November which led to the arrest of top officials and hundreds of employees. The vehicle registration centers in Dekwaneh, Saida, Zahle, Nabatieh and Tripoli will operate three days a week from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. They will be accepting the registration of new and used imported cars, which have not been registered before, with chassis numbers (unique vehicle identifiers) that end with 0 to 3 to be seen on Tuesdays, 4 to 6 on Wednesdays and 7 to 9 on Thursdays. New imported cars are “exempt from technical inspection at the [center],” the statement added. Last month, caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi announced that the validity of driving licenses would be extended until the end of the year and that 30 members of the Internal Security Forces will receive training on vehicle center operations to enable the reopening. A crackdown on public sector corruption led to the arrests of at least 110 people “in the cases of the vehicle registration centers and land registries,” including the director general of the Road Traffic Department, Hoda Salloum.
The French judiciary has opened a formal investigation into AM bank Chairman Marwan Kheireddine as part of their probe into suspected corruption by Banque du Liban governor Riad Salameh, who has been called for a hearing in Paris on May 16, his lawyer told Reuters. On Friday, a spokesperson at the Paris office of the National Financial Prosecutors told Reuters that Kheireddine is suspected of participation in a criminal association and aggravated money laundering, which are linked to his alleged abetting of irregular fund transfers by Salameh through AM Bank, people familiar with the French and Lebanese probes told Reuters. French authorities seized Kheireddine’s passport and barred him from traveling on March 24 after notifying him of preliminary charges. Salameh’s lawyers previously denied allegations of illegal activity linked to AM bank, though the central bank chief’s French lawyer, Pierre-Olivier Sur, declined to comment to Reuters after the recent developments. A delegation of French, German and Luxembourgian judges in January attended a hearing with Kheireddine during a visit to Lebanon as part of their probe into Salameh, who appeared as a witness before a delegation of European judges last month. Kheireddine is not the first of Salameh’s associates to face charges in France: last December, the French judiciary indicted the central bank chief’s former paramour, Anna Kosakova. Sur told Reuters he may challenge the May hearing, citing the possibility of Salameh being formally named as a suspect by French authorities — though Salameh’s attendance also depends on the status of a travel ban he faces as part of the Lebanese investigation. Salameh also faces at least five European probes, with foreign judges expected to return this month for a third visit to Beirut.
The Civil Defense yesterday continued its attempt to tame a wildfire, this time raging in the Chouf village of Mazboud, Mount Lebanon since Sunday night, after experts on Thursday warned L’Orient Today that Lebanese forests are at “increased fire risk” after Earth’s second-warmest March on record. Mazboud municipality head Mohamad Younis, told L'Orient Today that he asked the Lebanese Army to intervene and send its helicopters to help control the rapidly spreading fire, which had reached olive, oak and pine trees. “Our research is clearly showing a relationship between climate change and fires,” said Dr. George Mitri, director of the Land and Natural Resources Program at the University of Balamand, stressing the need for preparedness against fires as new areas face fire risks. Khaled Taleb, head of a volunteer firefighting group in rural Akkar governorate, expressed concern that fire season could kick off earlier than usual this year because of the dry weather.
In case you missed it, here’s our must-read story from yesterday: “What would Lebanon gain by abandoning the lira?”
Compiled by Abbas Mahfouz