An Israeli patrol near the Blue Line in southern Lebanon, March 15, 2023. (Credit: Jalaa Marey/AFP)
Israel striked the villages of Kfar Shuba and Mazraat Halta in South Lebanon yesterday in retaliation to a cross-border rocket launch earlier the same day. Salam al-Kadiri, a shopkeeper from Kafr Shuba, said the artillery “terrorized” his children and “caused a fire in the village.” The Israeli military said one of two rockets fired from Lebanon exploded within its territory. “We have deployed in the area to identify the group that fired the rocket and prevent any further firing,” a senior Lebanese Army source told L’Orient Today. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said its “liaison mechanisms have been fully engaged to prevent further escalation.” The same day, Hezbollah called on the Lebanese government to act against Israeli violations in the village of Ghajar, which was de facto incorporated into Israel over the weekend. The rocket exchanges follow a deadly Israeli raid on Jenin in the occupied West Bank and repeated tensions along Lebanon’s southern border after breaches by Israeli construction troops. Similar bilateral cross-border rocket fire occurred earlier this year after an Israeli raid on the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem escalated into days of deadly violence.
Ahead of the imminent end of embattled Banque du Liban (BDL) governor Riad Salameh’s term, the Central Bank’s four deputy governors in a joint statement threatened to resign if no successor is named. A BDL source told L’Orient Today the “necessary measures” mentioned in the statement imply their willingness to resign rather than delegate the central bank governorship to a deputy governor. Deputy Governor Wassim Mansouri emerged as a potential interim head to the BDL after caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati told Lebanese daily Annahar, that in case of a vacancy, “the governor's prerogatives [are] transferred to the deputy governor.” Several parties argued that the government’s caretaker status prevents it from assigning a new governor. Salameh, facing local and international litigation for allegedly embezzling public funds, said in January he does not intend to extend his 30 years in office when his term ends.
A wildfire that ignited Wednesday continued to burn in Wadi Jouhannam, Dennieh, and Mechmech, L’Orient Today’s correspondent in the area reported. The fire continued to spread on Thursday. The topography of the area, which made it difficult for firefighters to access, helped facilitate the spread. So far, only part of the fire has been brought under control, near a stream. The president of the Mechmech municipal council implored the caretaker Environment Minister Nasser Yassine and the army command to send military helicopters to help extinguish the fire. The European Union’s Climate Monitor yesterday said that last month was the warmest June globally, days after US meteorologists announced that Tuesday was the world’s hottest day on record. Experts warned of an increased fire risk in Lebanon, linked to rising temperatures. Concern has spread over the country’s lack of preparedness to handle such fires. Massive wildfires this season have already ravaged swathes of forest land.
An indicator by BlomInvest, the investment banking arm of the Blom Bank group, gauging private sector activity in June reached a ten year high with its first uptick since August 2022. Chief economist and director of research at BlomInvest Ali Bolbol emphasized the need for reforms, warning against considering the record high set by the BlomInvest Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) as a “return to normalcy.” The index value only signifies a modest improvement in the sentiment of purchasing managers regarding the economic situation. The PMI surveys private sector companies’ new orders, output, employment, suppliers’ delivery time and stocks of purchases.
In case you missed it, here’s our must-read story from yesterday: “Fire exchange between Lebanon and Israel: retired Lebanese general rules out risk of new war”
Compiled by Abbas Mahfouz