Police cars in Beirut. (Credit: AFP/Anwar Amro)
Want to get the Morning Brief by email? Click here to sign up.
The Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL) announced a “return to precautionary and strict measures” in response to a series of hold-ups over the past two weeks. ABL did not specify the measures, but noted that commercial banks “will continue to provide minimal services inside the branches and in ATMs with the potential of the closure of some of the branches in a temporary matter” Employees at a Sin al-Fil branch of Bank Byblos evaded an attempted hold-up yesterday, foiling two armed depositors’ attempt to forcibly retrieve their savings, a spokesperson for the Cry of the Depositors collective told L'Orient Today. Lawyer Rami Olleik — the founder of lawyers' collective Mouttahidoun (United) said yesterday’s attempted hold-up was only one of four planned hold-ups set to take place simultaneously. The three others were canceled due to heightened security measures. Banks reopened with heightened security measures last September after several weeks of strike in response to a spree of hold-ups by depositors requesting their own funds despite illegal restrictions on withdrawals in place since October 2019.
Priest and childcare center owner Majdi al-Allawi told L’Orient Today he adopted two infants — aged three months and one-year — who found abandoned under a bridge on Wednesday night near Nahr Ibrahim, Jbeil. Allawi took charge of the infants on Thursday, with permission from the judiciary, after their conditions had fully stabilized. The children were hospitalized on Wednesday after an area resident discovered them in a box and contacted Allawi. On Tuesday night, a months-old infant was hospitalized after she was found abandoned and slightly injured by the side of the road. Amid a fourth year of economic crisis, an increasing number of families are sending their children to work while being unable to provide them with education, nutrition and health care, the UN Children’s Fund said in a report published last month.
President of the Food Importers' Union Hani Bohsali said Lebanon’s grain supply will not be interrupted due to the end of the Russo-Ukrainian grain export deal, while warning that it may cause “higher prices for many products, particularly wheat and oils.” Bohsali said the quantities of grain imported into Lebanon from Ukraine are small compared with other countries. The ships carrying the goods are therefore small enough to avoid leaving the ports subject to the blockade imposed by Russia on Ukrainian vessels. In 2022, Ukraine accounted for 76.72 percent of wheat imports into Lebanon. Russia bombarded Ukrainian ports for a third consecutive day yesterday and threatened Ukrainian ships after refusing to renew a grain export deal on Monday, Reuters reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared his determination to continue exporting grain via the Black Sea, with or without Moscow's agreement on ship safety.
The Internal Security Forces yesterday announced the arrest of seven alleged human traffickers and over 80 illegal entrants between Muhammara and Abdeh, in Akkar. The ISF statement claimed that 13 of the illegal entrants arrested on Sunday were planning on making an irregular migration attempt towards Europe from Lebanese shores. Experts noted that illegal migration attempts rose during this summer season. The Lebanese-Syrian border remains porous despite repeated attempts to tighten security, including the government’s call for security forces “to prevent the entry of Syrians [into Lebanon] through illegal means” in April amid the start of increasingly aggressive policing of displaced Syrians in Lebanon and a rise in deportations.
Israel fired smoke grenades towards residents of Kafr Shuba, South Lebanon, as they approached the southern Lebanese border where a Kafr Shuba municipality bulldozer was attempting to clear a road blocked due to Israeli construction works. Hezbollah-affiliated TV Channel Al-Manar journalist Ali Cheaib said the Israeli army deployed “tanks and soldiers facing Lebanese Army deployment.” On July 6, the Israeli army struck Kafr Shuba with artillery fire, retaliating against cross-border rocket launches by unidentified parties in South Lebanon. Israel has repeatedly used non-lethal weapons against people approaching the border in Lebanon, including journalists and Lebanese politicians, protesters supporting a farmer who stood-off an Israeli bulldozer and Hezbollah members who approached the security fence. Israeli construction troops breaching the border repeatedly caused tensions. The Lebanese Foreign Ministry said it will file a complaint with the UN against Israel’s annexation of the northern part of the Ghajar village last month.
Kataeb head Sami Gemayel filed a complaint with the State Council against caretaker Finance Minister Youssef Khalil for withholding a preliminary report of the Banque du Liban (BDL) forensic audit conducted by Alvares & Marsal (A&M). Gemayel’s legal counselor Lara Saade said the complaint demands Khalil share the report with Parliament and to make it publicly accessible on the ministry’s website. The State Council on Monday ruled in favor of legal advocacy NGO Legal Agenda, which requested the document from Khalil. The caretaker Finance Minister received a barrage of criticism for withholding the report, which he claims is only a draft unsuitable for publication and would be illegal to publish according to the government’s agreement with A&M. The audit of BDL's accounts is one of the essential preconditions for the release of aid from the International Monetary Fund.
The Barbie movie’s release date in Lebanon has been postponed by six weeks until Aug. 31 but the film “will not be banned,” Selim Ramia & Co Sal (Grand Cinemas) Head of Marketing Carly Ramia told L’Orient Today. The decision to postpone the release was made by Vox Cinemas Dubai, who own distribution rights for Warner Bros. films in the Middle East. Social media users criticized the delay and linked it to censorship, while Ramia said the decision was meant to space out releases of “big movies,” such as Oppenheimer and Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part One. Barbie is scheduled to be released internationally today.
In case you missed it, here’s our must-read story from yesterday: “The National Anti-Corruption Commission finally exists, but work remains”
Compiled by Abbas Mahfouz