Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati heading a meeting at the Grand Serail on Oct. 17, 2024. (Credit: Mikati's press office)
BEIRUT — Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati chaired a meeting at the Grand Serail on Thursday to discuss “the mechanism for the release of goods from maritime and land ports,” amid the ongoing war between Hezbollah and Israel, Mikati’s press office said in a statement.
The meeting was attended by several ministers and officials from the Lebanese customs.
“Those present in the meeting agreed to expedite the auction process for abandoned goods in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, as well as to speed up the release of all non-hazardous goods concerning health or public safety and to consider revising the criteria for customs selection,” the statement said.
Mikati also met with the Regional Office Director of UNESCO, Costanza Farina, and discussed the organization's projects in Lebanon and UNESCO's statement which is being prepared for the Paris meeting on Lebanon, focusing on the impact of the ongoing war on the educational sector.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced last week that he will host an international conference on Lebanon in October.
Since Sept.23, a year-long conflict intensified between Hezbollah and Israel.
Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 2,350 people over the last year, according to the health ministry, and more than 1.2 million people have been displaced. The U.N. says a quarter of the country is under evacuation orders. The toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but includes hundreds of women and children.
Around 50 Israelis, both soldiers and civilians, have been killed in the same period, according to Israel.