Lebanon

05 Jan 2023; MEMO: Lebanon's military tribunal, on Thursday, charged seven people over an attack last month that killed one Irish soldier serving in a United Nations peacekeeping force, three Lebanese judicial sources told Reuters.

On 15 December, a vehicle driven by troops from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was fired on as it travelled in southern Lebanon, Reuters reports.

03 Jan 2023; MEMO: The leader of Lebanon's powerful armed Hezbollah Movement, Hassan Nasrallah, said that any infringement of the decades-long status quo at the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem could lead to an explosion in the region, not just inside Palestinian Territories, Reuters reports.

Nasrallah's comments followed a visit to the site revered by Muslims, but also Jews, earlier in the day by Israel's new far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.

01 Jan 2023; MEMO: A boat carrying 200 would-be migrants sank off Lebanon's coast on Saturday, according to the military, Anadolu reports.

The army said naval forces headed to the site of the sinking, off the coast of Selaata, north of Beirut, and proceeded to rescue the migrants.

It, however, did not provide details about their nationalities.

The statement said the boat was carrying people trying to illegally cross the Lebanese territorial waters.

BEIRUT, Jan 1 (NNN-NNA) – At the turn of the year, tens of thousands of Lebanese had a chance to get on board the ship, Logos Hope, to bid farewell to 2022 and greet the New Year.

Since Logos Hope, the world’s largest floating book fair, docked at the Beirut port on Dec 15, about 50,000 people have visited the book fair, which closed yesterday. The ship will leave Beirut on Tuesday.

The library ship, home to about 5,000 titles, brought knowledge and hope to the Lebanese, struggling for three years from a steep financial crisis, dragging most of them into despair.

29 Dec 2022; MEMO: The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, has criticised what he described as an "attempt to impose a president" by the Hezbollah-led camp, by demanding that the president supports and protects the Lebanese "resistance".

"What is happening today is not due to the might of the Axis of Defiance, but rather due to the weakness of those who should have shouldered their responsibilities and are still refusing to do so," Geagea said at a party event.

BEIRUT, December 28. /TASS/: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has accused the US and Western countries of igniting anti-government protests in Iran by spreading rumors and misinformation, the Al-Alam TV channel reported on Wednesday.

27 Dec 2022; MEMO: Lebanon's maritime border demarcation for oil exploration and extraction must be completed, Hezbollah's deputy secretary general said yesterday.

Naim Qassem told Al-Nour radio station that oil extraction in Lebanon had nothing to do with "electing the Lebanese president," adding that his group was keen on "reaching tangible results on the issue of Lebanon's wealth."

22 Dec 2022; MEMO: Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Thursday that Lebanon is at a crossroads: improve its conditions or further deteriorate, Anadolu reports.

Mikati's statement was made at the opening of the Arab Economic Forum in Beirut.

Mikati said if the country managed to realize the first scenario, the economy will grow 4% or 5% in 2023 and will help stabilize the Lebanese pound.

19 Dec 2022; MEMO: The Israeli spy agency Mossad is cooperating with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to recruit and train Lebanese spies to carry out specific tasks, Iran's Nour news website has reported.

The site said Lebanese citizens who declare their readiness to cooperate with the Mossad are immediately sent to the UAE to avoid being uncovered by Lebanese security institutions.

BEIRUT, Dec 18 (NNN-NNA) – The levels of food security for refugees in Lebanon are extremely worrisome, said Abdallah AlWardat, World Food Programme (WFP) Representative and Country Director in Lebanon.

AlWardat’s remarks came in a report, released by the United Nations Information Centre on the preliminary findings of the 2022 Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon, showing a continuing sharp decline in living conditions for all Syrian refugees.