Thirty Lebanese Soldiers, Hezbollah Fighters Briefly Crossed into Israel
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said members of the Lebanese armed forces and Hezbollah spent twenty minutes in Israeli territory and called on the UN observer mission to expel them; the accusation comes amid cross-border shelling and a spat over military tents set up on Israeli territory (Times of Israel)
Lebanon Central Bank Governors Consider Collective Resignation
The deputy governors have reportedly threatened to resign if a governor is not appointed by the end of the month, which could leave the central bank leaderless amid economic crisis and protests; deputy premier Saade Chami denounced their threat as “dangerous” and called for them to jointly run the bank until a governor is appointed (Reuters)
Meanwhile, one person was killed and three were wounded in a shooting in the Bekaa Valley, which authorities believe was sparked by a personal dispute (Reuters)
Israel Strikes Lebanon After Missiles Landed in Disputed Territory
No one has yet claimed responsibility for rockets fired from southern Lebanon that landed near the border and in disputed territory, but Israel responded by striking the area where they were launched from; Hezbollah and Hamas, which operate in the area, expressed support earlier this week for Palestinians as Israel raided Jenin (Reuters)
UN Communicating with Israel and Lebanon Over Hezbollah Border Tents
After Hezbollah refused to dismantle the border outpost, the head of UNIFIL, the peacekeeping mission that observes the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon, spoke to both sides to try to resolve the situation (AP;Arab News)
Two Killings in Northern Lebanon Stoke Fears of Sectarian Violence
One man was killed by a sniper in the town of Bsharri, and another man was killed hours later while soldiers were looking for the assailant; politicians and religious leaders called for calm in the wake of the violence (Al-Monitor;Arab News)
Hezbollah Claims to Shoot Down Israeli Military Drone in Southern Lebanon
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the drone “fell,” as tensions mount along the Blue Line, the de facto border between Israel and Palestine (Times of Israel)
Protesters Take Aim at Lebanon’s Central Bank
The demonstrators demanded an end to unfair official exchange rates and an easing of capital controls that have left Lebanese residents unable to access their savings while politicians move their assets overseas (Al Jazeera)
Protesters Attack Banks in Beirut
Protesters on the outskirts of Beirut vandalized several banks after being denied access to their money and criticized alleged corruption in the country’s financial system; the protests began less than a day after parliament failed to elect a president for the twelfth time (Arab News)
Legislators Fail to Elect President
Divisions in Lebanon’s legislature blocked a vote today in its twelfth attempt to elect a new president; the country has lacked a head of state for seven months (AP, Times of Israel)
Lebanese Military Court Charges Men for Killing UN Peacekeeper
An unnamed senior judicial official said the five men who committed the killing last December were linked to the militant group Hezbollah; one of the five men is in custody, while the other four remain at large (AP)
World Bank Approves New Loan for Lebanon
The World Bank approved a new $300 million loan for cash payments to poor households amid Lebanon’s economic crisis (AP)
Financial Crime Watchdog Set to Add Lebanon to Gray List
The Financial Action Task Force, an international financial crime watchdog, is preparing to add Lebanon to a “gray list” of countries at risk of money laundering and terrorism financing, Reuters reported (Reuters)
France Issues International Arrest Warrant for Central Bank Head
A French judge issued an international arrest warrant for Lebanon’s central bank chief in connection to a probe of his alleged misuse of Lebanese public funds, AFP reported (AFP)
Judge Dismissed by Lebanon Legal Council
The Lebanese judiciary’s disciplinary council dismissed the judge who brought charges against the country’s central bank governor and commercial banks after a corruption investigation; the judge said the disciplinary council accused her of bias (Reuters)
Lebanon Increases Deportations
Lebanese authorities have reportedly begun raiding refugee camps and setting-up checkpoints to review the documentation of non-Lebanese citizens; numerous Syrians without legal residency have been detained and deported, according to refugees and humanitarian groups (AP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Visits Lebanon
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian visited the Lebanese-Israeli border during his state visit to Lebanon and expressed solidarity with the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group in its struggle against Israel; Amirabdollahian further stated that Iran was prepared to assist in the construction of power plants to address Lebanon’s electricity crisis (AP)
Inflation Crisis Worsens
Lebanon’s official currency devaluation in February caused inflation to more than double since the end of 2022; according to the official Central Administration of Statistics, inflation surged to an annual 264% in March (Bloomberg)
EU and Lebanese Officials Coordinating Corruption Probes
Lebanese authorities and European investigators agreed to swap information about their ongoing corruption probes regarding Lebanon’s central bank governor; critics have accused the official of precipitating the financial crisis that has plagued Lebanon since 2019 (AP)
Parliament Extends Terms of Local Officials
Lebanon’s parliament voted to extend the terms of local officials, delaying municipal elections for the second time amid an economic downturn; concerns over securing funding for a poll prompted the decision to postpone municipal elections for up to a year (AP)
U.S. Imposes Sanctions Over Corruption
Two Lebanese brothers and a number of their businesses are under new sanctions from the United States, which alleged that the brothers participated in corrupt activities that have contributed to the breakdown of the rule of law in Lebanon (Reuters)
IMF Warns Lebanon as Reforms Remain Stalled
One year since promising to reform its economy, the International Monetary Fund cautioned that Lebanon was in a “very dangerous situation” after it has failed to implement changes; the IMF also urged the Lebanese government to cease borrowing from the central bank (Reuters)
Protesters Take to Streets in Beirut
Lebanese officers fired tear gas at hundreds of people protesting the ongoing economic crisis; most protestors were retired members of security forces (Al Jazeera)
Lebanon to Sell Unlimited US Dollars
According to the Governor of the Bank of Lebanon, in an attempt to halt the continual devaluation of the Lebanese pound, the bank will begin to sell unlimited amounts of U.S. dollars; since 2019, the Lebanese pound has lost more than 98% of its value (Reuters)
Lebanese Banks Resume Strike As Currency Drops
Bank workers resumed a strike today as Lebanon’s currency hit a new low of one hundred thousand Lebanese pounds to the U.S. dollar; the bankers oppose lawsuits that ruled in favor of depositors demanding savings that banks have been unable to provide (AP)
Civil War Photo Archive Stolen From National News Agency
Unknown assailants broke into the headquarters of Lebanon’s state news agency and stole five computers and a server that contained a photo archive of images from the 1975-1990 civil war (BBC)
Following corruption charges against Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, Switzerland’s financial regulator launched enforcement proceedings against two of the twelve banks it investigated (Reuters)