Lebanon

16 Jan 2022; MEMO: Powerful Lebanese groups Hezbollah and Amal said on Saturday they would end a boycott of cabinet sessions, opening the way for ministers to meet after a three-month gap that has seen the economic crisis deepen and currency collapse further, reports Reuters.

The groups, which back several ministers in a government made up of members from across the political and sectarian spectrum, said the decision was driven by a desire to approve the 2022 budget and to discuss an economic recovery.

BEIRUT, Jan 14 (NNN-NNA) – The U.S. will allow Lebanon to import natural gas and electricity from Egypt and Jordan through Syria, without being subject to restrictions imposed by the U.S. Caesar Act, which prohibits cooperation with Syria, Lebanese Foreign Minister, Abdallah Bou Habib, said yesterday.

The U.S. authorities informed Egyptian officials about Lebanon’s capability of importing energy through Syria, Bou Habib said, during his meeting at Baabda Palace with President Michel Aoun, to inform him about his recent visit to the United States.

13 Jan 2022; MEMO: People in Lebanon took to the streets, on Thursday, in a number of cities in what protesters called "day of rage" against the deteriorating living conditions, the free fall of the Lebanese currency and a sharp rise in fuel prices, Anadolu News Agency reports.

The rallies came following a call by Bassam Tlais, the head of Land Transport Union, urging authorities to subsidise fuel prices and provide compensation to help them cope with mounting expenses.

BEIRUT, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese held on Thursday a nationwide protest against soaring prices and deteriorating living conditions caused by the long-term economic crisis.

Drivers and citizens took to the streets in the capital Beirut, Tripoli, Khalde and other cities and towns, parking their cars in the middle of the streets and burning dust bins to blockade main roads.

Fadi Abou Chakra, spokesman for Lebanon's fuel stations union, told Xinhua that the collapse of the Lebanese currency has impacted every aspect of life in the country.

13 Jan 2022; MEMO: The head of the Executive Assembly of Hezbollah, Hashem Safieddine, demanded on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia should stop what he described as its "hegemony" over the Lebanese people and "blatant interference" in their affairs.

BEIRUT, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Austrian Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Schallenberg said on Wednesday that his country will increase its humanitarian support for Lebanon and it will continue to stand by the Lebanese people amid the current crisis, a statement by Lebanon's presidency reported.

Schallenberg's remarks came during his meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun at Baabda Palace, with whom he discussed the economic and political challenges facing Lebanon.

BEIRUT (AP) — Hundreds of people rallied in Beirut on Saturday to protest measures imposed against the unvaccinated, saying individuals should have the right to decide whether to be inoculated or not.

Vaccination is not compulsory in Lebanon, but in recent days authorities have cracked down on people who are not inoculated or don’t carry a negative PCR test.

Saturday’s protest by nearly 300 people in downtown Beirut came a day after the daily number of new cornoavirus cases hit a record 7,974.

BEIRUT, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's security authorities on Friday arrested 23 Syrians for illegally entering the country, Elnashra news website reported.

The Syrians, who were arrested in Lebanon's northern district of Akkar, have been referred to judicial bodies for investigation and other legal procedures, according to Elnashra.

Lebanon's security forces have been exerting great efforts to fight against human smuggling from Syria.

06 Jan 2022; MEMO: Lebanon's Minister of Interior and Municipalities has ordered all posters deemed to be offensive to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to be removed from streets in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Bassam Mawlawi issued the order earlier today.

BEIRUT, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Monday rejected the accusation by Hezbollah's leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah that Saudi Arabia supports the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria.

"These remarks do not represent the Lebanese government and people. It is not in Lebanon's interest to offend any Arab country, especially the Gulf states," Mikati said in a statement.