Lebanon

26 August 2022; MEMO: Lebanon received 511.7 tons of food Thursday that was provided by Turkiye on a ship that arrived at the Tripoli Port, Anadolu News Agency reports.

The aid, the fourth in 2022, was provided by the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), based on directives by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

BEIRUT (AP) — A Lebanese submarine has found the remains of at least 10 migrants who drowned when their boat sank earlier this year off the coast of Lebanon with about 30 people on board, the navy announced Friday.

The boat, carrying dozens of Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinians trying to migrate by sea to Italy, went down more than 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the port of Tripoli, following a confrontation with the Lebanese navy.

BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. military said early Wednesday it carried out airstrikes in eastern Syria that targeted areas used by militias backed by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

Opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and activist collective Deir Ezzor 24 said the airstrikes targeted the Ayash Camp run by the Fatimiyoun group made up of Shiite fighters from Afghanistan. The war monitor reported that at least six Syrian and foreign militants were killed in the airstrikes, while Deir Ezzor 24 reported 10 deaths.

BEIRUT, Aug 23 (NNN-NNA) – The Lebanese pound, yesterday sank to a new historic low, on the parallel market, amid the country’s protracted financial crisis, local media reported.

The exchange rate of the Lebanese pound declined to 34,250 against the U.S. dollar, down from the previous record low of 30,000 against the dollar earlier this month, reported the Elnashra news website.

BEIRUT (AP) — Another significant section of the devastated Beirut Port silos collapsed on Tuesday morning in a cloud of dust. No injuries were reported — the area had been long evacuated — but the collapse was another painful reminder of the horrific August 2020 explosion.

The collapse left the silos’ southern part standing next to a pile of charred ruins. The northern block had already been slowly tipping over since the initial explosion two years ago but rapidly deteriorated after it caught fire over a month ago due to fermenting grains.

23 August 2022; MEMO: The northern section of the grain silos at Beirut Port collapsed this morning, covering the surrounding area with dust, the official National News Agency reported, adding that only a small section of the silo now remains standing.

"The northern part of the silos in Beirut Port collapsed, as dust covered the surrounding area," NNA said.

22 August 2022; MEMO: Lebanon denied on Monday that it has reached an agreement on the demarcation of its maritime border with Israel, Anadolu has reported.

The denial followed a report by Israel's Channel 12 TV on Sunday which claimed that the two countries were close to agreeing a demarcation deal.

19 August 2022; MEMO: The Head of Lebanon's powerful Iran-backed group, Hezbollah, said on Friday the outcome of nuclear talks in Vienna would have no impact on maritime talks aimed at delineating Lebanon's border with Israel, Reuters reports.

"Whether a nuclear deal with Iran is signed or not, if the US mediator does not give Lebanon what it asked for in terms of its rights, we are heading towards an escalation – we are heading towards a problem," said Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a televised speech, without elaborating.

BEIRUT, Aug 19 (Reuters) - The head of Lebanon's pro-Iran group Hezbollah said on Friday he had no immediate comment on the stabbing attack against Indian-born author Salman Rushdie in the United States because the group was still gathering information.

Speaking in a televised address, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah added that he saw an "urgent need" for his group to make a statement on the attack, which has been blamed on a 24-year-old American citizen of Lebanese origin.

BEIRUT, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon must send back Syrian refugees inside the country despite the reported lack of support from donor countries in facilitating the plan, the country's minister of the displaced said Friday.

Hosting a significant number of refugees has so far cost almost 33 billion U.S. dollars, "which constitutes a huge burden on the Lebanese economy," Issam Charafeddine told Radio Liban Libre.

"The direct cost incurred by Lebanon covers wheat, electricity, water, educational policy, infrastructure and environmental pollution," Charafeddine explained.