DAILY NEWS
New UNIFIL Head of Mission Takes Over
At an official ceremony in Naqoura yesterday, outgoing Head of Mission and Force Commander for UNIFIL Major General Stefano Del Col of Italy formally transferred his authority to Major General Aroldo Lázaro Sáenz of Spain. Major General Lázaro said, “I will resort to the liaison and coordination arrangements, including the Tripartite Mechanisms, if any incident occurs, to facilitate coordination and de-escalate tensions and restore calm in the area.” [Naharnet]
Minister of Economy and Trade: Wheat Reserves Sufficient For One Month, Worries Arise Over Ukraine
Minister of Economy and Trade Amin Salam stressed his concerns about the rippling effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, from which Lebanon imports most of its wheat. He said, “Last week, we signed off on a number of ships that will cover the market for the next month or so. So please do not panic that the bread will be cut off tomorrow.” [AP News]
Women’s 2022 Race to Be Held Under ‘Draw Your Path’ Theme
According to The961, “The Beirut Marathon Association (BMA) announced that the Women’s 2022 Race will be held under the theme ‘Draw your Path’ as a call to action for all women in Lebanon to keep moving forward. ‘We have decided to continue the association’s journey for life and hope in our country, for women who are the spring of life and the pulse of society…hence, the association worked to promote the national identity and worked according to the slogan: peace, love, giving,’ said May El Khalil, the founder of Beirut Marathon.” [The961]
OPINION & ANALYSIS
Middle East Institute
Russia’s Syria Intervention Paved the Way for its Attack on Ukraine
Ambassador William Roebuck
Roebuck writes, “The Shoigu visit makes clear a number of realities about the impact of Russia’s intervention in Syria and the way it presaged, and prepared the way, for what is happening in Ukraine. It also provides hints of the type of challenges Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to make to the U.S.-led, rules-based international system that many countries, including in the Gulf, have benefited from. Syria has given Russia a strategic foothold in the Mediterranean and Middle East, with a naval base at Tartous (with a 49-year, free-of-charge lease, according to media accounts) and a newly expanded air base at Hmeimim, near Latakia. The war in Syria allowed Russia to test new weapons systems in combat conditions and show to the world that it has been formidably rearming its military since 2010. The Syrian intervention helped to give Russia the confidence it could intervene in a decisive fashion and challenge the West’s response.”
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the American Task Force on Lebanon, a non-profit, nonpartisan leadership organization of Lebanese-Americans.