DAILY NEWS
Explosion Near Saida Kills One Person, Leaves Seven Injured
In a scout center affiliated with the Amal Movement near Saida, an explosion occurred killing one person and injuring seven. According to Reuters, “The blast demolished the building and army personnel were searching through the rubble for any further casualties, sources added. The explosion also damaged the town hall nearby.” [Reuters]
Lebanese Government Agrees to Disburse $15m to Assuage Bread Crisis
According to Minister of Economy and Trade Amin Salam, the Lebanese government agreed to distribute $15 million USD to temporarily assuage the bread shortages for a few weeks. [Reuters]
Depositors’ Union, Association to Protest Capital Control Law
According to L’Orient Today, “at a press conference, the head of the [Association of Depositors in Lebanon], Hassan Moghnieh, said that the law in its current form ‘should not be approved without distributing the losses, unifying the exchange rate and restructuring the banks’.” The Depositors Outcry Association announced its intentions to protest the capital control law draft while it will be discussed in parliamentary committees tomorrow. [L’Orient Today]
OPINION & ANALYSIS
Nicholas Blanford
Blanford writes, “amid the general public apathy toward the elections, Fawaz is a candidate who is rapidly gaining attention. Fawaz, in short, is an anomaly in Lebanese politics. The 34-year-old is the son of a Lebanese Shia father and a Christian African American mother, which makes him the first black parliamentary candidate in the Middle East, let alone Lebanon, a country that recently ranked third in a 2022 survey on most racist countries in the world. He was born and raised in the US and is the chief executive officer of the Raddington Group, a Washington-based strategic advisory firm that provides consultative and intelligence services to heads of state, royals and billionaires. His extensive network of contacts and connections spanning the globe earned him the nickname “King Rolodex”. And this is where the second Yassin Fawaz comes in. He is also a massive social media phenomenon operating under the King Rolodex moniker. He boasts 1.3 million followers on Instagram and an audience of a half a million on his Tik Tok account. He drives his Lamborghini and Bentley cars around Beirut’s streets in the company of models, handing out $100 bills to Syrian refugee children and financially supporting impoverished Lebanese families. He is instantly recognizable and often mobbed by his army of supporters wherever he goes.”
National Democratic Institute
Virtual Pre-Election Assessment Mission Statement – Lebanon
“The National Democratic Institute (NDI) assembled a group of experts to form a virtual preelection assessment mission (V-PEAM) from February 7 to 18, 2022, to examine conditions for elections in Lebanon. The purpose was to assess the prevailing political environment and preparations for the upcoming 2022 elections and identify areas where change is possible to improve the integrity, transparency, and effectiveness of the elections. The delegation included technical and election experts from Canada, Georgia, and Jordan: Leslie Campbell, NDI Middle East and North Africa Regional Director; Ecaterine Siradze, Resident Director for NDI in Lebanon; Reem Abu Hassan, lawyer, human rights activist, and former Jordanian Minister of Social Development; and Grant Kippen, expert advisor in electoral and democratic development.”
Al-Monitor
Syria’s Bread Basket Lies Empty
Ahmed Read Jamus
Jamus writes, “Deir ez-Zor province in eastern Syria is facing a water and bread crisis that is likely to become even worse during the month of Ramadan.”
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.