Joint Parliamentary Committee Meeting Over Capital Control Law Amid Protests According to L’Orient Today, “Dozens of protesters gathered in front of the Parliament building and in front of several banks in Beirut on Tuesday morning to protest the proposed capital control law as a joint parliamentary committee meeting convened to discuss the measure.” [L’Orient Today]
Ministry of Tourism: Number of Visitors Doubles in First Half of 2022 According to figures released by the Ministry of Tourism, the number of tourists visiting Lebanon over the first half of 2022 has doubled since the same period last year. A total of 570,738 travelers visited Lebanon between January and June of 2022. [L’Orient Today]
ISF Intervenes in Ongoing Migrant Smuggling Operation The Internal Security Forces (ISF) identified four individuals involved in the preparations of another smuggling operation of migrants seeking to emigrate from Lebanon to Europe over the Mediterranean Sea. [The961]
Saudi Arabia Seeks Extradition of Man Threatening Embassy The Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon, Walid al-Bukhari, in a statement said, “We call upon the competent Lebanese authorities to undertake the necessary legal procedures regarding the terrorist threats,” making reference to a Saudi national who threatened the Embassy in Beirut. [Reuters]
OPINION & ANALYSIS
L’Orient Today Death Threats Against Saudi Embassy: Isolated Act Or Message To Riyadh? Salah Hijazi
Hijazi writes, “Political scientist Karim Bitar believes that these threats against Saudi Arabia are in sharp contrast to the regional climate. ‘De-escalation prevails in the region. The reconciliation between Ankara and Damascus seems to have begun, the Vienna negotiations are progressing since Iran gave up some of its demands and, above all, dialogue is resuming between Tehran and Riyadh in Iraq,” he told L’Orient-Le Jour. “One might therefore ask whether these threats are not part of an attempt to sharpen tensions again.’ The threats against the Saudi embassy in Beirut come almost four months after Bukhari’s return to Lebanon. Riyadh recalled the ambassador in late October following a diplomatic crisis between Lebanon and several Gulf monarchies. On July 11, a Saudi dissident based in Lebanon was killed and two of his brothers were arrested on suspicion of murder, according to the Lebanese police. A security source told AFP at the time that it was the dissident Maneh al-Yami.”
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.
