Macron Reported to Visit Lebanon Later This Month
According to Naharnet, “During his presence in the region, Macron will head to Lebanon for a few hours to inspect the troops of the French contingent operating within the UNIFIL force in south Lebanon,’ Annahar added.” [Naharnet]

Parliament Fails to Elect New President
For the 8th time, the Lebanese Parliament has failed to elect a new president of the Republic. Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri has set the date of the next session in which another round of presidential elections will take place. [Arab News]

Department of Treasury Sanctions Several Individuals and Companies Affiliated with Hezbollah
According to Reuters, “The United States on Thursday sanctioned individuals and companies for allegedly providing financial services to and facilitating weapons procurement for Hezbollah, the U.S. Treasury Department said.” [Reuters]

Lebanese Architecture Student Wins Frank Gehry Award
According to L’Orient Today, “Sophie Akoury, a student at the Southern California Institute of Architecture, was awarded the Frank Gehry Prize for her thesis project that draws an analogy between the Los Angeles River and the Beirut River.” [L’Orient Today]

AbiNader writes, “A food desert is commonly defined as a geographic area where residents have few to no convenient options for securing affordable and healthy foods . . . At this point, Lebanon has certainly become a beggar state. Remittances from overseas remain the most important lifeline for many, if they can navigate the opaqueness of the banking system and Central Bank rules. Without an executive government and a parliament unable to elect a new president, the country is languishing. While those with means survive, more than 75% of the population remain in poverty, unable to sustain a quality of life with adequate access to food, education, medicines, and social services. State institutions, the banking sector, and public services are all in disarray . . . Given its political structure, the very nature of assistance to Lebanon gets called into question when well-intentioned initiatives and programs – like the ESSN cash-assistance program that is actionable and immediate – prove susceptible to corruption. When Lebanon’s friends outside the country are seemingly more concerned about Lebanon’s future than its current leadership, a deeper dilemma emerges regarding how much change it will take for Lebanon to become a viable, sovereign, and self-sufficient state. We’re still waiting for that answer.”

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Perry, Abdallah, and Azhari write, “In the darkness of Beirut’s unlit streets, men wielding batons and torches are taking security into their own hands in an initiative they hope will keep neighbourhoods safe but critics see as a worrying echo of Lebanon’s troubled past. The neighbourhood watch, launched earlier this month in some of Beirut’s most salubrious streets, is the latest symptom of the crisis that has afflicted Lebanon since its economy collapsed in 2019, paralysing much of the state and fuelling poverty in the worst shock since the 1975-90 civil war.”

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