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Hezbollah threatens Israel with escalation "Whether our message was understood in Lebanon or not, we don't care about that."

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by Associated Press -- BEIRUT - The leader of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group threatened Israel with military escalation Wednesday if a future deal over the disputed maritime border between the two countries is not in Lebanon's favor. Sayyed Hassan Narallah said in a televised speech that Lebanon should be able to extract oil and gas in Lebanese waters. He warned that sending unarmed drones over the Karish gas field in the Mediterranean earlier this month was "a modest beginning to where the situation could be heading." On July 2, the Israeli military said it shot down three drones before Hezbollah issued a statement saying they were unarmed and were sent on a reconnaissance mission. "The mission was accomplished and the message was received," a Hezbollah statement said at the time.

Israel and Hezbollah are bitter enemies that fought a monthlong war in the summer of 2006. Israel considers the Iranian-backed Lebanese group its most serious immediate threat, estimating it has some 150,000 rockets and missiles aimed at Israel. "The message of the drones meant that we are serious and we are not after a psychological war but we are gradually moving in our steps," Nasrallah said, adding that Lebanese officials should take advantage of his group's strength to use it in indirect talks. Nasrallah added that "whatever we are supposed to do, we will without any hesitation. This message was understood by the Israelis and by the Americans." Nasrallah's refused to comment on the Lebanese caretaker prime minister's criticism of Hezbollah for sending the drones. Najib Mikati said at the time it was an unnecessarily risky action. "Whether our message was understood in Lebanon or not, we don't care about that. What is important for us is that the enemy gets the message," he said.

Beirut port silos hit by 2020 explosions catch fire

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by ansamed.info -- BEIRUT - A fire broke out on Tuesday in Beirut inside of what remains of grain silos destroyed by a devastating explosion in the port of the capital two years ago, according to eyewitnesses and Lebanese media. A column of smoke was reported to be rising from inside the silos, where the remains of grain - now spoilt and fermenting - have been left for two years. The cause of the flames is unclear. Families of the victims have told media outlets that they are afraid that it may be a case of arson intending to destroy what remains of the silos, which over time have become a true symbol of the August 4, 2020 disaster in which over 250 people died, over 6,000 were injured, and 330,000 were forced to leave their homes.

On August 4, 2020, some 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded in Beirut's port after being left in unsafe conditions by Lebanese authorities for over six years in one of the port hangars. The tall grain silos, visible from every side of the Beirut seafront, protected part of the city from the devastating effects of the explosion, which experts rank among the 10 more powerful non-nuclear explosions in history. After the August 4 disaster, which occurred amid the worst economic and political crisis in Lebanese history, the entire political class was blamed by the victims' families and by broad swaths of public opinion. Massive street protests had already begun periodically starting in 2019 against corruption and bad government.

Five Decades of Questions: Lebanon post-Syria Occupation

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By Julian McBride -- Geopoliticalmonitor.com -- Lebanon was once known as the most prosperous nation in the Middle East to emerge from the post Sykes-Picot map, despite the inherent flaws in the Levantine nation. Heightened sectarian disputes, economic inequality, pan-Arabist nationalism, and regional disputes would eventually lead to the extremely brutal 15-year Lebanese Civil War, a conflict that killed 150,000 civilians and combatants. Dozens of militias, all attached to various ideologues, took part in hundreds of armed clashes, some of which pitted former neighbors against each other. Several countries played a major role in the carnage, such as Israel and Syria, with the latter ultimately enacting a 30-year occupation of Lebanon.

The three-decade Syrian occupation was quite brutal. The “elections” that took place were nothing more than a sham with handpicked people to lead a corrupt government. There were assassinations of key political figures and mass detention of political dissidents without due process, which happened quite frequently. To this day the fate of hundreds of Lebanese in Syrian prisons remains ambiguous and quite frightening given Syria’s Baathist Party methods of torture and abuse.

Lebanon telecoms mark-up threatens migrants' link to jobs and safety

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By Maya Gebeily -- BEIRUT, (Reuters) - Kenyan cleaner Noel Musanga survived Lebanon's economic meltdown, waves of COVID-19 and Beirut's port blast. But when her internet provider announced rates would double, she feared her last lifeline to family and work would snap. The freelance migrant worker already barely earned enough to survive. Now, the higher telecoms bill means she will have to ration her calls to relatives and potential employers. "It will be like (being) in a deep hole," Musanga said in her ground-floor apartment in the densely-populated Burj Hammoud neighbourhood on the edge of Beirut.

Lebanon hosts an estimated 250,000 migrant workers primarily from sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, according to the United Nations. Their residence is usually subject to "kafala", a sponsorship system that rights groups say gives employers excessive control over workers' lives. Lebanon's three-year financial downturn has only added to their woes, with employers abandoning domestic migrant workers in the streets as their monthly wages – between $150 to $400 – became too expensive. Some went freelance, living on their own and taking on cleaning or nannying work to pay the bills. But that has become harder by the day. Lebanon's currency has lost 95% of its value while food and public transportation costs have risen roughly eleven-fold.

Formation of new Lebanese gov’t unlikely soon amid deep political rifts: experts

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by famagusta-gazette.com -- Lebanon is unlikely to form a new cabinet very soon, given a deeply divided political landscape shown in the parliamentary elections in May and under the influence of multiple external factors, said experts. “Amid the current steep divisions, I believe we won’t be seeing a new cabinet in Lebanon and the caretaker government of Prime Minister (Najib) Mikati will stay until we elect a new president for the republic by the end of October, which may also be a very difficult task in the light of the current complicated scene,” political analyst Amin Kammouriye told Xinhua. Soon after Mikati was re-appointed as Lebanon’s prime minister-designate by the president on June 23 following binding consultations with parliament members, he vowed to form a cabinet capable of assuming its full duties and responsibilities.

Mikati, who was appointed for a fourth time with 54 votes from the 128-member parliament, should govern in the run-up to the presidential election in the autumn and rally various parties to put aside differences for Lebanon’s reforms. However, Kammouriye said, Mikati’s premiership was secured by the lowest number of votes for any prime minister in Lebanon ever since 1990, a reflection of the new make-up of the parliament as the Iran-backed Shiite movement Hezbollah and its allies lost their majority in May elections. During the elections, the Free Patriotic Movement, a major Hezbollah ally led by the president’s son-in-law Gebran Bassil, also lost its position as the largest Christian bloc in the parliament. Kammouriye also noted the rifts between Mikati and Bassil over key ministerial portfolios. As the end of President Michel Aoun’s presidential term is imminent, Bassil aims to appoint his supporters in key public institutions to ensure his party’s control of key posts, the political analyst explained.

Billionaire Lily Safra Dies Of Cancer At Age 87. Here’s How She Got Her Fortune

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By Kerry Dolan - Forbes.com -- Lily Safra, a billionaire socialite and philanthropist who inherited a fortune from her banker husband Edmond Safra, died at age 87 of pancreatic cancer, according to her spokesperson. Safra died on July 9 in Geneva, Switzerland. Safra’s fourth husband, Brazilian banker Edmond Safra, died in 1999 in a fire in their apartment in Monaco. Lily Safra chaired the Edmond J. Safra Foundation, which describes itself as donating to organizations supporting education, science and medicine, religion and humanitarian relief in 40 countries. Forbes estimated her fortune at $1.3 billion. Lily was born in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 1934 to Jewish immigrants to South America. Her father, Wolf Watkins, was of Czech and British origin and manufactured railroad cars in the city of Mesquita, near Rio de Janeiro, where the main street was named “Rua Mister Watkins.” Lily moved to Montevideo, Uruguay at age 17 and soon married Mario Cohen; together they had three children. The marriage ended in divorce and she moved back to Rio de Janeiro. In 1965, at age 30, she married Alfredo “Freddy” Monteverde, owner of the appliance store chain Ponto Frio. Monteverde struggled with bipolar disorder and died by suicide in 1969, according to a statement from Lily Safra’s spokesperson.

Her third marriage, to Samuel Bendahan in 1972, lasted just one year before they divorced. She married Edmond Safra, who reportedly had been Freddy Monteverde’s banker, in 1976. Edmond Safra’s family initially hailed from Lebanon before moving to Brazil. He built a multi-billion dollar fortune via a significant stake in the publicly-traded parent of U.S.-based Republic National Bank, which he founded, plus a private banking business in Europe. Edmond was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the mid 1990s and eventually required full-time nursing care. In December 1999, his nurse Ted Maher fabricated a break in and started a fire in the couple’s apartment in Monaco in order to play hero and rescue his wealthy boss, according to reports of testimony at Maher’s trial. But Edmond Safra and another nurse died of smoke inhalation in a bathroom while trying to avoid the fire. Maher was convicted of arson and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Saudi dissident killed in Lebanon; his brothers detained

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BEIRUT (AP) — A Saudi opposition party says one of its founding members was killed in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The National Assembly Party said Sunday that founding member Manea Al-Yami was slain in “complicated circumstances.” The Lebanese Internal Security Forces say in a statement that Al-Yami’s two brothers stabbed him to death in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh on Saturday evening. The statement says the two brothers are in custody and have admitted that they murdered Al-Yami due to “family reasons.” The National Assembly Party’s members live in exile. AP National News