by Najia houssari — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: Tensions were running high in the northern Lebanese town of Bsharri on Sunday after a young man was shot dead by a sniper there on Saturday. Haitham Touk, 36, was shot dead near Qurnat As Sawda, or Black Peak, the highest point in Lebanon and the Levant. A second man, 50-year-old Malik Touk, was killed a few hours later as soldiers were combing the area in search of the sniper. Political and religious figures moved quickly to try and prevent any violent spillover from the killings.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the incident and said the perpetrators would be pursued and arrested. He also spoke to Army Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun as well as security and judicial authorities. Mikati stressed the “need for everyone to exercise wisdom and not to be drawn into any reactions, especially in this critical situation that we are living through.” He made the remarks during a call to Strida Geagea, a Bsharri politician and wife of the Lebanese Forces party leader Samir Geagea.

The apparent lack of a motive for the shootings sparked suggestions they might have been intended to put pressure on the Lebanese Forces party, which is opposed to Hezbollah. There was also concern about attempts to intervene on the side of the people of Dennieh and build relationships with its politicians — who are allies of Hezbollah — to confirm that the strategic Qurnat As Sawda and the surrounding area belong to Dennieh district and not Bsharri district. Hezbollah sources denied any involvement in the killings. The party said it had taken precautionary measures to prevent any escalation of the situation and to control any interaction with its supportive environment, which is located close to Bsharri.

By Najia Houssari – arabnews.com — BEIRUT: Hezbollah is refusing Israeli demands that it dismantle an outpost set up in the disputed hills of Kfarshouba on the border between Lebanon and Israel. Amid a tense standoff between the militant group and Israel over the issue, Israeli warplanes violated Lebanese airspace at low altitude over the border towns of Bint Jbeil and Marjayoun on Saturday. The presence of the outpost — two military tents and a temporary structure occupied by Hezbollah fighters — gained prominence after it was discussed in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the Knesset last Tuesday. The Israeli army had tried to keep the issue under wraps for weeks.

BACKGROUND

A security source told an Israeli news site that Israel had sent messages to Lebanon through diplomatic and military channels in June regarding Hezbollah’s placement of military tents beyond the borders. Israeli news sites recently claimed that “Israel is preparing to forcibly remove military points established by Hezbollah on the border with Lebanon.” MP Mohammed Raad, head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, said on Saturday that “the time has passed when the Israelis bombed Osirak nuclear reactor without batting an eyelid. “Now the Israelis cannot remove two tents because there is strong resistance, strong men, and believers in this country.” In a remark directed at Israel, Raad said: “If you do not want a war, then be quiet.” He added: “Neither you nor anyone else can demand that the resistance removes what belongs to Lebanon.” Raad also said the Israeli side had been protesting against the two tents on the border for a month, claiming that they were placed in an advanced position on the Blue Line — as they interpret it. He added: “Israel demands their removal, and prefers that the resistance removes them because if the Israel remove the tents, a war will occur and Israel does not want that.”

By Najia houssari – arabnews.com — BEIRUT: Lebanese expatriates and tourists from Arab nations planning to spend the Eid Al-Adha holiday, or longer summer breaks, in Lebanon continued to arrive at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut on Wednesday. The number of arrivals peaked at “16,000 in a single day,” according to a security source at the airport. The influx of travelers resulted in heavy traffic on roads, and busy scenes in restaurants, cafes, recreational areas and nightlife venues, providing a boost to the country’s sluggish economy and injecting much-needed US dollars into local markets. People celebrated the first day of Eid across Lebanon on Wednesday despite the ongoing political disputes in the country which, among other things, have prolonged a presidential crisis that will enter its ninth month in two days. The office has remained vacant since the end of October, when President Michel Aoun’s term ended, as politicians have repeatedly failed to agree on a successor.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian were absent from Eid prayers at Mohammed Al-Amin Mosque in Beirut as they are performing Hajj. During a message sent from Makkah, Derian extended Eid greetings to the people of Lebanon and urged “the concerned political parties responsible for electing a president to cooperate and promote the spirit of tolerance, love and unity, while rejecting division.” He stressed that “a homeland cannot exist without electing a president who can be entrusted with its interests” and warned that “the ongoing presidential vacuum is a violation of all the concepts stipulated by the Taif Agreement,” the 1989 accord that formed the basis for ending Lebanon’s civil war. “Have mercy on Lebanon and the Lebanese people, agree on the election and adhere to the constitution and the Taif Agreement,” Derian added. “We will stand as a barrier against any attempt to circumvent the Taif provisions because what unites us as Lebanese is our national unity, coexistence and respect for the constitution.” He thanked Saudi Arabia and other friendly countries “for their assistance in preserving Lebanon’s stability, safety and unity in these difficult circumstances.”

By Jordyn Dahl, Editor at LinkedIn News — Groundwater extraction to provide communities with drinking water and irrigation has pulled so much moisture out of the earth, it’s tilting the planet’s axis. The Earth’s axis shifted about 31 inches to the east over the course of about two decades — roughly 1.7 inches a year […]

by Alexander Langlois — nationalinterest.org — Lebanon’s political problems and solutions have a strong tendency of repeating. This reality has become increasingly apparent in the ongoing failure to elect a new president—an arena where the international community is once again making some significant moves to effectively save the country. Indeed, as Beirut continues to bicker over candidates and other long-running feuds, the country’s political elites likely expect and hope to rely on their international backers to resolve strictly Lebanese problems. While undesirable, international action likely constitutes the only path toward a new government in Lebanon today given current political obstacles. Recent French efforts are at the forefront of international action in Lebanon today. French president Emmanual Macron recently dispatched his new envoy for Lebanon—former Foreign and Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian—to meet with Lebanese elites and encourage constructive dialogue on the presidential file. Le Drian is a major political actor in France, carrying substantial international influence and skill, which reflects Paris’s seriousness in resolving Beirut’s gridlock. The envoy described his trip to Lebanon as “a consultative mission … to ensure the country moves on from the political impasse.” Yet interestingly, Le Drian expressed that he would not push for any candidate in his visit—including a third-party option that could lead to consensus between Lebanon’s major political blocs. This comes as a surprise given Paris has privately supported Hezbollah-backed Suleiman Frangieh for months following its public-facing support for reformist elements in recent years. Whether Le Drian’s comments reflect another shift in France’s position remains to be seen, although Frangieh’s viability is certainly questionable at best following former finance minister and senior International Monetary Fund (IMF) official Jihad Azour’s strong showing in the last presidential vote on June 14.

Le Drian took this message to each of the major Lebanese political actors, meeting with the leaders of each of the leading political parties and independent reformist camp, Maronite patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Najib Mikati. He also met with General Joseph Aoun—the head of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and a rumored presidential favorite amongst many stakeholders working on the Lebanon file. Some of Lebanon’s political elites have made clear that international pressure is unnecessary. Samir Geagea, head of the conservative Lebanese Forces (LF) party, did not mince words following his meeting with Le Drian: “The solution doesn’t need French, American or Iranian intervention … What is needed is a sovereign domestic decision.” Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) head Gebran Bassil expressed similar sentiments in his meeting with Le Drian as well. Both are major Christian parties in Lebanon that are usually opposed to each other, until recently.

by Sarah Maisey — the nationalnews.com — Taking to social media, the multi-award-winning singer, composer and actor announced he would be performing in the Lebanese capital on August 19. Diab has been on the music circuit since the early 1980s, and has earned a huge following and won multiple accolades. His 2014 album Shoft El […]

(Reuters) – The Financial Action Task Force’s FATF international financial crime watchdog did not put Lebanon on its “grey list” of countries facing special scrutiny according to a statement on Friday after a preliminary mutual assessment had raised concerns it would be. Three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters in May that Lebanon was […]

by AFP — AIN ZHALTA, Lebanon: Lebanon’s biggest Druze party on Sunday chose Taymur Jumblatt, 41, to succeed his father as leader of the small but influential community in the country’s power-sharing system. Almost 2,000 supporters gathered in Ain Zhalta, in the Druze heartland of the Chouf mountains, where members of the Progressive Socialist Party […]

BASSEM MROUE — BEIRUT (AP) — Carlos Ghosn said Friday that the $1 billion lawsuit he recently filed against Nissan and others is just the beginning of his fight. The former Nissan CEO said during an interview with The Associated Press in Beirut that had he been an American citizen filing a lawsuit in the United States, “I would not be asking for $1 billion, but for much more,” given his suffering. Ghosn led Japanese automaker Nissan for two decades, rescuing it from near-bankruptcy, before he was arrested in Japan in November 2018 on charges of breach of trust, misusing company assets for personal gains and violating securities laws by not fully disclosing his compensation. He fled Japan in December 2019 for Lebanon where he has lived since. Ghosn is wanted in Japan and France. Since he fled to Lebanon, Beirut has received three notices from Interpol based on arrest warrants for him from those countries. In France, he is facing a number of legal challenges, including tax evasion and alleged money laundering, fraud and misuse of company assets while at the helm of the Renault-Nissan alliance. Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan and does not extradite its citizens. Ghosn has French, Brazilian and Lebanese citizenship.

Ghosn was kept in solitary confinement in Japan for months without being allowed to speak with his wife. He has said he fled the country fearing he would have no chance of a fair trial. Ghosn said it took him more than three years to file the lawsuit because he wanted it to be as solid as possible based on evidence, on facts, (and) on witnesses.” He added that “our intention is to win it, so in order to win it, it has to be substantiated by a lot of facts. That’s why it took a lot of time.” A hearing date in the case by Lebanon’s prosecution is set for Sept. 18. Half of the money sought by the 69-year-old Ghosn is for damages, he said, while the other half is for compensation including salary, retirement funds and stock options. Ghosn is also seeking monetary compensation from a Nissan affiliate based in Lebanon, as well as entities that took part in the investigation leading up to his arrest and those that obtained documents and computers from his homes. When contacted by the AP in Tokyo for comment on the lawsuit, a Nissan official said: “We will not be commenting.”

by Ashton Jackson — cnbc.com — It may be hard to believe that Austin Russell, the world’s youngest self-made billionaire, has anything in common with others his age — but he insists that he does. Russell, 28, has an estimated net worth of $1.6 billion, due to the performance of his Orlando, Florida-based tech startup Luminar Technologies, which currently has a market cap of $2.4 billion. The company, which Russell founded 11 years ago as a teenager, develops hardware and software meant to power self-driving cars. Very few teenagers — or people in their 20s or 30s, for that matter — can launch and sustain that type of business. A Thiel Fellowship helped, giving Russell $100,000 to drop out of Stanford University and grow his company full-time.

But rather than focusing on technological expertise or business acumen, Russell credits his journey so far to two traits common among younger generations: energy and passion. “People in their 20s have a lot of great energy,” Russell tells CNBC Make It. “They put a lot of passion [into] things and I’m certainly no exception to that. I probably take it to the extreme, and that’s very meaningful.” “I was like 16, 17 years old where I said … ‘I have this vision of creating a new type of laser system that will allow cars to be able to drive themselves. And we’re going to beat out the Googles of this world, and all the major automakers, at their development efforts they’re going to put into this,'” Russell told Forbes in 2021, recalling the pitch he gave investors as a teenager. “I guess, I did memorize the periodic table — I think I was around 2 or so,” he told CNBC Make It in 2018. “I was just obsessed with learning certain things … just independently learning and understanding a lot of new types of scientific fields.”