Confidential

Amal and Hezbollah Oppose Mega Voting Center in Municipal Polls
Amal and Hezbollah Oppose Mega Voting Center in Municipal Polls

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri’s Amal Movement opposes the idea of setting up a megacenter where eligible voters can cast their ballot in the municipal elections, regardless of where they hail from, particularly in the war-devastated southern region. Thanks to megacenters, residents of southern villages can vote in the areas where they live, ...

Dormant Cells Could Be Activated to Discredit President Aoun's Mandate
Dormant Cells Could Be Activated to Discredit President Aoun's Mandate

Dormant cells in certain areas and in some Palestinian camps might be activated to destabilize Lebanon during the mandate of President Joseph Aoun, who emphasized the state’s monopoly over weapons in his inaugural speech, according to a security report obtained by opposition politicians.   “There are fears of an attempt to use dormant cells ...

Future Movement Eyeing Municipal and General Polls with or Without Saad Hariri
Future Movement Eyeing Municipal and General Polls with or Without Saad Hariri

The Future Movement, which had suspended its participation in Lebanon’s political life three years ago, will be taking part in the upcoming municipal elections slated for May and the general elections next year, according to a party official. However, the movement’s leader, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, may not be running for a seat in ...

Europe Closely Monitoring Israel’s Feb 18 Withdrawal Deadline
Europe Closely Monitoring Israel’s Feb 18 Withdrawal Deadline

The new US administration’s rigorous way of handling foreign affairs was reaffirmed by US Deputy Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus, who openly called for excluding Hezbollah from the next Lebanese government while applauding its defeat at Israel’s hand. The approach that is bound to alienate and provoke Lebanon’s Shiite ...

What Is Najib Mikati Playing At?
Behind the ScenesWhat Is Najib Mikati Playing At?

High-ranking parliamentary sources questioned the reasons that led caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to place the draft law on bank restructuring on the Cabinet's agenda for its session on Tuesday, and why he discreetly sent it as an annex last Friday. The same sources unanimously agreed that the draft law was rushed and prepared by a ...

Serious Moves to Implement Ceasefire Required by Jan. 27
Serious Moves to Implement Ceasefire Required by Jan. 27

With the January 27 deadline for the application of the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel drawing closer, apprehension is growing about a possible resumption of hostilities that wreaked havoc in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburb. According to informed sources, Lebanon should take serious steps to start implementing the ...

Centcom Commanders Will Help the LAF Disarm Hezbollah
Centcom Commanders Will Help the LAF Disarm Hezbollah

This is Beirut has learned that senior commanders from Centcom (the United States Central Command) will be working with the Lebanese Army and providing assistance to help the LAF disarm Hezbollah. This assistance comes within the framework of the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel, announced on Tuesday and put into effect at dawn on ...

Bank Depositors: The Central Bank Loosens Its Stance
Bank Depositors: The Central Bank Loosens Its Stance

According to reliable sources, This is Beirut has learned that, in the coming months, the Central Bank (BDL) plans to continue providing two monthly payments instead of one to the beneficiaries of circulars 158 and 161, which allow exceptional withdrawals in fresh dollars. The BDL has decided to respond to the current critical situation by ...

Palestinian and Shiite Population Relocations
Palestinian and Shiite Population Relocations

It has been over a year since the conflict started in Gaza, yet the Biden administration has struggled to broker a lasting ceasefire. This challenge primarily stems from the entrenched positions and demands of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who insists on Hamas disarmament and the transfer of governance in Gaza to the Palestinian ...

From Habib to... Boulos?
From Habib to... Boulos?

Will the 1982 scenario be repeated? At the time, Philip Habib, an American of Lebanese descent, was US President Ronald Reagan's emissary charged with resolving the Lebanese crisis. Mr. Habib was to transfer the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) led by Yasser Rafat from Beirut to Tunisia and move Palestinian arms to Syria. Will US ...

Israel… War Until April
Israel… War Until April

Israel has not yet achieved the military objectives required to enter negotiations. Consequently, it is expected to press on with efforts to dismantle Hezbollah’s military and organizational structure, employing a scorched-earth strategy to create a 3-to-6-kilometer deep uninhabitable zone. According to Western diplomatic sources, after securing ...

Depositors May Have Two Monthly Payments Instead of One!
Behind the ScenesDepositors May Have Two Monthly Payments Instead of One!

In the coming 48 hours, beneficiaries of Banque du Liban (BDL) Circulars 158 and 166, related to exceptional withdrawals of fresh dollars, will receive updates regarding potential amendments. A source close to the Central Bank has indicated that the number of monthly payments available to eligible depositors will be reduced to two, instead of the ...