Confidential

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 ...

Al-Qard Al-Hasan Customer Concerns
Al-Qard Al-Hasan Customer Concerns

Customers of Al-Qard al-Hasan, Hezbollah's illicit financial institution, attempted in vain to get in touch with the branches that were not hit by Israeli strikes. All which were spared by the Israeli war machine have, unsurprisingly, suspended their activities. These clients wanted to know what had happened to their “deposits” and if the ...

Habtoor Grand Hotel in Beirut Decides to Close its Doors Tomorrow
Habtoor Grand Hotel in Beirut Decides to Close its Doors Tomorrow

The management of the Habtoor Grand Hotel in Beirut has decided to close the establishment as of tomorrow, without specifying a date for a possible reopening.  According to information obtained by This is Beirut, a conflict lasting several days pitted the management against a television channel using the hotel as a base for its offices, studios, ...

Visit of European Security Official to Damascus
Visit of European Security Official to Damascus

A senior European security official recently visited Damascus, where he met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and some of his security staff. The visit was shrouded in media blackout and secrecy. However, leaked information indicated that it covered the evolution of the situation in the region and new developments, as well as the French-American ...

Aboul Gheit Postpones His Visit to Lebanon
Aboul Gheit Postpones His Visit to Lebanon

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit has postponed a planned visit to Lebanon, initially scheduled for the end of this week, according to informed sources.  The visit was intended to address the ongoing ceasefire discussions under a US-French proposal and explore ways to expedite the ceasefire and the long-stalled presidential ...

The 'Shiite Duo', Is There a Driver?
Behind the ScenesThe 'Shiite Duo', Is There a Driver?

Will Hezbollah sign up to the agreement between Nabih Berri and Hassan Nasrallah following the latter's assassination? Berri mentioned that this agreement, coordinated with American envoy Amos Hochstein, is in favor of a ceasefire, the election of a president, and the application of UN Resolution 1701, while demarcating the borders with ...