Lebanon in December 2022

10 December 2022

Mikati: We will work to activate cooperation between Lebanon and its Arab brothers, and between Lebanon and China (Beirut Observer). Mikati: “Our Arab world, which possesses many human and natural qualifications, is at the center of the world’s interest, specifically the People’s Republic of China, with which we have bonds of friendship and common denominators.”

Prime Minister Mikati Meets Chinese President Xi Jinping at Arab-Chinese Summit in Riyadh (Lebanon Files). Mikati said: “Lebanon is looking forward to more Chinese investments in Lebanon, especially in the field of infrastructure, in which China has extensive experience.”

Saudi Crown Prince Meets Lebanese PM Mikati ‘at Macron’s request’ (Nahar Net). Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh following “a request from French President Emmanuel Macron,” LBCI TV reported overnight.

Maronite Patriarch Al-Rai Calls to ‘Internationalize’ Lebanon Crisis (Middle East Monitor). Lebanon Maronite Patriarc Bechara Boutros Al-Rai has reiterated his call for the “internationalization” of the Lebanese cause and for “heading to the UN and world powers to rescue Lebanon before it’s too late.”
Hochstein Says Netanyahu Won’t Backtrack on Israel-Lebanon Gas Deal (Nahar Net). U.S. energy mediator Amos Hochstein has said that he does not believe that an Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu will renounce the offshore gas agreement that was recently reached with Lebanon.

Former French Minister: The International Tribunal on the Hariri Assassination was Pressured to Remove Mention of the Involvement of the Syrian Regime (Shaam.org). Former French Defense Minister Florence Parly indicated that ” Syrian regime officials were involved in the crime of assassinating Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.”

Lebanon fears receiving a gift of wheat and Russian fuel (Al Akhbar [Hizballah-Associated]). The Hizballah-associated news outlet Al Akhbar claimed that “Moscow is offering a donation of 40,000 tons of wheat and 25,000 tons of oil derivatives, after President Vladimir Putin’s decision to assign the file to the Russian Ministry of Emergencies. Until now, Lebanon is still reluctant to receive the donation, as confirmed by the sources of the Russian embassies in Beirut and the Lebanese embassies in Moscow, for no valid reason other than submission to the American will!”

UNIFIL Soldier Killed by Gunfire (Annahar). The Irish Defense Forces announced in a statement that an Irish soldier from the United Nations peacekeeping mission was killed in Lebanon late on Wednesday when a convoy of two armored vehicles came under small arms fire.
Vote Sessions ‘Become a Farce’ as MPs Fail Again to Elect President (Nahar net). Lebanon’s divided parliament failed to elect a new president Thursday for a tenth time, despite the damage the political deadlock is doing to efforts to bail out its bankrupt economy.

Macron Cancels Lebanon Visit as Lebanese Parties Fail to Coalesce Around a Favored Presidential Candidate (Beirut Observer). Macron planned to visit Lebanon to spend the holidays with French troops operating within UNIFIL, but he canceled his visit because there is no president in Lebanon and the government is in caretaker status.

Hezbollah Hands Over A Civilian as the Suspected Killer of UN Peacekeeper (Naharnet).”The main shooter has been arrested by security forces after Hezbollah handed him over hours ago,” a Lebanese security official said, declining to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Media reports said the arrested man is not a member of Hizballah but rather a 31-year-old supporter.

Israeli army: We will not accept another “Hezbollah” in Syria (Al Nahar). The head of the Israeli army’s operations department, Oded Basiuk, said on Wednesday…that Tel Aviv “will not accept the presence of another Hezbollah in Syria.” He added, according to what the Israeli army posted on Twitter, that sales of Iranian weapons used in the war in Ukraine “are the main influencing factor on the way the West and the United States view Iran and the entire region.”