Why power-broker Hezbollah is still rocked by Beirut blast

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by csmonitor.com -- Scott Peterson --For the veteran Hezbollah fighter, there was one silver lining – but only one – in the massive explosion at Beirut’s port that devastated swathes of the Lebanese capital Aug. 4. Overnight, the price of an AK-47 assault rifle quadrupled from $200 to $800. But for the mechanic-turned-gun dealer, that scrap of relatively good news is far outweighed by what the demand for weapons signals about spreading insecurity in Beirut, and the challenge now faced by Hezbollah amid popular demands to reform a corrupt and sectarian ruling system in which the Shiite movement has become deeply entwined. “We are living in a very, very dangerous time. ... Everybody is buying a gun to protect his family,” says the Hezbollah fighter, a former unit commander in Syria who devoted his life to the Shiite “Party of God.” He survived multiple tours in Syria but has become disillusioned as quality of life for all Lebanese has deteriorated.

Public anger over systemic corruption and incompetence erupted last October in protests nationwide that included traditional Hezbollah strongholds. But even as Beirutis replace windows and doors smashed by the blast – their anger grown even deeper – there appear few easy solutions to decades of entrenched sectarian rule that most recently has been brokered by Hezbollah. An image of Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, was among those hung by a noose by Lebanese protesters furious about the blast and the collapsing state of their nation. Protesters have for months called for the toppling of the entire political elite, chanting “‘All of them’ means all of them,” in a dig that deliberately includes Hezbollah.

Hezbollah’s warning

In a speech soon after the blast, Sheikh Nasrallah warned Lebanese not to blame Hezbollah, or it would “start a battle” that the militia would win – and that Lebanese demanding reforms, presumably, would lose. “We are living in the worst chaos ever witnessed in Lebanon. People are accusing Hezbollah more than ever,” says the veteran fighter, speaking in his cramped workshop in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Many of Iran-backed Hezbollah’s thousands of core fighters no doubt remain devoted to the cause of “resistance” against Israel and against American influence. But this officer – who is not alone in his disenchantment – refused last fall to return to Syria, where Hezbollah and Iran have helped support President Bashar al-Assad, citing to the Monitor leadership “corruption,” fighting on too many front lines across the Middle East, and a fury that “we drowned with their lies.”

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Lebanese schools likely to reopen late September: Education minister

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by NAJIA HOUSSARI -- arabnews -- BEIRUT: Lebanese schools are likely to reopen in the last week of September, said Minister of Education and Higher Education Tarek Majzoub. Amid a rise in COVID-19 cases, the Education Ministry is finalizing a health protocol that will be presented to the Health Ministry for its opinion this week. “Blended education will be adopted, and if conditions worsen we will return to distance learning,” said Majzoub.

But anxiety among students and their families is growing due to the absence of logistical equipment required to undergo distance learning. In addition, the massive explosion at the Port of Beirut earlier this month destroyed many schools in the capital. The numbers destroyed or damaged reached 92 public schools in and around Beirut, 67 private schools and 20 public vocational institutes, according to statistics from the Education Ministry. UNICEF said in a report: “Schools should not reopen except when they are safe for students … The authorities must be flexible and prepared to adapt to verify the safety of every child.”

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Kuwait to rebuild Lebanon's only large grain silo after blast

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by dailysabah.com -- Kuwait said it will rebuild Lebanon's only large grain silo that was destroyed by the massive Beirut port explosion, raising fears of food shortages in a country already in a financial meltdown. The destruction of the 120,000-ton capacity structure at the port, the main entry point for food imports, meant buyers must rely on smaller private storage facilities for their wheat purchases with no government reserves to fall back on. Kuwait's ambassador to Lebanon, Abdulaal al-Qenaie, said told local radio, VdL, over the weekend that the silo was first built in 1969 with a Kuwaiti development loan. The Gulf monarchy will now rebuild the silo so it remains a symbol of "how to manage relations between two brotherly countries that respect each other," Qenaie was cited as saying. The port explosion killed at least 180 people, injured thousands and wrecked swathes of the Lebanese capital, pushing the government to resign.

The caretaker economy minister, Raoul Nehme, has reassured the public that there would be no flour or bread crisis in Lebanon, which buys almost all its wheat from abroad. Plans for another grain silo in Lebanon's second-largest port Tripoli were shelved years ago due to a lack of funding, a U.N. official, port official and regional grain expert told Reuters earlier this month. Humanitarian aid has poured into Lebanon. But foreign donors have made clear they will not bail out the state without reforms to tackle entrenched corruption and negligence. Gulf Arab states, who once gave Lebanon financial support, have grown weary in recent years of the Iran-backed Hezbollah's expanding role in state affairs.

Lebanon continues to receive foreign donations after Beirut’s blasts

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by siasat.com -- Beirut, Aug 23 : Lebanon continued to receive donations from foreign countries following the explosions that rocked Beirut’s port on August 4, LBCI local TV channel reported. An aircraft arrived in Beirut from Australia and another one from Belgium carrying medical equipment for Lebanese hospitals, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday. Lebanon also received two Egyptian aircraft with food and medicines in addition to flour for people to bake bread, according to the report. Meanwhile, King Salman center for relief and humanitarian aid delivered medicines and medical equipment to the health ministry, which in turn, will distribute them among public hospitals. READ: Haryana orders closure of shops, offices on weekends An Italian military vessel reached Beirut’s port carrying food and medical equipment while another military ship will arrive in Beirut in two days carrying fire trucks, protective equipment for firefighting and medical aid.

S&P downgrades Lebanon bonds after missed payments

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by AFP -- WASHINGTON: Credit ratings agency S&P downgraded more Lebanese government debt issues after missed payments, citing the country’s worsening economic crisis following the devastating explosion in Beirut earlier this month. S&P Global Ratings maintained the “selective default” or “SD” rating for Lebanon’s foreign debt, after the country first defaulted in March, but three more bonds were cut to “D” from “CC,” the agency said. “The recent catastrophic explosion in Beirut is deepening the country’s economic crisis,” S&P said in a statement. “A protracted political vacuum or weak new government could further delay policy reforms, external aid and debt restructuring negotiations.” The capital was ravaged by a massive explosion at Beirut’s port on Aug. 4 that killed 181 people and wounded thousands. That was followed by protests against the government, leading the Cabinet to resign. Still reeling from the deadly blast, the country also entered into a new coronavirus lockdown Friday after a string of record daily infections tallies. “Even before these recent events, Lebanon had made limited progress in engaging creditors on debt restructuring negotiations,” S&P said.

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Death stalks Lebanon as anger continues to boil

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by NAJIA HOUSSARI -- arabnews. -- BEIRUT: The Lebanese footballer Mohammed Atwi is in intensive care at Al-Maqasid Hospital, battling for his life after he was hit in the head by a bullet on Friday, in the Cola district of Beirut. The incident coincided with the last of the funerals for members of the Beirut Fire Brigade who died in the recent port explosion. Joe Bou Saab’s funeral was taking place in the Ain El-Remmaneh area east of Beirut, as armed men began shooting into the air. Atwi, 33, had played for Al-Tadhamon Football Club in Tyre, and previously for Al-Ansar FC and Akhaa Ahli Aley FC. He had been driving his motorbike wearing a helmet in the Cola district when he was struck by a stray bullet, causing severe bleeding and a fracture of the skull. Sources told Arab News that Atwi “needed 16 units of blood, and although he underwent surgery, the bullet was still in his head and doctors could not pull it out because it was in a very critical place behind the ear.” Atwi was not the only victim that day. A security guard, whose name has not been released, was also hit by a stray bullet in the shoulder in front of an embassy near the Cola area, and underwent surgery. He is in stable condition.

In recent years, there has been a campaign to stop shooting in the air during funeral ceremonies, when political leaders appear on television, at weddings, and even to celebrate passing a high school diploma. There were 147 victims (including 45 fatalities) as a result of stray bullets between 2013 and 2019 in Lebanon. Often, Lebanese people also resort to settling disputes by using weapons, but in the past two days, it seems the use of firearms has escalated. Tension between supporters of the Amal Movement and supporters of Hezbollah, against the background of raising religious tension, has led to gunfire, resulting in the injuring of four people, one of whom, Hussein Khalil, died later from his wounds. During his funeral, there were chants against the secretary-general of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, describing him as an “enemy of God.”

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