🔴 Lebanon's security chief has retired, after 12 years in office

General Security chief Maj.-Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, responsible for intelligence and immigration, has left office today, after reaching the legal retirement age of 64 years.

Caretaker-Minister of Interior Bassam Mawlawi (pro-KSA) has refused to discuss an exemption to extend his term, although it can be issued if a vacuum risks instability, and Speaker Nabih Berri has refused a parliament session on it.

The acting successor will be Brig.-Gen. Elias Baissari.

⋯ Abbas Ibrahim, who has been in office since July 2011, is close to Amal and Hezbullah, yet a friend to the West and the USA. He worked with the CIA to free Americans held in Syria—notably the case of Austin Tice, who went missing in 2012.

Asked today about his political life, he said that he aspires to become foreign minister if offered a ministerial post. Asked whether he is eying the parliament speaker post (since he's a Shia), he replied: “May God prolong Speaker Berri’s life”.

⋯ Currently, Lebanon has no president of the Republic (term ended in October 2022), no plenipotentiary government (caretaker capacity since the elections in May 2022), no General Security chief (he just retired).

Many nominations for top positions are delayed, waiting for a plenipotent government.

🚨 The Market exchange rate surpasses 90,000 LBP/USD. That's an additional devaluation of 30,000 LBP since January.

For non-Lebanese followers, the highest banknote denomination is 100,000.

Is Putin “paying Palestinians in Lebanon's camps to fight in Ukraine”?

Yesterday, 28 ⁠Feb, the Jerusalem Post has released a #fake_news:

💬 “A Lebanese government security source has told The Media Line that Palestinians residing in Lebanon have signed up [to fight in Ukraine], having been offered a sum of $350 by Russian entities”, namely by Wagner and Syrian units supervised by Russia... 300 Palestinians, from Fatah and PFLP, are already there!

⚠ The Media Line is a small Israel-focused, Jewish-owned outlet, by Felice & Michael Friedson. Per its team presentation, it doesn't have any correspondent in Lebanon.

There is no such Russian recruitment, and certainly not being “carried out in coordination with” Hezbullah, because Russia recruits from CIS countries.

One year ago, we wrote this article about the Ukraine War:

https://telegra.ph/War-in-Ukraine-What-Russia-Failed-03-02

This morning, the exchange rate has reduced to below 80,000 L.L./USD.

On 1 ⁠March, it surpassed 90,000. With supermarkets pricing goods and adjusting their price in dollar (read ⁠here), as well as private hospitals requesting to do the same, the rate is expected to skyrocket.

Illustrated: Central Banker Riad Salameh. (Credit: Bint Jbeil News)

Frangieh is parliament speaker's pick for presidency

Suleiman Frangieh has won the open support of Speaker Nabih Berri for the presidency of the Republic (reserved to a Maronite by customary law), but the Maronites are still divided—FPM leader Gebran Bassil must come to terms with Frangieh.

Berri told Al-Akhbar on 2 ⁠March that “our candidate [Amal and Hezbullah's] is known, he is Suleiman Frangieh. The blank votes named him without writing his name” [referring to the blank votes in the past 11 ⁠sessions]. “In the first session on 29 ⁠Sept, he received 63 votes. Almost half plus one. Our candidate is serious and we have repeatedly emphasized it. Their candidate [US-backed Michel Moawad] is nothing but a test-tube experiment”.

Berri will set another session should the leader of Marada secure 65 votes. The last round was on 19 ⁠Jan.

Despite attempts to control the border between the West Bank and the surrounding settlements, a soldier from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion was arrested by the IDF for accepting bribes to smuggle Palestinians through the Rantis checkpoint.

The incident is currently being investigated.

The Lebanese Army and israeli occupation forces are both on alert after a Lebanese army officer pushed an israeli officer and uprooted an iron stake planted by the enemy outside the Blue Line. UNIFIL forces intervened.

Source: Ali Shoeib, Al-Manar correspondent

⋯ A Lebanese army officer pushed away an Israeli army officer.

Video by @⁠⁠⁠AliShoeib1970