Central Bank's final-straw tactic is to sell unlimited dollars

Yesterday, 21 ⁠March, with approval of the caretaker-prime minister, Central Banker Riad Salameh has begun selling unlimited amounts of US dollars in a bid to halt the spiralling devaluation of the Lebanese pound (see ⁠graph).

As reported by Reuters, when the crisis began (in late 2019), Lebanon had $30 ⁠billion in foreign currency reserves. In February 2023, Salameh said that Lebanon “still” had about $10 ⁠billion.

While the end is nearing, Lebanese politicians are simply counting on the IMF $3 billion aid package that was signed last year in a preliminary deal. One of the steps the IMF requires is to unify the different exchange rates. Yesterday, Salameh set a new rate for the Sayrafa exchange platform, at 90,000 LBP/USD. On 1 ⁠March, it was 70,000.

Hezbullah's Military Media publishes footage of the incident yesterday, during which several IDF soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion on the border near Aita Al-Shaab.

🌙 The Holy Month of Ramadan has started tonight, at Wednesday sundown, for both Sunnis and Shias in Lebanon and abroad.

Ramadan Kareem to all Muslims!

💬 Hezbollah SG Hassan Nasrallah, at a ceremony dedicated to the late Hajj Hussein al-Shami today:

“The [Megiddo] operation confused the enemy at all levels. Many commented on Hezbollah's silence. Hezbollah's silence is part of the psychological media warfare with Israel. It is not our responsibility to answer what confuses the enemy, and sometimes our answer is in not commenting on the incident...

“The enemy threatens that if it finds who is responsible, it will do such and such. To the enemy, go tile the sea and do what you want. Israelis are correct to estimate that if Hezbollah is in charge of the operation, it is not afraid to go into the battle.

“Any Zionist aggression, whether military or security, in any area, that affects any person, whether he is Lebanese, Palestinian or of another nationality, the resistance will definitely and quickly respond to it.”

🌙 From Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon, and the Grand Mosque decorated for Ramadan.

By @⁠⁠⁠BintJbeilNews

After exceptional approval from PM Najib Mikati, the Secretary-General of Council of Ministers Judge Mahmoud Makiya issued a decision to postpone the switch to Daylight Savings Time this year.

DST will begin on April 21 as opposed to March 26 this year. The decision will accommodate Muslims during the month of Ramadan.

⋯ Earlier today, PM Mikati and Speaker Berri discussed the issue of postponing Daylight Saving Time.

Berri: “From now until the end of Ramadan, my brother, let it go for them.”

⋯ For those living in Lebanon, keep in mind that your devices are still programmed to switch to DST on 26 ⁠March. Timezone data is changed through software updates on most systems (including Windows). Because of this late announcement, you may be forced to manually adjust the time on your devices to avoid confusion.

🇷🇺🇺🇸🇸🇾 Armed Russian jets have flown over a U.S. military garrison in Syria nearly every day in March, violating a four-year-old agreement between the U.S. and Russia and risking escalation, according to the U.S. general in charge of air operations in the region.

📎 NBC News

Syrian observer SAM Syria is speculating a large-scale IDF attack on Syrian airports.

“The Israeli enemy's attacks on Aleppo airport [on 7 and 22 March] are warning messages similar to those we saw in the attacks on Damascus International Airport in April and May 2022, which preceded a major aggression on Damascus International Airport.”

The recent attacks “did not succeed in disrupting Aleppo airport for more than 24 to 48 hours”. The repair operations took place very quickly. Therefore, these attacks were “warning messages to Syria and Iran” before an escalation, in the context of tightening the blockade on Syria through the strategy of the ‘battle between wars’ implemented by the enemy since 2013.

🚨 According to Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, the traitorous Palestinian Authority supplied the IOF with a new kill list of Palestinian fighters at the Aqaba summit, which the IOF used to assassinate fighters this week. The list of fighters included Amir Abu Khadijah, martyred today in Tulkarem, as well as martyrs Jihad Khazem and Yousef Shreim, described as two of the most dangerous militants in Jenin.

According to the report, the PA presented the work that they had done to subdue armed resistance in the West Bank and collected a list of weapons owners in Jenin and Nablus over the last month.

In preparation for a third summit in Egypt, PA heads Hussein Al-Sheikh and Majed Faraj held an secret meeting with the leaders of the Palestinian security services, asking them to increase their work in the West Bank, intensify the effort to collect weapons, and tighten the pursuit of resistance fighters and every person who carries a weapon used to target the zionist occupation.

The security coordination, which PA leaders have described as "sacred" is only escalating as resistance escalates, despite all false promises by traitorous leaders that it is coming to an end. We recognize the "Authority" for what it truly is: an unrepresentative gang of spies that serves as an arm of the colonial occupation.

⋯ 🚨 Syria: Rockets target the American base in the Al-Omar oil field east of Deir Ezzor. Explosions resound at the base. More than 20 missiles targeted the base in the Koniko field.

There is mutual rocket and artillery shelling between the Syrian Arab Army and the American occupation forces in Deir Ezzor.

By @⁠⁠⁠SAM_Syria0

⋯ 🚨 US bases along the eastern bank of the Euphrates River were hit by rocket strikes from the Syrian Arab Army's subordinate forces.

There is intense American jet and helicopter activity over the east of Deir Ezzor.

By @⁠⁠⁠SAM_Syria0

⋯ 🔴 Statement issued by the Iranian Advisory Center in Syria:

“Last night, the American occupation carried out an aggression against civilian targets in Deir Ezzor from their base in Al-Tanf. The targets consisted of food stores and service centers. Their attack resulted in several innocents being killed or injured, only for serving or being in the area.

“We are aware that the American occupier seeks to achieve casualties among our ranks under flimsy pretexts, as they have always justified their criminal operations.

Statement continues

⋯ “Accordingly, we declare the following:

First: Our mission and legitimate presence in Syria has always been to help the Syrian state confront the terrorists and takfiri project led by ISIS.”

“Second: Over the years, the region has been attacked by the US trying to impose an equation. Their pretext has always been retaliation. Instead, they assume they're targetting precision weapons & equipment transported by Iran, which pose a threat to their protégé, Israel.”

“Third: Based on the aforementioned, and after the attack which was launched from US-occupied Al-Tanf region, we warn the American enemy that we have the upper hand. We have the ability to respond in the event that our centers and forces are targeted on Syrian territory.”

⋯ This rare statement represents Iran & Hezbullah, as well as all forces under their command. It indicates direct military action by the IRGC and Hezbullah. One must note that a member of the Syrian branch of Hezbullah was martyred in yesterday's US aggression.

Tonight's retaliation by Iran likely caused additional casualties. If this is indeed the case, it will be confirmed by CENTCOM within the next 24 hours.

🕰🧩 Call it an hour. Two parallel timezones to begin tomorrow

Lebanese Christian-funded political television channels MTV and LBCI have announced their refusal to abide by the government's decision to postpone Daylight Saving Time (DST).

Lebanon was supposed to switch to DST tonight at 00:00 (moving the clocks forward to 01:00), but the govt's secretary-general postponed it to 21 ⁠April in order to ⁠accommodate Muslims during the month of Ramadan.

Several Christian politicians complained of this decision; Gebran Bassil tweeted on 23 ⁠March that “the story of the hour is not accepted”; Samir Geagea yesterday called on the government to reverse the decision, tweeting it would “hinder a lot of businesses, especially air traffic and international companies”. It is not clear what, and who, is causing more complications. Only time will tell where the country is headed.

⋯ 🕰 The Maronite patriarchate's episcopal see (Bkerke) announced it will not comply with the government's decision to postpone DST.

The general secretariat of Catholic schools in Lebanon announced it will not comply neither.

⋯ 🕰 Caretaker-Prime Minister Mikati: “I feel sorry for the sectarian turn taken after the issue of delaying Daylight Saving Time, which has nothing with sectarianism.” (An-Nahar)

⋯ 🕰 Sunni official, member of Lebanon's Dar Al-Fatwa, Hassan Moraib, tweeted:

“In response to the abhorrent racism and sectarianism of the MTV and LBCI channels by not adhering to the government’s decision to postpone Daylight Saving Time until after the blessed month of Ramadan, I call on all Muslims of all denominations to boycott these two channels and all their programmes.

“No one should appear on any of their programmes whether political or otherwise, or interact with their social media accounts, until they take back their reckless decision and take their fellow countrymen, as they call us, into account.”