Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bouhabib:

"We have not received any official communication that indicates a decision by the UAE authorities to halt granting visas to the Lebanese."

Clans and families of Baalbek-Hermel:

"The kidnapping of the Saudi Arabian citizen is a cowardly and despicable act that has nothing to do with the morals and customs of the clans.

We call on the security services to strike with an iron fist against these outlaws."

5/17 members of FPM parliamentary bloc refused Gebran Basil's push to vote for Jihad Azour

This situation promoted ex-president Aoun to attend a meeting to support Basil

Aoun became president by the support of Hezbullah, and is today sabotaging the Hezbullah-supported candidate

The body of the retired Mossad agent, 50 y/o, that died in an Italian lake while swimming, landed today in Israel.

He was with two Italian intelligence/military officers.

On Monday, Lebanese and Iraqi diaspora clashed in a street in the Brazilian capital.

It started when a Lebanese family visited an Iraqi shop on that street, demanding a debt to be paid.

It escalated into a quarrel and then stabbing.

The Lebanese agency for traffic continues to halt issuing driver licences or renewing existing one for 8th month and counting.

Currently they posses only 15,000 license cards, to be issued as replacement for lost licences exclusively.

No resolution is expected.

The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, announced an agreement with the Free Patriotic Movement (Gebran Basil) & opposition to nominate former minister Jihad Azour for the presidency

Parliamentary bloc seats (w/o independents)

- FPM has: 16
- LF has: 14

⋯ Geagea stressed that Azour will get more than 65 votes along with the votes of the Free Patriotic Movement.

65 votes are enough to be elected in a second parliamentary session.

Who is Jihad Azour, the nominee for the Lebanese presidency by the majority of Lebanese Christian political parties and opposition?

He served as Lebanon's minister of finance under Fouad Saniora's government from 2005 to 2008, during which 11 billion USD was unaccounted for.

⋯ During this assignment Azour supervised and managed all reform projects within the various departments of the Ministry of Finance covering income tax modernization, budget and accounting reform, treasury management reform, debt management reform.

⋯ He led the preparation and the implementation of the Paris III (2007) International Conference for Lebanon, gathered more than 45 countries and IFIs, and raised US$7.6 billion of loans to Lebanon, contributing to today's 100 billion government debt.

⋯ 💰 Jihad Azour is the Director of the International Monetary Fund's Middle East and Central Asia Department. Prior to joining the IMF in March 2017, he was a Managing Partner at investment firm Inventis Partners.

Lebanon has negotiated with the IMF a preliminary deal for a $3 billion aid package & reforms programme.

As part of the ongoing two-week war simulation by the Israeli army, thousands of reservists from all units received SMS messages to swiftly arrive to their assigned units. (File photo)

⋯ Additionally on the first night, the ministers of the Israeli government arrived in Kiryah, the War Ministry's HQ, where they will be trained on how to lead a war.

The explosion that will be heard today on the Lebanese border are part of the ongoing Israeli drill.

The Israeli war-drill against Lebanon will be observed by the Commander of the US CENTCOM, Michael Kurrila, who landed yesterday in Israel.

⋯ He started his visit at Unit 504, the human intelligence unit of the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate (Aman).

Kurilla was presented with the unit’s latest activities.