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.

⋯ UPDATE: Israel officially denies carrying any attack on the Lebanese territory.