Abiding by its long-term policy, Israel did not acknowledge its airstrikes in Syria. Its forces claimed that they carried out artillery shelling inside Lebanon following firing of two rockets from across the border into northern Israel 

Lebanon is being run by a caretaker government since August last year when, following the Beirut blasts, prime minister Hasan Diab resigned from his post after only seven months in power

The end of fuel subsidies in Lebanon is expected to have a catastrophic impact. People already suffering from rising poverty and prices of essential commodities see it as yet another assault on their living conditions

The strike was called by the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers (CGTL), an umbrella body of trade unions in the country, and supported by some major political parties including the Free Patriotic Movement, Future Movement, and Amal

French attempts to intervene in Lebanon have increased after the Beirut warehouse blasts last year. It has been in the forefront of alleging widespread corruption and supporting calls for a technocratic government

The demonstrations on Sunday were the latest in the protests being held across the economically struggling country where political instability has further aggravated conditions

At least one person has died after security forces opened fire injuring several of the protesters who were demanding an end to the lockdown and adequate economic support from the government in Tripoli, the second largest city in Lebanon

According to the reports Israel’s attacks in Syria were aided by information provided by US intelligence agencies. Israel has also been carrying out low altitude flights across the Lebanese air space in the last few days prompting Lebanon to file a complaint in the UNSC

The American University of Beirut and the Lebanese American University have reportedly decided to reset their fee structure based on the new US dollar exchange rate of 3,900 Lebanese pounds to the dollar instead of the old rate of 1,500 Lebanese pounds

The ongoing political and economic crisis in Lebanon has been exploited by the French government for the fulfilment of its larger political and economic objectives in the region

Lebanon has a new prime minister in Mustapha Adib but to many, he is part of the same corrupt and inefficient old leadership that created the crisis in the country

Mustapha Adib, Lebanon’s ambassador to Germany, has won the support of the major political blocs but is part of an establishment whose credibility is at a historic low following the Beirut blasts