Minister of Tourism: 1.35 Mln People Visited Lebanon This Summer

 The skyline of Beirut is seen during sunset from Mansourieh, Lebanon July 25, 2023. (Reuters)
The skyline of Beirut is seen during sunset from Mansourieh, Lebanon July 25, 2023. (Reuters)
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Minister of Tourism: 1.35 Mln People Visited Lebanon This Summer

 The skyline of Beirut is seen during sunset from Mansourieh, Lebanon July 25, 2023. (Reuters)
The skyline of Beirut is seen during sunset from Mansourieh, Lebanon July 25, 2023. (Reuters)

Caretaker Tourism Minister Walid Nassar revealed that 1.35 million travelers, with 30 percent of them being foreigners, had arrived in Lebanon this summer.

The country received the highest number of expatriates since 2018, reviving the tourism, service and restaurant sectors as helping it deal with its severe economic and living crises.

The Ministry of Tourism has sponsored 132 festivals this summer.

Nassar stressed that Lebanon boasts all the elements “that allow us to live in this country, invest in it, and work towards its economic and financial development.”

He emphasized the importance of implementing administrative decentralization to boost investments and development.

“Despite the poor economic and living conditions we are experiencing, from airport, infrastructure, electricity, and telecommunications problems, the Lebanese love life and refuse to give up.”

Meanwhile, caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh stressed on Saturday the need to maintain the electricity supply at Beirut international airport and the capital’s seaport as the country grapples with a stifling energy crisis.



Israel Pounds Central Beirut, Suburbs after Major Evacuation Warnings

A damaged building is pictured through the wreckage of a vehicle, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Yassin
A damaged building is pictured through the wreckage of a vehicle, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Yassin
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Israel Pounds Central Beirut, Suburbs after Major Evacuation Warnings

A damaged building is pictured through the wreckage of a vehicle, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Yassin
A damaged building is pictured through the wreckage of a vehicle, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Yassin

Israeli strikes pounded a densely-populated part of the Lebanese capital and its southern suburbs on Tuesday, hours ahead of an anticipated announcement of a ceasefire ending hostilities between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

A strike on Beirut hit the Noueiri district with no evacuation warning and killed at least one person, Lebanon's health ministry said in a preliminary toll.

Minutes later, at least 10 Israeli strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs. They began approximately 30 minutes after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for 20 locations in the area, the largest such warning yet.

As the strikes were under way, Israel's military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the air force was conducting a "widespread attack" on Hezbollah targets across the city.

The Israeli military said it was currently striking Hezbollah in the Beirut area saying: "You are located near facilities and interests affiliated with Hezbollah, against which the Israel Forces will act in the near future," military spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X including a map of the targeted areas.

The army in a statement minutes later said it "is currently conducting strikes on Hezbollah terror targets in the area of Beirut" but did not provide more details.