Meeting in Lebanon’s Ain el-Hilweh Addresses Latest Security Developments

A Lebanese soldier mans a checkpoint at the entrance of the Ain el-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon. (Reuters)
A Lebanese soldier mans a checkpoint at the entrance of the Ain el-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon. (Reuters)
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Meeting in Lebanon’s Ain el-Hilweh Addresses Latest Security Developments

A Lebanese soldier mans a checkpoint at the entrance of the Ain el-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon. (Reuters)
A Lebanese soldier mans a checkpoint at the entrance of the Ain el-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon. (Reuters)

A Palestinian committee met in the refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh in southern Lebanon to address the latest developments in the camp.

The meeting was held by the “operations room,” a committee that was established in wake of a Palestinian embassy meeting Beirut.

Saturday’s meeting was chaired by commander of Palestinian national security in Lebanon and head of the operations room Sobhi Abou Arab

The gatherers also tackled the restructuring of the joint Palestinian force.

The committee’s meetings will remain open in order to address all security issues in the Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp.

The case of fugitives wanted by Lebanese authorities remains the most contentious issue that attracts the attention of the Lebanese and Palestinians alike. Some information said that the fugitives had fled to Syria and Turkey.

Lebanese authorities fear that some of the wanted suspects may resort to attacks in Lebanon to “avenge” the expulsion of the ISIS terrorist group and the Nusra Front from the outskirts of the northeastern border region of Arsal.



Lebanese Govt. to Seek New IMF Program, Policy Statement Says

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas//File Photo
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas//File Photo
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Lebanese Govt. to Seek New IMF Program, Policy Statement Says

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas//File Photo
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas//File Photo

Lebanon's new government will negotiate with the International Monetary Fund for a new program and will work to deal with the country's financial default and public debt, according to a policy statement approved by the cabinet late on Monday.

The statement, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, said the government would work for an economical revival that could only be achieved through restructuring the banking sector.

Lebanon has been in deep economic crisis since 2019, when its financial system collapsed under the weight of massive state debts, prompting a sovereign default in 2020 and freezing ordinary depositors out of their savings in the banking system.

Beirut reached a draft funding deal with IMF in 2022 - contingent on reforms that authorities failed to deliver.

Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, who took office as part of a new government agreed earlier this month, told Reuters an IMF mission is expected to visit Lebanon in March.

Jaber said he had met the IMF's resident representative in Lebanon, Frederico Lima, and confirmed that the government plans to move ahead with reforms.

Lebanon's political landscape has been turned on its head since the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, long a dominant player in Lebanese politics, was badly pummelled in last year's war with Israel.

Reflecting the shift in the power balance, the government policy statement did not include language used in previous years that was seen to legitimize a role for Hezbollah in defending Lebanon, saying instead "we want a state that has the decision of war and peace".

The statement said it was required to adopt a national security strategy and a foreign policy that works to 'neutralize' Lebanon from conflicts.

In the field of energy, the Lebanese government will seek to resume work in oil and gas exploration, according to the cabinet statement. It said the government planned to establish a Ministry of Technology and Artificial Intelligence.

With a new administration in neighboring Syria, the statement said the Lebanese government believed it has an opportunity to start a serious dialogue aimed at controlling and demarcating the borders and working to resolve the issue of displaced Syrians in Lebanon.