Aoun: Lebanon Is not on the Path of Bankruptcy

President Michel Aoun meets with a delegation of the Lions clubs at the Baabda Palace (NNA)
President Michel Aoun meets with a delegation of the Lions clubs at the Baabda Palace (NNA)
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Aoun: Lebanon Is not on the Path of Bankruptcy

President Michel Aoun meets with a delegation of the Lions clubs at the Baabda Palace (NNA)
President Michel Aoun meets with a delegation of the Lions clubs at the Baabda Palace (NNA)

President Michel Aoun warned against spreading negativity over the country’s economic situation and disseminating harmful rumors.

“The Lebanese pound is not in danger and Lebanon is not on the road to bankruptcy,” he said on Wednesday during a meeting at the Baabda Palace with a delegation of the Lions clubs, headed by Governor of the Region 351, which includes Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and Iraq.

The delegation visited the Baabda Palace to thank Aoun for patronizing the hand-over ceremony held recently, and to brief him on the Lions humanitarian activities and programs scheduled for 2018.

Addressing the delegation, the president said he hoped that the overall situation in Lebanon and the Arab countries would improve significantly, and peace would prevail.

“We in the Arab world are all living martyrs. Shrapnel of wars in the region has spread across Lebanon through terrorism and sleeping cells. We thank God that we have been able to establish internal security and fortify our borders. We are now at the point of addressing economic security after we were afflicted with many economic burdens. Rumors that the economic situation is on the brink of the abyss are not only false but also abhorrent,” Aoun stressed.

He noted that some political parties were working on spreading rumors “to derail the reform process that we have initiated.”

“We do not deny that there is a crisis, but we are dealing with it through the adoption of the state budget, which has not happened for nearly 11 years, as well as through the economic plan that we have set and through the CEDRE Conference,” the president said.



World Central Kitchen Halts Work in Gaza as Supplies Run out 

An Israeli military vehicle patrols on the Israeli side of the Gaza border, May 7, 2025. (Reuters)
An Israeli military vehicle patrols on the Israeli side of the Gaza border, May 7, 2025. (Reuters)
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World Central Kitchen Halts Work in Gaza as Supplies Run out 

An Israeli military vehicle patrols on the Israeli side of the Gaza border, May 7, 2025. (Reuters)
An Israeli military vehicle patrols on the Israeli side of the Gaza border, May 7, 2025. (Reuters)

The US-based World Central Kitchen charity has halted work in the Gaza Strip, saying on Wednesday it had run out of supplies and been prevented by Israel from bringing in aid.

"After serving more than 130 million total meals and 26 million loaves of bread over the past 18 months, World Central Kitchen no longer has the supplies to cook meals or bake bread in Gaza," it said in a post on X.

The charity said it would continue to support Palestinian families by distributing critically needed potable water where possible, but vital food distribution cannot resume until Israel allows aid back into the enclave.

"WCK trucks loaded with food and cooking fuel have been ready at the Gaza border since early March. Additional food and equipment are ready to be shipped to the border from Jordan and Egypt," said World Central Kitchen, which was founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres.

Israel has faced growing international pressure to lift an aid blockade that it imposed in March after the collapse of a US-backed ceasefire that had halted fighting for two months.

Israel has accused agencies, including the United Nations, of allowing large quantities of aid to fall into the hands of Hamas fighters, who it accuses of seizing supplies intended for civilians and using them for their own forces. Hamas denies the allegation and accuses Israel of using starvation as a weapon against the population.

Growing lootings of community kitchens, stores of local merchants, and UN headquarters have prompted Hamas security forces to crack down on local gangs. Hamas executed at least six gang members last week, according to sources close to the group.

UN humanitarian agency OCHA has said more than 2 million people - most of Gaza's population of 2.3 million - face severe food shortages.