United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka and United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix have briefed the Security Council on the latest report of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006). The report covers the period from 21 February to 20 June 2023.

Discussions at the Security Council covered the recent tensions along the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel and the need for both parties to prevent and avoid any actions that have the potential for rapid escalation. Special Coordinator Wronecka echoed the appeals of the Secretary-General “to all parties to fully implement resolution 1701, to cease (the) violations, and to respect the cessation of hostilities.”

The Central Bank vice governors sent Thursday a preliminary comprehensive plan to the Parliament's Administration and Justice Committee.

The plan "enables the correction of the monetary policy, and starts the recovery process. Its major objective is to float the exchange rate in a managed manner on an internationally recognized exchange platform, so that it reflects the real value of the Lebanese Pound," Wassim Manssouri, Bachir Yakzan, Salim Chahine, and Alexander Mouradian said.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has lauded the statement issued Monday by the five-nation group on Lebanon, saying it was “based on the Lebanese constitution, the international and Arab League resolutions, and the sovereign and reformist priority for any president and political authority.”

“Accordingly, this statement has permanently thwarted the attempt by some parties inside the country, especially the Axis of Defiance, to bet on the stance of Lebanon’s friends to either elect the Defiance candidate or to clench illegitimate gains in return for ending their obstruction of the presidential vote,” Geagea added.

Hezbollah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem has stressed that his party “accepts the Taif Accord.”

“We believe that it would achieve a lot of objectives when implemented in a better manner,” Qassem added.

The American University of Beirut’s Office of Advancement was announced as a Catalyst Award winner for Institutional Advancement during Anthology Together, Anthology’s annual user conference, on July 17-19 in Nashville, Tennessee.

AUB was one of 40 winners chosen from among 109 nominees from institutions in 21 countries.

The municipality of Kfarshouba opened Thursday a dirt road along the withdrawal line, where Israel recently built a concrete wall.

"The bulldozer has finished excavating the road, and cars are now crossing for the first time since 1978, the date of the occupation," al-Manar reporter Ali Shoeib said.

Two depositors stormed Thursday a bank in Sin el-Fil and left the bank after receiving their trapped savings.

Salim Hatoum and Ashraf Salha respectively demanded their $5400 and $23200 frm Byblos Bank.

The Finance and Budget Parliamentary Committee convened Thursday to resume the discussion of the oil and gas sovereign fund bill.

Earlier this week, the Committee discussed the bill and said it endorses it "in terms of the commitment to the independence of the management of the sovereign fund and the transparency of its accounts and foreign investments."

A statement issued by the U.S., France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt after a meeting in Doha has returned Lebanon’s presidential crisis to “square one,” the pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper said on Wednesday.

French special presidential envoy for Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian has met in Jeddah with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, a day after representatives of France, Saudi Arabia, the U.S., Qatar and Egypt met in Doha to discuss the Lebanese file.