The German judiciary has asked Lebanon to “obtain files and documents related to the accounts of the central bank governor and his brother and assistant from inside the central bank,” media reports said.

“Lebanon’s State Prosecutor Judge Ghassan Oueidat received over the past hours a memo from the German side through the Lebanese Justice Ministry, requesting that it (German side) be allowed to raid the central bank and seize files and documents related to the accounts of Riad Salameh and his brother and assistant,” a senior judicial official told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.

U.S. Special Presidential Coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Energy Security Amos Hochstein held talks Tuesday in Tel Aviv with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli National Security Council chief Tzachi Hanegbi, Israeli and Lebanese media reports said.

“The discussions tackled a number of topics, including the tensions between Israel and Hezbollah and the efforts to reach a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia,” the reports said.

Central Bank governor Riad Salameh, his brother Raja, and his assistant Marianne Howayek showed up Wednesday for an interrogation session at the Justice Palace before Judge Charbel Abu Samra.

Salameh is part of the Lebanese political class widely blamed for a crushing economic crisis that began in late 2019 and which the World Bank has dubbed one of the worst in recent history.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Tuesday warned that any attempt to appoint a new army chief of staff “in violation of the constitution and through bypassing the Defense Minister will be a real military coup” in the face of which the FPM will not stand idly by.

The Foreign Ministry on Tuesday asked Lebanon’s permanent mission to the United Nations to file a complaint to the U.N. secretary general and U.N. Security Council over Israel’s “annexation of the northern, Lebanese part of the Ghajar village.”

Following vigorous diplomatic efforts, informed sources have ruled out a military confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah over the latest border tensions, Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported.

In addition to UNIFIL chief Aroldo Lazaro’s meetings with Lebanese officials, U.S. and French diplomats exerted efforts in this regard last week, the daily said.

Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh’s four deputies are inclined to resign in the beginning of next week, two weeks before the expiry of Salameh’s term, Central Bank sources said.

“The resignation’s aim is to reduce the burden of responsibility” on them and they will act in caretaker capacity at the Finance Minister’s request pending the appointment of a new governor, the sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper in remarks published Tuesday.

French presidential envoy for Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian will return Monday to Lebanon for his second visit to the country in less than a month, carrying “signals and messages” to the local forces from the parties of the five-nation group for Lebanon, al-Akhbar newspaper reported.

Speaking to the daily, informed sources did not express optimism over the possibility of any imminent breakthrough, voicing strong doubts over “Le Drian’s ability to reach political consensus, especially over the idea of dialogue that he is proposing.”

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has taken a swipe at Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, accusing him of not being consistent in his stances regarding the issue of appointments.

“I’ve heard three sermons for Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and I totally respect him, but honestly let someone explain to me what he meant and what he wants. He said that there shouldn’t be appointments under a caretaker cabinet and then he stressed the need to name a chief of staff for the Lebanese Army. Let’s agree on a certain standard that should be practiced,” Mikati said, in an interview with Nidaa al-Watan newspaper published Tuesday.

Teams from the Ministry of Health raided nurseries across the country on Tuesday, after a shocking video of abused children in a nursery in Jdeideh sparked public outrage.

The video that went viral showed staff of the Garderêve nursery force-feeding and beating young children and infants.