At least two activists were beaten up Monday, one of them severely, after they chanted “Beirut Free, Iran Out!” at a section displaying pictures of slain Iranian general Qassem Soleimani at the Beirut International and Arab Book Fair at the Seaside Arena (previously known as BIEL).
MTV identified two of the activists as Shafik Bader and Nelly Qandil. It added that Bader’s cellphone was taken away by the attackers.

- Bakeries Closing Doors -
Several bakeries closed Monday as mills only delivered flour to Arabic bread bakeries, according to the mills agent in the South, Ali Rammal.

A top member of the gas station owners syndicate of Lebanon, George al-Brax, has reassured that there is no gasoline shortage in the market, asking consumers not to panic, as long queues returned to fuel stations over the past hours.
“The fuel quantities that are reaching Lebanon have become smaller than before, but what we’re receiving is sufficient to meet domestic need,” Brax said in a TV interview.

Speaker Nabih Berri and Hizbullah have distanced themselves from a panel formed by President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Miqati with the aim of studying the written proposal that has been sent to Lebanon by U.S. sea border demarcation envoy Amos Hochstein, media reports said on Saturday.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated two “key Hizbullah financiers” operating in Guinea, a statement said.

The Cabinet on Friday decided to postpone the municipal and mayoral elections for a year, as it formed a ministerial panel on food security in connection with the war in Ukraine.
MTV said the decision to postpone the municipal vote was taken due to a lack of financial resources and manpower.

President Michel Aoun said Friday Lebanon is against any military operation on any free state and urged for negotiations to end the Ukrainian-Russian conflict.
Aoun stressed, during a meeting with the EU Delegation in Lebanon, the importance of dialogue instead of war and violence.

Al-Mustaqbal Movement deputy chief has submitted his resignation in a phone call with the Movement’s leader ex-PM Saad Hariri, the Movement said on Friday.
“Ex-PM Hariri decided today to consider the resignation effective and the decision was submitted to the general secretariat,” the Movement said in a statement.

EU Ambassador to Lebanon Ralph Tarraf held talks Friday at the Baabda Palace with President Michel Aoun.
“I am here today to thank Lebanon, on behalf of the European Union and its Member States, for its position in the United Nations General Assembly on the crisis in Ukraine,” Tarraf said after the meeting, referring to Lebanon’s vote in favor of a U.N. General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

UK Deputy Ambassador to Lebanon, Alyson King, and Development and Humanitarian Director, Lucy Andrews, visited UK-funded projects in Akkar under the Lebanon Host Community Support Program (LHSP) in partnership with UNDP and the Ministry of Social Affairs.
