⋯ Correction: According to other reports, the explosions that were heard were just an attack on a checkpoint, not an Israeli aggression. Apologies for posting too early.

The US Treasury imposes sanctions on the current Vice President and former President of Paraguay for corruption and for their alleged ties with Hezbullah.

Chief Executive Officer of Total Energies: “We are committed to exploring and excavating the Lebanese oil blocks, and this week we will start with the survey, which will end in the middle of the year, so that the exploration will start at the end of this year.”

The Teachers' Association announces that their strike will persist for the 4th week and until they achieve the minimum levels of a decent living, and they also emphasized unity between the secondary, basic, vocational, and the contracting professors committees.

Earlier today, Lebanese Army Intelligence arrested an Israeli who crossed the border into the town of Al-Duhaira.

The IDF is reportedly holding talks through intermediaries for his release.

Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab (FPM) is currently in Washington to engage in talks with US admin officials, representatives of the Senate, Congress, World Bank & IMF.

Yesterday, a dinner was organized at the Lebanese Embassy in the presence of Amos Hochstein, who gave a speech on the aftermath of the maritime agreement with Israel.

The Private Schools Teachers Union announced a warning strike on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 in all private schools.

The General Labor Union announces a strike throughout Lebanon, starting from next Wednesday, February 8th.

The US canceled the tripartite meeting between the US Ambassador Dorothy Shea, Minister of Energy Walid Fayyad, and World Bank representatives concerning the Egyptian gas & Jordanian electricity, after not agreeing to grant Lebanon any exceptions to the sanctions they imposed.

Central bank Governor, Riad Salameh, has announced that the official USD exchange rate (pegged since the early 90s) will be changed from 1507LBP=1$ to 15000LBP=1$ starting from February 2023.
He also said that he is giving the banks 5 years only to restructure their losses.

⋯ Snow is predicted to fall at a minimum altitude of 1,100 meters during the day, decreasing to 900 meters by dawn this coming Thursday, especially in the north and the interior.

Caretaker PM Najib Mikati is planning to call for a cabinet session this week or early next week to deal with the education file.

Sources say the PM is waiting on the Lebanese University's file to transfer to the Ministry of Finance to study ways of securing funding beforehand.

🚨 Rocket attack on Sderot.

⋯ Video of the iron dome intercepting a rocket

🪤 Bush ordered the CIA to find replacement for Arafat

US President George W Bush, after his inauguration in 2001, ordered the CIA to search for a replacement for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat—the BBC said, quoted by Al-Jazeera today.

The reason was the failure of the July 2000 Camp David Summit between Arafat & Israeli PM Ehud Barak, and the start in Sept 2000 of the Second Intifada—due to Ariel Sharon's illegal incursion in Al-Aqsa. During a lengthy phone call, British PM Tony Blair told Bush that Arafat “no longer has anything to offer”. Bush replied that he had asked the CIA; it searched “thoroughly” but concluded that “there is no successor available”.

⚛ Arafat died in 2004 from cerebral hemorrhage induced by polonium. He acknowledged “Israel's right to exist” & received the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the 1993 Oslo Accords.