🌳 Twenty-one years

TOP STORIES

Lebanon marks 21 years since Rafik Hariri's assassination

• Senior officials and public figures paid tribute to former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on Friday, ahead of the 21st anniversary of his February 14, 2005 assassination that killed 21 others and injured 226 people in downtown Beirut.
• His son Saad Hariri arrived in Beirut Thursday for meetings at Center House, receiving the U.S., French, and Russian ambassadors plus UN special coordinator Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, while supporters paraded through Beirut and Tripoli streets.
• President Joseph Aoun praised Hariri as a man "who devoted his life to the project of the state," while Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri mourned him as "a statesman, a defender of unity and moderation."
• Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea claimed major progress toward Hariri's goals, noting "we no longer see Assad, even in Syria, and we are on the verge of dissolving all illegal armed organizations."

Why it matters: The anniversary comes as Lebanon finally sees some of Hariri's vision materializing—Syrian withdrawal complete, Hezbollah weakened, and state authority slowly expanding.

IMF pushes back on Lebanon's deposit restructuring plan

• An International Monetary Fund delegation that concluded its five-day Lebanon visit Friday reportedly made "significant progress toward a common understanding on key issues," according to the Finance Ministry.
• The IMF observations could challenge the framework of Lebanon's draft "financial gap" law, which proposes assessing total banking losses only after a preliminary cleansing of deposits.
• The Fund appears ready to impose its own logic on deposit restitution and banking restructuring, potentially overriding Lebanon's preferred sequencing approach that protects certain depositor categories first.

The backstory: Lebanon's banking sector collapsed in 2019, trapping billions in deposits while the government and banks argued over who pays for the losses and how to restructure the system.

Zooming out: This marks another test of Lebanon's sovereignty as international creditors push their preferred solutions over local political compromises.

Hariri's widow calls for national unity and depositor rights

• Nazek Hariri, widow of the assassinated prime minister, issued a message marking the 21st anniversary of her husband's death, calling for Lebanese unity and an end to looking at each other "with the eye of accusation."
• She emphasized that "no weapon is our language, but our weapon is science, culture and knowledge" and called for Lebanon to move forward "under the banner of national unity."
• Nazek Hariri specifically demanded justice for depositors, calling the return of their money "an urgent need" whether for small depositors facing living expenses or large depositors who could reinvest in Lebanon's economy.
• She also remembered the Beirut port explosion victims and offered condolences to families affected by recent incidents in Tripoli, linking past tragedies to current struggles for justice.

What to watch: Whether Hariri's message of moderation can influence the current government's approach to both banking reform and national reconciliation.

QUICK HITS

• Beirut port breakthrough: Judge Tarek Bitar is finalizing his investigative decision on the Beirut port explosion before April, when the discriminatory prosecutor retires, after a court ruling protected him from prosecution attempts that stalled investigations for two years.
• Israeli strike kills one: An Israeli airstrike on Al-Tayri in southern Lebanon killed citizen Mehdi Chaayto, with the Israeli army claiming it targeted a Hezbollah member in the Bint Jbeil district town.
• Future Movement's electoral return: The Future Movement is preparing to participate in Lebanon's political scene, particularly elections, without external commitments, forming a parliamentary bloc friendly to Saudi Arabia but maintaining independence.
• Nearly 3 million need help: The UN's Lebanon Response Plan identified 2.99 million people requiring humanitarian assistance among Lebanon's 5.3 million population, seeking $1.62 billion in funding from international partners.
• Berri files first candidacy: Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri became Lebanon's first official candidate for the May 10 elections, warning against selling the country's gold reserves while insisting elections proceed on schedule.

INTERNATIONAL

U.S. backs Syrian-Kurdish integration in Munich talks

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a joint meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and Syrian Democratic Forces commander Mazloum Kobane on Friday at the Munich Security Conference, two weeks after a ceasefire was reached between the sides.
• The meeting discussed integrating Kurdish fighters into Syria's national military under a U.S.-brokered deal that would extend state control over northeastern Syria, which has been under Kurdish administration for years.
• Trump's Syria envoy Tom Barrack called the session "a new beginning," signaling Washington's support for President Ahmed al-Sharaa's efforts to unify Syria after 13 years of civil war and the ouster of Bashar al-Assad.
• The Munich conference brought together multiple Middle East officials, including Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf al-Salam, amid Iran's exclusion from the event due to its violent repression of domestic protests.

The bigger picture: The Trump administration's backing of Syrian reunification under al-Sharaa represents a major shift in U.S. Middle East strategy toward supporting unified governance structures.

Ukrainian Olympian banned over war memorial helmet

• Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych will miss the Winter Olympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed his appeal to wear a helmet depicting athletes killed during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
• The 26-year-old flag bearer refused to back down despite IOC President Kirsty Coventry's personal visit, believing his helmet commemorated fallen athletes within Olympic expression guidelines drawn up in 2023.
• While sympathetic to his case, CAS ruled that political expression is not permitted "on the field of play," though the IOC allowed him to display the helmet in mixed zones and social media.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the IOC of "playing into the hands of the Russian aggressor," while other Ukrainian athletes showed solidarity through displays during their competitions.

What to watch: Whether the IOC's strict neutrality stance will face further challenges as conflicts worldwide create pressure for athletic expression of political solidarity.

U.S. forces exit strategic Syrian base after eight years

• American forces departed the Al-Tanf base at the Syrian-Iraqi-Jordanian border triangle on Wednesday, relocating to Al-Burj base in Jordan after maintaining the strategic position since 2016.
• The withdrawal marks the end of a pivotal military presence that controlled key transit routes and countered Iranian influence, raising questions about regional security dynamics and coalition operations.
• The move comes amid Washington's broader rethinking of its deployment strategy in Syria, following political changes that have altered the strategic landscape across the region.
• The base's closure leaves open questions about monitoring Iranian supply routes and maintaining pressure on remnant Islamic State cells operating in the border region between Syria and Iraq.

Zooming out: The Al-Tanf exit reflects America's shifting Middle East footprint as regional power dynamics evolve following Syria's political transformation and changing threat assessments.

GHER HEK

• Bsharri boy battles Alps: Lebanese cross-country skier Samer Tawk from Bsharri finished 107th out of 113 competitors at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, completing the 10-kilometer race in 29 minutes 50 seconds despite training year-round in Lebanon's limited infrastructure.
• Haifa sends Beirut love: Lebanese pop icon Haifa Wehbe posted a glamorous Instagram reel from Beirut, drawing thousands of heart-eye emojis and comments calling her "the bride of Beirut" from fans celebrating her continued connection to the capital.
• Breathtaking Beirut shines: A stunning photograph showcasing Beirut's beauty day and night went viral on Lebanese American social media pages, with the Lebanese diaspora celebrating their capital's resilience and timeless charm.
• UAE cricket triumph: Aryansh Sharma's unbeaten 74 runs led the United Arab Emirates to a tense five-wicket victory over Canada in the T20 World Cup, boosting their hopes of reaching the Super 8s stage.

Keep spreading that Lebanese magic wherever you are—see you tomorrow.