🌳 Deadly collapse
Sabah el kheir. Tripoli's latest building collapse has killed 14 people, highlighting Lebanon's infrastructure crisis while PM Salam tours the south promising reconstruction. Meanwhile, Israeli forces kidnap a Lebanese Islamist official as violations continue despite the ceasefire.
TOP STORIES
Tripoli Building Collapse Claims 14 Lives as Infrastructure Crisis Deepens
- A residential building in Tripoli's Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood collapsed Sunday, killing 14 people and injuring several others as rescue operations concluded Monday.
- Civil Defense Director Imad Khreish confirmed 8 survivors were rescued from the rubble of the two-section building that housed 22 residents across six floors in each section.
- Mayor Abdel Hamid Karimeh declared Tripoli a "disaster-stricken city" due to unsafe buildings, citing municipal statistics showing 105 buildings requiring immediate evacuation warnings.
- This marks the second deadly collapse in Tripoli within a month, following a January incident that killed two people in the Qubba area.
The backstory: Lebanon's building crisis stems from illegal construction during the 1975-1990 civil war, weak regulatory oversight, and owners adding floors without permits. The economic crisis has left residents unable to afford repairs or alternative housing.
Why it matters: The recurring collapses expose decades of regulatory failure and highlight how Lebanon's economic crisis has turned basic housing into a deadly gamble for thousands of citizens.
PM Salam Tours South, Promises State Authority and Immediate Reconstruction
- Prime Minister Nawaf Salam concluded his two-day southern tour Sunday, visiting Kfar Kila, Marjeyoun, Kfar Shouba, and Kfar Hamam to assess war damage and pledge state authority restoration.
- In Kfar Kila, where 90 percent of buildings were destroyed by Israeli forces, Salam promised infrastructure reconstruction would begin "within the coming weeks" including roads and utilities.
- The PM received warm welcomes from residents and politicians across sectarian lines, including Hezbollah and Amal representatives as well as opposition MPs, signaling broad support for state presence.
- Salam emphasized that "the state has long been absent from the South" but declared the government's commitment to "continue making Israel commit" to ceasefire terms while rebuilding simultaneously.
Zooming out: Salam's tour represents the first significant government presence in the South since the ceasefire, testing whether Lebanon's weak state can assert authority in Hezbollah's traditional stronghold.
Israeli Forces Kidnap Lebanese Islamist Official in Ceasefire Violation
- Israeli forces seized al-Jamaa al-Islamiya official Atwi Atwi from southern Lebanon early Monday, taking him to Israel for interrogation in a targeted intelligence operation.
- The military accused the Sunni Islamist group of "encouraging terrorist attacks," while simultaneously conducting a drone strike on a car in Yanouh village that killed 3 people including a child.
- Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya condemned the "kidnapping" and called on Lebanese authorities to pressure ceasefire sponsors for Atwi's release, questioning whether this was retaliation for Salam's southern tour.
- The group's armed wing, Fajr Forces, had joined Hezbollah in attacking Israel during the war, launching rockets in support of Hamas after October 2023.
What to watch: These violations test the ceasefire's durability and Lebanon's ability to respond diplomatically while Israeli forces continue operating in southern Lebanon with apparent impunity.
QUICK HITS
- Army denies US meeting: Lebanon's military command categorically denied reports of Lebanese-Israeli military officer meetings in the United States, calling the claims "fabricated" and urging media responsibility during this sensitive period.
- Temporary shelter offered: Education Minister placed the Funduqiya building in Tripoli, accommodating 40 families, as temporary shelter for residents evacuating buildings threatened with collapse following Sunday's deadly incident.
- Mufti sounds alarm: Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian called on state institutions to urgently address Tripoli's collapsing buildings crisis, demanding immediate action to protect innocent lives after repeated structural failures.
- Hezbollah reshuffles leadership: Wafiq Safa resigned as head of Hezbollah's Liaison Unit amid internal restructuring following the war, with Secretary-General Naim Qassem tightening control over the organization's political and security apparatus.
- Syrian prisoner handover: Justice Minister Adel Nassar confirmed that negotiations for transferring hundreds of Syrian prisoners to Damascus proceeded while respecting Lebanese sovereignty, though no similar progress reported for Lebanese detainees.
INTERNATIONAL
Hong Kong Sentences Jimmy Lai to 20 Years in Harsh Crackdown
- Hong Kong's court sentenced 78-year-old media mogul Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison for national security offences, marking the harshest penalty under China's 2020 law.
- The founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper was convicted of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and seditious publication, with judges calling him the "mastermind" of foreign collusion conspiracies.
- Human Rights Watch described the sentence as "effectively a death sentence" for the British citizen, while UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called it "tantamount to a life sentence" given his age and poor health.
- The case symbolizes Hong Kong's transformation from a free city to one where dissent is crushed, with Lai's arrest in 2020 following Beijing's national security law imposition.
The bigger picture: Lai's harsh sentence demonstrates Beijing's determination to eliminate press freedom in Hong Kong and serves as a warning to other pro-democracy activists worldwide.
Japan's Stock Market Soars After Landslide Election Victory
- Japanese stocks reached record highs following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's landslide election victory, giving her ruling Liberal Democratic Party its biggest parliamentary majority in decades.
- The Nikkei index surged as investors welcomed political stability and Takaichi's pro-business policies, while wage growth data paved the way for potential Bank of Japan rate increases.
- LDP lawmaker Rui Matsukawa outlined the administration's fiscal policy outlook, emphasizing continued economic reforms and infrastructure investment following the electoral mandate.
What to watch: Takaichi's commanding majority enables ambitious economic reforms that could reshape Japan's monetary policy and regional influence amid growing geopolitical tensions.
Iranian Nobel Laureate Sentenced to Additional 7 Years
- Iranian authorities sentenced Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi to an additional 7.5 years in prison for "conspiracy" and "propaganda," bringing her total sentences to over 44 years.
- The human rights campaigner was hospitalized due to poor health during a hunger strike before being returned to Tehran's notorious Evin prison, where she has spent most of two decades.
- Her lawyer Mostafa Nili confirmed the sentencing came after Mohammadi was arrested in December while attending a memorial service for human rights lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, who died under disputed circumstances.
Zooming out: The harsh additional sentence reflects Iran's escalating crackdown on dissent and demonstrates the regime's disregard for international condemnation of its human rights abuses.
GHER HEK
- Saint Maron's feast celebrated: President Joseph Aoun marked the patron saint's feast day hoping it becomes a "national unifying day" for all Lebanese, while Bishop Paul-Marwan Tabet in Montreal emphasized that "no salvation with weapons outside the state."
- Armenian martyrs remembered: Lebanese Armenian churches and institutions will close Thursday to commemorate Saints Vartan and companions, with the Armenian Patriarchate calling for community participation in liturgical services honoring the faith defenders.
- Winter Olympics underway: Germany's Emma Aicher won silver in the Olympic downhill while American Lindsey Vonn suffered a dramatic crash, with the 22-year-old German earning her country's first medal at Milan-Cortina 2026 games.
- Super Bowl Seahawks triumph: Seattle defeated New England 29-13 in Super Bowl LX, with running back Kenneth Walker III earning MVP honors after rushing for 135 yards in the defensive-dominated championship game in Santa Clara.
Thanks for reading—catch you tomorrow.