🌳 Buildings fall down
Marhaba from another Tuesday where the news hits like your khalo's voice note at 6 AM—urgent, unavoidable, and somehow always about things falling apart. Today we're tracking deadly collapses, diplomatic promises, and international crackdowns that make Lebanon's politics look almost functional.
TOP STORIES
Tripoli Building Collapse Death Toll Rises to 14
- The death toll from Sunday's building collapse in Tripoli's Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood has reached 14 people, with 8 rescued alive from the rubble of the two-block residential building.
- Civil Defense Director General Imad Khreish announced the end of search and rescue operations Monday, confirming this is the second such deadly collapse in Tripoli in less than a month after January's incident killed people.
- Mayor Abdel Hamid Karimeh declared Tripoli a "disaster-stricken city" citing 105 buildings requiring immediate evacuation notices, while Justice Minister Adel Nassar ordered an immediate investigation into the incident.
The backstory: Tripoli, Lebanon's second-largest city and historically one of its poorest, has suffered from decades of neglect and underinvestment, with many buildings constructed illegally during the 1975-1990 civil war without proper permits or oversight.
Why it matters: The recurring collapses expose Lebanon's infrastructure crisis and highlight how years of government neglect have turned basic housing into a life-threatening gamble for the country's most vulnerable citizens.
PM Salam Concludes Southern Tour with State Authority Pledge
- Prime Minister Nawaf Salam concluded his two-day southern tour Monday, visiting Kfar Kila, Marjeyoun, Kfar Shouba, and Kfar Hamam while pledging infrastructure reconstruction to begin within weeks in war-damaged border villages.
- Salam declared from Marjeyoun that "the state has long been absent from the South" but emphasized the army's deployment and the government's commitment to restoring full state authority throughout Lebanon.
- The visit included stops at Kfar Kila, where 90% of buildings were destroyed by Israeli forces, and concluded with opening a temporary commercial market in Nabatieh to restore economic activity in the war-affected region.
Zooming out: Salam's unprecedented prime ministerial tour of the South represents a significant political shift, as Lebanese officials work to reassert state control over areas long dominated by Hezbollah's parallel governance structures.
Israeli Forces Capture Sunni Islamist Official in South Lebanon
- Israeli forces conducted a nighttime raid in southern Lebanon's Jabal al-Rouss area, capturing Atweh Atweh, a local official with the Sunni Islamist group al-Jamaa al-Islamiya and transporting him to Israel for interrogation.
- The operation occurred alongside an Israeli drone strike in the village of Yanouh that killed 3 people including a child, marking continued ceasefire violations despite the November 2024 agreement.
- Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya condemned the "kidnapping" and demanded Lebanese state intervention, while the group's Fajr Forces had joined Hezbollah in launching rockets at Israel during the conflict that ended with the ceasefire.
What to watch: These Israeli operations test the fragile ceasefire and challenge the Lebanese government's ability to protect its citizens while implementing the agreement's terms for southern Lebanon.
QUICK HITS
- Mufti sounds alarm: Following Tripoli's building collapse, Mufti Abdel Latif Drian called on state institutions to take responsibility for citizens and address buildings at risk of collapse, demanding immediate action to prevent future tragedies and provide housing for at-risk residents.
- Army denies US meeting: The Lebanese Army categorically denied reports of a meeting between a Lebanese officer and Israeli counterpart in the United States, calling the claims fabricated and emphasizing all meetings occur within official legal frameworks.
- Education Minister's emergency shelter: Education Minister placed the Funduqiya building in Tripoli, accommodating approximately 40 families, as temporary shelter for families living in buildings threatened by collapse, providing immediate relief amid the housing crisis.
- Hezbollah reshuffles leadership: Secretary-General Naim Qassem tightened administrative control through internal restructuring following Wafiq Safa's resignation as head of the Liaison and Coordination Unit, with Mohammad Raad gaining prominence in decision-making circles.
- "Abu Omar" scandal exposed: The Financial Times detailed how a fake Saudi prince deceived Lebanese politicians before parliament's PM vote, with the mechanic from northern Lebanon using a British number to influence political decisions.
INTERNATIONAL
Hong Kong Sentences Jimmy Lai to 20 Years
- A Hong Kong court sentenced 78-year-old media mogul Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison Monday on charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and seditious publication, the harshest national security penalty handed down in Hong Kong.
- The court described Lai as the "mastermind" behind foreign collusion conspiracies while rejecting sentence reductions for his deteriorating health conditions, including dramatic weight loss and dental problems during his imprisonment since December 2020.
- British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called the sentence "tantamount to a life sentence" for the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, while Human Rights Watch described it as "effectively a death sentence" for the British citizen.
The bigger picture: Lai's harsh sentence represents the final collapse of press freedom in Hong Kong and demonstrates Beijing's determination to eliminate any remaining vestiges of the city's pro-democracy movement.
Japan's Stock Market Soars After Election Victory
- Japanese stocks hit record highs Monday following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party landslide election victory, with markets celebrating the prospect of political stability and continued economic reforms.
- The historic win gives Takaichi the biggest government majority in decades, enabling her administration to pursue fiscal policies without significant opposition while wage growth data paves the way for potential interest rate increases.
- Market analysts praised the mandate as providing clear direction for Japan's economic future, with the ruling party's comprehensive victory removing uncertainty that had weighed on investor sentiment in recent months.
Zooming out: Takaichi's overwhelming electoral success positions Japan for potentially significant economic and foreign policy shifts, strengthening the country's hand in regional negotiations and domestic reform initiatives.
Iranian Nobel Laureate Gets Additional 7 Years
- Iranian authorities sentenced Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to an additional 7.5 years in prison on charges of conspiracy and propaganda activities, bringing her total lifetime sentences to over 44 years according to her legal team.
- The 2023 Nobel laureate was hospitalized three days prior due to poor physical condition during a hunger strike, then returned to Tehran's notorious Evin prison where she has spent most of the past 20 years for human rights advocacy.
- Mohammadi's latest arrest occurred in December while attending a memorial service for human rights lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, who was found dead under disputed circumstances in what activists describe as Iran's continued crackdown on dissent.
What to watch: Mohammadi's escalating persecution reflects Iran's intensifying suppression of human rights advocates and could trigger stronger international sanctions against the Islamic Republic's judicial system.
GHER HEK
- Saint Maron celebrations: President Joseph Aoun marked Saint Maron's feast day hoping it becomes "a national unifying day" where Maronites and all Lebanese restore Lebanon's values as a land of saints and freedom defenders.
- Montreal's Maronite gathering: Bishop Paul-Marwan Tabet celebrated Saint Maron's feast with Canada's Lebanese community, joined by Ambassador Bashir Touk and federal ministers at a gathering highlighting unity across political divides.
- Armenian community honors martyrs: Lebanese Armenian religious leaders called for closed businesses Thursday, February 12, to honor Saints Vartan and companions' martyrdom, encouraging community participation in church services and commemorations.
- Winter Olympics underway: The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics opened with spectacular ceremonies featuring Italian opera and Leonardo da Vinci-inspired visuals, though notably missing actual snow at most venues across the Italian Alps.
Thanks for reading—may your Tuesday be more stable than Tripoli's infrastructure.