War damage has affected 22.5% of agricultural land in the south and the US Embassy in Beirut: We support the government in asserting its sovereignty

Beirut - Mansour Shaaban

The Israeli army has resorted to a new tactic in its war on Lebanon, using explosive barrels, following its recent use of “gasoline cans” against the city of Nabatieh and the towns and villages of the Sidon and Bint Jbeil districts, terrorizing residents with massive explosions. Meanwhile, efforts and attempts continue to reach a de-escalation that “cools the fire,” ahead of the Paris conference to support the army and security forces, the convening of the UN General Assembly, and the announcement of a new date for the eighth round of “Southern Peace” negotiations in Rome, as well as the implementation of the “Framework Agreement” signed on June 26 of last year.

Amid these developments and others anticipated, President of the Republic General Joseph Aoun highlighted the agricultural reality in the south. Minister of Agriculture Nizar Hani briefed him on the extent of the damages, noting that they affected approximately 22.5% of agricultural land, amounting to more than 56,000 hectares. Hani said after the meeting: “We discussed securing permits for olive farmers, in cooperation with the army, to access their lands and harvest their crops. We also discussed marketing agricultural produce, particularly apples and grapes, against the backdrop of a promising season.”

He added: “With the opening of the Saudi market and the land route to Gulf countries, Lebanon is currently exporting about 2,000 tons daily, and we are working to increase these volumes. We are also working to secure funding to address damages in the south, including a project with the World Bank valued at approximately $40 million, in addition to $6 to $7 million in initial cash assistance for farmers.”

Yesterday, the US Embassy in Beirut stated via the X platform: “Southern Lebanon does not belong to regional actors or militias. The United States commends these communities and supports the Lebanese government in its stated goal of asserting sovereignty, which the Lebanese army is tasked with enforcing, and ensuring that decisions on war and peace remain exclusively in the hands of the Lebanese state.”

On the ground, the Israeli army continued its daily military operations by carrying out systematic bombings of buildings and infrastructure in the town of Mansouri, located south of Sidon. It employed new tactics by dropping explosive barrels from its drones onto rooftops before detonating them. Approximately twenty such barrels were dropped, their explosions causing strong tremors felt by residents of Sidon and its immediate and distant surroundings. It also carried out a major explosion in the areas of Al-Dabash and Bani Hayan, west of Mount Lebanon city, destroying a waste sorting plant and several residential and industrial and agricultural facilities.

Judicially, the Lebanese Constitutional Council issued a ruling suspending the effect of Law No. 70/2026 concerning the granting of a general amnesty and the exceptional reduction of certain prison sentences.

The ruling stated that following a session held by the Council, presided over by its President, Judge Tannous Mashlab, and attended by its members, the Council decided “by majority to suspend the effect of the challenged law. It was also decided to officially notify this ruling to the President of the Republic, the President of the Parliament, the Prime Minister, and to publish it in the Official Gazette.”

In terms of political stances, Sami Gemayel, MP and head of the Kataeb Party, asked the government about the implementation of its sovereign decisions during a press conference, stating that “the Parliament seems unconcerned with what is happening on Lebanese land.” He added: “We have repeatedly called for a session to discuss the government, and we thank President Nabih Berri for postponing the session to coincide with the anniversary of the assassination of President Bashir Gemayel and his responsiveness to us (Gemayel was assassinated by a bombing of the Kataeb headquarters in Ashrafieh on September 14, 1982).”