Protesters have cut the Baalbeck–Zahle highway and blocked Jbeil’s highway with burning tires, local media report. The lira’s exchange rate exceeded LL17,500 to the US dollar yesterday, the weakest nominal value on record 27 June 2021
Scuffles erupted between the Lebanese Army and protesters attempting to storm Saida’s city hall, local media report. Residents had earlier blocked the road around the city’s Martyrs’ Square, protesting the deteriorating living conditions in the country 27 June 2021
Independent groups have claimed a sweeping victory in the first phase of elections for the Order of Engineers and Architects, beating out established parties to take large majorities in six out of seven departments, but losing the Public Sector Engineers’ department 27 June 2021
Lebanon has registered 163 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Two more people have died, bringing the total death toll to 7,843 27 June 2021
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has arrived in Beirut, L’Orient-Le Jour reports. Haniyeh is expected to meet Palestinian factions, representatives of Hezbollah and Amal, as well as senior Lebanese politicians. The visit comes after Israel’s 11-day assault on Gaza in May 27 June 2021
Most gas stations in Saida remained closed today, while long queues formed at open stations since the early morning hours, the NNA reports. Lebanon has been suffering severe fuel shortages for weeks; the announcement of a hike in fuel prices is expected as early as Monday morning 27 June 2021
The caretaker interior minister said Lebanese and Saudi security forces had seized some 14.4 million captagon pills at Jeddah’s port coming from Latakia via Beirut, the NNA reports. The bust comes after Riyadh banned Lebanese produce exports in April over drug running concerns 27 June 2021
