Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has reaffirmed that no one in the country wants to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, after senior officials in Beirut accused Israeli authorities of seeking to do so.
Israeli troops continue to occupy five locations on the border with Lebanon, having invaded the south of the country last year in what it said was an attempt to counter the threat of powerful Lebanese group Hezbollah.
The Israeli military was supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon on January 26 in a ceasefire deal agreed with Hezbollah in November.
Mr Salam said the five areas held "no military or security value" for Israel, "other than maintaining its pressure on Lebanon".
"No one in Lebanon wants normalisation with Israel and it is rejected by all Lebanese," he said on Wednesday.
Israel has continued to bomb south Lebanon repeatedly, despite the truce agreement. More than 4,000 people were killed last year in Israeli attacks on the country, Lebanese health officials say.
Mr Salam said the situation remained concerning but Beirut had "not exhausted all means of political and diplomatic pressure".
According to Israeli media, unnamed Israeli officials have signalled an interest in establishing relations with Lebanon with the support of the new US administration of President Donald Trump.
Lebanon and Israel technically are in a state of war. It is a serious crime for Lebanese people to communicate with anyone in Israel, or enter the country.
While Hezbollah remains a deeply divisive issue in Lebanon, most Lebanese are united in their stance against Israel and its actions.
Comment: Why any plans on Israel’s part to normalise relations with Lebanon would be a no go
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri this week said “Israel intends to draw us into political negotiations leading to the normalisation of relations between the two countries, but this is out of question for us".
It came as French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian has arrived in Beirut as Lebanon continues to grapple with instability on its borders with Israel and Syria.
He visited President Joseph Aoun at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, and met Mr Salam later on Wednesday. The latter said Mr Le Drian's visit was focused on reconstruction efforts.
A major talking point will be the reconstruction of the parts of Lebanon particularly hard hit by the war between Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and Israel. Israeli forces continue to bomb the south of the country regularly, with a spike at the weekend, after three rockets were launched at Israel.
Last October, a Paris conference raised $1 billion for humanitarian aid and security in Lebanon, and in the coming months France aims to raise more for the rebuilding effort. The World Bank has estimated that the short-to-medium term costs of recovery and reconstruction stand at $11 billion.
Mr Aoun is expected to visit France this weekend in one his first official overseas trips since becoming President in January. Mr Le Drian was among guests when Mr Aoun was sworn in at the Lebanese Parliament.
Former colonial power France was a major player in unblocking the impasse that had led to two years of a caretaker government and institutional paralysis in Lebanon. Mr Aoun's election, the naming of Mr Salam as Prime Minister and the formation of a cabinet happened soon after. In a show of support, French President Emmanuel Macron came to Lebanon in January.
Hezbollah has been heavily damaged by Israel's war, but remains a potent threat. In the wake of a tenuous ceasefire agreed in November and the elections of Mr Aoun and Mr Salam, there has been hope that Lebanon can chart a new path, having suffered myriad crises in recent years.
A financial crisis that became fully apparent in 2019 was exacerbated by the 2020 Beirut port explosion that killed at least 218 people and devastated a wide area.
Exclusive: Israel intensifies pressure on Lebanon through ceasefire violations
Four reasons global stock markets are falling right now
There are many factors worrying investors right now and triggering a rush out of stock markets. Here are four of the biggest:
1. Rising US interest rates
The US Federal Reserve has increased interest rates three times this year in a bid to prevent its buoyant economy from overheating. They now stand at between 2 and 2.25 per cent and markets are pencilling in three more rises next year.
Kim Catechis, manager of the Legg Mason Martin Currie Global Emerging Markets Fund, says US inflation is rising and the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2019. “With inflationary pressures growing, an increasing number of corporates are guiding profitability expectations downwards for 2018 and 2019, citing the negative impact of rising costs.”
At the same time as rates are rising, central bankers in the US and Europe have been ending quantitative easing, bringing the era of cheap money to an end.
2. Stronger dollar
High US rates have driven up the value of the dollar and bond yields, and this is putting pressure on emerging market countries that took advantage of low interest rates to run up trillions in dollar-denominated debt. They have also suffered capital outflows as international investors have switched to the US, driving markets lower. Omar Negyal, portfolio manager of the JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust, says this looks like a buying opportunity. “Despite short-term volatility we remain positive about long-term prospects and profitability for emerging markets.”
3. Global trade war
Ritu Vohora, investment director at fund manager M&G, says markets fear that US President Donald Trump’s spat with China will escalate into a full-blown global trade war, with both sides suffering. “The US economy is robust enough to absorb higher input costs now, but this may not be the case as tariffs escalate. However, with a host of factors hitting investor sentiment, this is becoming a stock picker’s market.”
4. Eurozone uncertainty
Europe faces two challenges right now in the shape of Brexit and the new populist government in eurozone member Italy.
Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, which has offices in Dubai, says the stand-off between between Rome and Brussels threatens to become much more serious. "As with Brexit, neither side appears willing to step back from the edge, threatening more trouble down the line.”
The European economy may also be slowing, Mr Beauchamp warns. “A four-year low in eurozone manufacturing confidence highlights the fact that producers see a bumpy road ahead, with US-EU trade talks remaining a major question-mark for exporters.”
Temple numbers
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Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Results
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
SPECS
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
