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Cabinet on Friday approved the economic recovery plan amid the objection of the ministers of Hizbullah and the Amal Movement, TV networks said.
It also approved $35 million for cancer and chronic illness medicines, noting that the amount “will be provided in fresh dollars by the housing bank.”

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that it has designated Ahmad Jalal Reda Abdallah, a Lebanese businessman and Hizbullah “financial facilitator,” as well as five of his associates and eight of his companies in Lebanon and Iraq.
“This action illuminates Hizbullah’s modus operandi of using the cover of seemingly legitimate businesses to generate revenue and leverage commercial investments across a multitude of sectors to secretly fund Hizbullah and its terrorist activities. It also demonstrates how Hizbullah goes to great lengths to establish companies with opaque ownership structure in order to conceal their involvement in these businesses, and also their involvement in criminal activities such as altering of medication labels for black market pharmaceutical sales,” the Treasury said in a statement.

The Israeli army accused Friday Hizbullah of "exposing civilians to danger" by transferring arms on civilian flights from Iran to Damascus.
Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee claimed in a tweet in Arabic that the transfer is managed by Reda Safieddine, son of Head of Hizbullah's Executive Council Hashem Safieddine.

Telecommunications Minister Johnny Corm on Thursday said Cabinet has a “last chance” to save the telecom sector from collapse in Friday’s session, warning that his resignation is on the table if no action is taken.
“If the decree of hiking telecom tariffs is not approved, do not hold me responsible. The elections are over and the issue no longer bears politicization. The failure to approve the tariff will affect citizens in a more negative manner and in the name of the Lebanese economy we are raising our voices,” Corm said at a press conference.

The head of the flour mills syndicate in Lebanon announced Thursday that the bread crisis in the country has been resolved, adding that bread will be available in the market as of tomorrow.
The Economy Ministry had earlier on Thursday hiked the price of flat Arabic bread, the main staple in Lebanon.

The World Health Organization representative in Lebanon, Dr. Iman Shankiti, and the Italian Ambassador in Beirut, Nicoletta Bombardiere, signed an agreement Thursday at the Italian Embassy in Beirut worth 1,616,000 euros, which is aimed at supporting the strengthening of public health systems in Lebanon.
"It has two main pillars: the first is improving the government’s regulatory capacity in terms of access to quality medications, by expanding the pharmaceuticals bar code system at the national level, and the second is enhancing the capacity of public hospitals to deliver quality services, by supporting selected public hospitals in terms of emergency care capacity," a joint statement said.

Chairing his first Tripartite meeting with senior Lebanese and Israeli officers, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Aroldo Lázaro expressed his hope to use the forum "to move beyond the delivery of statements to emphasize finding solutions."
The UNIFIL Head made the comments at a meeting held in Ras al-Naqoura, Lebanon.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Thursday disputed Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s announcement that “no camp has the parliamentary majority,” noting that the LF and the so-called change forces are a majority seeing that they agree on “sovereignty” and on opposing corruption and Hizbullah’s arms.
“The elections results were resounding and Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement lost the majority,” Geagea said at a press conference that followed a meeting for the LF’s Strong Republic bloc.

On Thursday, bags of Arabic bread were being sold on black market for up to LBP30,000 per bag, the National News Agency said, as stores and supermarkets in Nabatiyeh only received a scarce quantity.
Six mills had stopped operating, according to Antoine Seif, the head of the Syndicate of Bakery Owners in Mount Lebanon, as the central bank failed to pay for wheat at the silos.

A blast was heard on the southern border Thursday as Israel said it accidently fired interception missiles due to a "misidentification."
"No drone had crossed from Lebanon," the Israeli army said.
