The President of Lebanon, Michel Aoun, said in a tweet: “I warmly thank the God Who now protects Lebanon as we reach the 1st Lebanon Fast Day, a rare occasion in which Lebanon asks for spiritual support.”
• Lebanese citizens are taking part in the ‘One Lebanon Day’ campaign, to mark the country’s 33rd anniversary. The government also declared October 1 to be Lebanon’s Day.
• This is the first time since 2009 that Lebanon’s president (pictured above) and prime minister (who was assassinated by Hezbollah’s arch enemies in 2008) have united in a message to Muslims calling for a renaissance in the fight against terrorism, war and sectarian divides.
• Tension has risen over tensions between the Lebanese army and the government in the run-up to Eid al-Adha.
• Dozens of Christians have been killed by Shia Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group, since the conflict in Syria began in 2011.
• The government says Hezbollah is responsible for the violence, accusing the party of kidnapping dozens of Lebanese soldiers during the Syrian civil war, mainly in north Lebanon.
• At least 1,056 people, mostly Hezbollah fighters, were killed in Syria, Lebanon and Israel since Hezbollah forces joined the government during the Syrian civil war in 2012.
• The nuclear agreement between Iran and the European Union (EU) has been suspended by the US.
• It’s the 63rd anniversary of the establishment of the Lebanese army by France in 1920.
• The former President Paul Silvestri was found dead in a clinic in Beirut in 1979. Investigators ruled that he killed himself after playing the role of “heroic suicide”.
• Lebanese army and F-16 jets continue to bomb Islamic State militants in eastern Syria.
• The notorious Hariri family dynasty have sold millions of dollars worth of properties in northern Beirut.
• Hezbollah and Bashar al-Assad’s regime are both accused of besieging Hariri’s hometown of Tripoli. The Syrian army began retaking villages there on Sunday.
• The Assad regime and Hezbollah have been criticised by Human Rights Watch for using cluster bombs in Syria.
• Under the terms of a UN-backed reconciliation deal, more than 70 parties are said to be committed to democracy in Lebanon.
• Lebanon’s largest political party, Hezbollah, is led by Shia Muslims from an allied community in Beirut.
• The Christian community, which has traditionally played a key role in Lebanese politics, are estimated to make up around a third of the population.
• Average GDP is 1.3% and is still higher than that of many western countries, although some of that is believed to come from Lebanon’s natural gas reserves in offshore waters.
• The percentage of Lebanon’s population with any form of degree is just above 15%.
• The Lebanese pound is at its strongest level against the US dollar since 2005, and has declined from about 430 to the greenback to 399 in that time.
• The current rate of unemployment in Lebanon is at 12.8%.
