Lebanon

Secrets of Local Newspapers Issued on Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Secrets of Local Newspapers Issued on Tuesday, March 29, 2022

**An-Nahar**

The visit of a pro-resistance party delegation to Syria, specifically to Jabal al-Arab, and the statements supporting the regime and resistance garnered considerable attention, described as an electoral mobilization due to the support received by the party leader from the Syrian president. The meeting between Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and the Secretary-General of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, Ali Youssef Hijazi, which lasted for more than three hours, was seen as a consolation for Hijazi after being removed from the electoral list in Baalbek-Hermel in favor of MP Jamil al-Sayyed. The head of a centrist parliamentary bloc held several meetings over the weekend with allied deputies and party leaders away from the spotlight, with developments expected in the coming days.

**Al-Jumhuriya**

Informed sources close to a responsible authority confirmed that their electoral decision does not indicate a willingness to exit the political scene in the upcoming phase. A sharp division has emerged among the "revolution" groups, with disagreements arising over lists between what could be considered a right-wing revolution and a left-wing revolution. A legal entity documented the process of a former Kataeb party member bribing media figures on behalf of a candidate to attack a prominent candidate in preparation for legal proceedings.

**Al-Liwaa**

An regional minister informed his allies in Lebanon that the direction is now towards dealing with the country on a government-to-government basis, in light of expectations to revive the nuclear agreement! A high-level party leadership has referred the issue of resolving the dispute over their affiliated candidate to a proactive party leader in the electoral equation. Supermarkets have started, contrary to what their president announced, to stop accepting credit cards for purchases, sharing payments equally with cash.

**An-Nidaa Al-Watani**

The Director General of the Tender Administration, Jean Alia, confirmed that the debate on March 31 with the ministers of the "Free Patriotic Movement," Cesar Abi Khalil and Nada Boustani, will establish solid facts that must be addressed seriously in reform and electricity files by any party involved. It was surprising to hear from MPs Talal Arslan and Faisal Karami following their visit to Damascus and their meeting with Assad, that he does not interfere in any details related to the parliamentary elections, especially during an election period, and that news of Syrian interventions is clear and public, the latest being the struggle over the Shiite seat in Baalbek-Hermel between Ali Hijazi and MP Jamil al-Sayyed. There have been numerous observations regarding armed displays in some areas of Baalbek following the arrest of a Syrian suspect involved in the Ansar crime, which included gunfire and rocket launches, overshadowing the arrest operation and undermining the theory of security while solidifying tribal and party security in the region, disregarding any role of the Army and security forces as security cannot be divided.

**Al-Anbaa**

Personal conflicts within a single political team have begun to manifest during the formation of lists in several districts. An interesting bilateral meeting came to confirm the role of an external party intervening in the electoral process and targeting specific political forces.

**Al-Benaa**

European legal sources stated that the Lebanese judiciary is now obligated to become a partner in the open pursuit of brothers Riad and Raja Salameh, following the entry of European executive circles into the line of seizing properties and funds by judicial orders, signifying a move from fact-finding to criminal charges. Financial sources anticipated an unprecedented rise in global oil and gas prices on Friday with the implementation of President Putin's decision to pay in rubles for oil and gas sales to Europe after the G7 summit rejected the decision. The sources indicated that if exports cease, the market will enter a phase of explosion.

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