Informed Lebanese sources did not underestimate the provocative statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a military ceremony, where he expressed his intention to achieve what he calls victory and destruction, and to resume war. These comments have negative implications for the ongoing negotiations regarding the first phase of the exchange deal for prisoners held by Hamas and other Palestinian resistance factions in Israeli prisons, as reported by "Al-Liwaa."
The Lebanese sources are apprehensive about a return to a state of escalation, which could kill the opportunity many had hoped for. Official Lebanese circles believed that this would pave the way for a calming situation in the south, establish stability in Lebanon, and facilitate a resurgence of communications both domestically and internationally to accomplish the presidential election and address various accumulated crises that are increasingly burdening the lives of Lebanese citizens.
These challenges are reflected in the escalating pressures of daily life, with skyrocketing prices for public services, an alarming inability of the state to provide solutions, such as the disappearance of drinking water from homes amid rising temperatures, and the rampant prices for private water deliveries. The same situation applies to electricity, where the collection of bills has increased in dollars in response to the demands of the Electricité du Liban, without any substantive benefits, amidst soaring subscription costs for generators.
Additionally, there is mounting opposition to the state's participation in public transport through the newly operational French buses, which were attacked by private bus gangs to hinder their service. The state and security agencies have yet to take any restraining or punitive action against these individuals who behave as if the country exists in a lawless jungle, according to "Al-Liwaa."
