Every day passes in Lebanon without "its catastrophe" accompanying it, today's headline being in Choueifat, where a building collapsed, comprising 5 floors. Divine providence ensured the residents' safety; they felt the earthquake and evacuated their homes 10 minutes before the disaster struck.

This mobile disaster, shifting from one area to another due to the lack of inspection of old crumbling buildings, adds to the suffering in the south due to the ongoing war at the border, intensifying its ferocity. Meanwhile, Israel continues to strike homes and villages in the south, causing more casualties and victims. In response to Israeli aggression, Hezbollah announced a series of operations targeting reconnaissance equipment at Al-Abbad site and Israeli soldiers gathering at the Tiyas Triangle.

Regarding the latest threats to Lebanon, Israel decided to relocate "Brigade 36," its largest unit, from Gaza to the Lebanese border. Information about the timing of the unit's relocation, which includes maneuvering units (tanks, infantry, and engineering corps) such as "Brigade 188," "Brigade 7," "Golani Brigade," "Atzmoni Brigade," and "Engineering Corps Battalions," remains undisclosed.

While the presidential file has not witnessed any significant developments amid all the country's tremors and crises, Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi addressed officials in his sermon today, stating: "Enough constitutional violations that are killing the state for individual, factional, partisan, sectarian, or political interests." He added: "Start by electing a president for the state so that all institutions can function properly."

Metropolitan Elias Audi, head of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Beirut and its environs, supported al-Rahi's demand, affirming in his sermon the need for "a president who, along with his government, undertakes the task of institution-building and appoints competent individuals to leadership positions, without favoritism or nepotism, so that each official fulfills their duty for the public good."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Saad Hariri arrived in Beirut to participate in the commemoration of his father, the late President Martyr Rafik Hariri, and his companions, on Wednesday, the 14th of the current month.

From Lebanon to Damascus, where Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian continues his tour in the region amidst escalating tensions. During his meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Abdollahian emphasized that "the Gaza issue is now considered the primary issue not only regionally but also internationally," pointing out that "the key to sustainable security in the region lies in stopping crimes against the Palestinian people."

Regionally, the war in Gaza entered its 128th day with Israeli forces intensifying their targeting of Rafah city in the southern sector. In a new toll of the Israeli aggression, "Health" in Gaza reported an increase in the number of casualties from Israeli shelling and ground operations in the sector to 28,176 killed and 67,784 wounded since the start of the war.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army announced today, Sunday, an increase in the number of casualties among its military personnel to 2,855 since October 7, 2023. However, global military estimates indicate that the number of Israeli military casualties is higher than officially announced.

While talks have not led to an agreement between Hamas and Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted that "we actually want to achieve disarmament in the sector, which requires us to have security control and ultimate security responsibility over the entire area west of the Jordan (all the West Bank territories), including Gaza." He emphasized during a ministerial council meeting in Ashkelon today that "we are on our way to victory, and it will take longer, but it won't take years as they say."

Amid the Israeli army's continued incursion into Gaza, the Egyptian "Foreign Ministry" warned of the serious consequences of a ground operation in Rafah, stating that it could worsen the humanitarian catastrophe in the sector. The Egyptian officials were quoted by the "Associated Press" as saying that "Cairo threatened Israel with suspending the peace treaty if its forces invaded the border city of Rafah."

On the other hand, the Iranian Foreign Minister stated that "Netanyahu considers his life constantly hostage to the war on Gaza, but the international community is making sincere efforts to stop the war," noting that "there is no option but a political solution and stopping the genocide in Gaza and the war crimes in the West Bank."

Additionally, Hamas's representative in Lebanon, Ahmed Abdel Hadi, considered "Netanyahu's threats regarding Rafah as part of his attempt to make the resistance compromise on its conditions," noting that "an invasion of Rafah leads to reactions in the region and expands the war against the wishes of the United States."

In contrast, Israeli media reported that "Netanyahu assured US President Joe Biden that the operation in Rafah is necessary and that Israel pledges to minimize harm to civilians," adding that "it will not be possible to enter Rafah in the next two weeks because it requires mobilizing the reserves again and completing operations in Khan Yunis."

Meanwhile, the White House stated that Biden reiterated his view that the military operation in Rafah should not proceed without a plan to ensure the safety of a million people. It also reported that Biden emphasized to Netanyahu the importance of leveraging progress in negotiations to secure the release of all hostages as soon as possible.

Furthermore, the "Washington Post" reported that US leaders doubt Netanyahu's claim that he destroyed two-thirds of Hamas's fighting brigades. They also expressed deep skepticism about Israel's ability to achieve complete military victory.

Economically, in the aftermath of the war on Israel, Bloomberg stated that "Israel must sell a record amount of bonds this year to finance its war against Hamas." It added: "Israel's total debt issuance this year will reach 210 billion shekels, equivalent to 58 billion dollars, almost a third more than in 2023."

Internationally, a new opinion poll showed that the number of Americans who trust Donald Trump to manage the US economy is much higher than President Joe Biden, despite months of strong growth. The poll conducted by the "Financial Times" and the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan found that 42% of Americans feel that Trump would be a better economic agent, while only 31% chose Biden.

In Finland, the Ministry of Justice announced that former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb advanced to the second round of the presidential elections. The ministry stated that after counting 90% of the votes, Stubb received 51.9% of the votes, while his opponent, former Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, received 49.1%.

Economically,the Beirut Stock Exchange recorded the following:

Solidere A:

87.05 +4.20 (+5.07%)

Solidere B:

80.20 -1.85 (-2.25%)

Economically ,this is what the global markets recorded:

Americas

INDU:IND
DOW JONES INDUS. AVG 38,718.75 +197.39
SPX:IND
S&P 500 INDEX 4,996.20 +41.97
CCMP:IND
NASDAQ COMPOSITE 15,756.56 +147.56
NYA:IND
NYSE COMPOSITE INDEX 17,217.64 +82.16
SPTSX:IND
S&P/TSX COMPOSITE INDEX 20,958.68 +0.94

Europe, Middle East & Africa

SX5E:IND
Euro Stoxx 50 Pr 4,678.85 -12.02
UKX:IND
FTSE 100 INDEX 7,628.75 -52.26
DAX:IND
DAX INDEX 16,921.96 -111.28
CAC:IND
CAC 40 INDEX 7,611.26 -27.71
IBEX:IND
IBEX 35 INDEX 9,888.20 -114.80
Asia Pacific

NKY:IND
NIKKEI 225 36,119.92 -40.74
TPX:IND
TOPIX INDEX (TOKYO) 2,549.95 +10.70
HSI:IND
HANG SENG INDEX 16,081.89 -54.98
SHSZ300:IND
CSI 300 INDEX 3,343.63 +31.94
AS51:IND
S&P/ASX 200 INDEX 7,615.84 +34.26
MXAP:IND
MSCI AC ASIA PACIFIC 167.33 +1.49

Bank Audi SAL

Latest Trade
2.35 USD
Today's Range
2.35 - 2.35

52 Week Range
1.50 - 2.40

Previous Close
2.35
Open
2.35
Volume
1,350.00
3 Month Average Trading Volume
0.02

Oil Prices:

WTI CRUDE
76.84 +0.81%
BRENT CRUDE
82.19 +0.69%
MURBAN CRUDE
81.67 +0.74%
NATURAL GAS
1.847 -3.65%