The Day of the Financial Gap Law Approval

The morning of December 26 began with Lebanese editors divided between escalating Israeli airstrikes and the Cabinet’s final push to resolve the banking crisis. Following the previous day's assassination of a Quds Force operative, outlets like L'Orient-Le Jour and Al-Manar highlighted intensified strikes on Hezbollah training complexes in the Bekaa and South, noting the absence of a 'Christmas truce.' By midday, editorial priority shifted decisively to the Grand Serail. The Cabinet approved the 'Financial Gap Law' with a 13-to-9 vote. Minister Amin Salam dominated headlines by claiming the law would secure 85% of deposits, a narrative framing it as a milestone for accountability. However, opposition media like Kataeb and Al Joumhouria emphasized the dissent of nine ministers, including the Minister of Justice, who cited a lack of transparent data. In the evening, the focus turned toward the regional spillover of a suicide bombing at a mosque in Homs, Syria, which ISIS claimed, prompting official Lebanese condemnations of sectarian violence.