The Day of the Nahr al-Kabir Drownings

On December 28, Lebanese editorial priorities were dominated by a humanitarian tragedy on the northern border. Morning reports confirmed the drowning of 11 Syrian migrants in the Nahr al-Kabir river while attempting to cross from Lebanon. This sparked immediate political and security debates, with the Lebanese Army issuing a formal denial against allegations that the migrants had been forcibly deported. By early afternoon, attention shifted to the Bint Jbeil district, where the Lebanese Army, acting on requests from the 'Mechanism' oversight body, conducted house-to-house searches for prohibited weapons. This security movement coincided with a defiant speech by Hezbollah’s Naim Qassem, who framed disarmament as an Israeli-driven project and rejected further concessions. In the evening, the media transitioned to geopolitical analysis ahead of the Trump-Netanyahu summit. Editors focused on whether the meeting would grant Israel a 'green light' for renewed military operations in Lebanon or cement the current ceasefire, while domestic concerns turned to the collapse of the power grid following severe winter storms.