🌳 Schools, south, sovereignty

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Lebanon's Education Ministry Fights to Keep Schools Open Mid-War

• Lebanon's Ministry of Education released a detailed statement revealing that roughly 50% of public schools and secondary institutions have managed to continue in-person learning in safer regions, while remote education has covered the rest, according to Lebanon 24.
• Only 15% of schools have been forced to halt all instruction entirely—those located in areas directly struck by the conflict—with the ministry conducting a name-by-name survey of affected students and teachers.
• To support remote learners, the ministry activated Microsoft Teams accounts for students and staff, provided free internet packages, and launched "Teaching and Learning Hubs" within 5-kilometer geographic clusters of schools.
• The ministry is also calling on local and international partners—municipalities, NGOs, and political figures—to coordinate exclusively through its official channel before launching any independent educational support initiatives.

Why it matters: With an entire generation at risk of falling through the cracks, the ministry's coordinated response—imperfect as it is—signals that state institutions are trying to function under extraordinary pressure, and that matters for Lebanon's long-term recovery.

PM Salam Marks Civil War Anniversary With a Warning and a Plea

• Prime Minister Nawaf Salam marked the 51st anniversary of the outbreak of Lebanon's Civil War on April 13, 1975, with a sweeping speech calling on all Lebanese to unite rather than turn against each other amid the current conflict.
• Salam acknowledged the pain of the displaced, the bereaved, the survivors of August 4th, and those affected by the April 8th strikes on civilians—saying he understands the anger at Lebanon's leadership and the country's loss of self-determination.
• He called for full implementation of the Taif Agreement, the extension of state authority over all Lebanese territory, and an end to multiple decision-making centers—a clear, if diplomatic, reference to Hezbollah's parallel governance structures.

The backstory: The Lebanese Civil War ran from 1975 to 1990, killing an estimated 150,000 people and displacing millions. The Taif Agreement ended the war but left many structural issues unresolved—including the disarmament of non-state militias, which was never fully enforced.

Zooming out: Salam's invocation of Taif on this symbolic date isn't accidental—it's a calibrated political signal that the state intends to reassert sovereignty, delivered on the anniversary that haunts Lebanon's collective memory most.

Bint Jbeil Under Siege: Israeli Forces Push Into the City From Multiple Axes

• Israeli forces have launched a ground incursion into Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon after a multi-day siege, advancing along four to five axes—including from Ainata to the northwest, Ain Ebel to the west, and Yaroun to the south.
• Israeli outlet Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli Air Force has dropped dozens of heavy munitions on the city as part of what it calls "the battle to decisively control the town," while Channel 12 estimated dozens of Hezbollah fighters remain trapped inside.
• Hezbollah confirmed it struck Israeli vehicles and soldiers on Bint Jbeil's outskirts with rocket fire, and hit a Merkava tank near Al-Ishraq School with a guided missile—claiming direct hits.
• The escalation is unfolding just days before Lebanon-Israel negotiations are expected to resume, with Israeli military assessments suggesting the operation to secure the city could "take several days."

What to watch: Bint Jbeil's symbolic weight—it's where Nasrallah delivered his "spider's web" speech after 2006—means this battle carries as much psychological significance as it does military stakes ahead of Tuesday's talks.

QUICK HITS

• A million reasons to raid: The Lebanese army seized roughly 1 million Captagon pills and 47 kg of hashish in a raid on Bar Elias in the Bekaa Valley, with military intelligence now tracking down the suspects believed to be involved in the operation.
• Qatar's back in the sky: Qatar Airways will resume daily flights to Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport starting April 14, a small but meaningful signal that some carriers are cautiously returning to Lebanese airspace amid the ongoing conflict.
• The spy who sold everything: A former Lebanese soldier named Eli reportedly handed Mossad data from Electricité du Liban, the Ministry of Telecommunications, Ogero, the Ministry of Health, and vehicle registration records from the DMV—the military court is set to interrogate him this Tuesday.
• Beirut brings its case to DC: Finance Minister Yassine Jaber and Economy Minister Amer Bisat traveled to Washington for the IMF and World Bank spring meetings, April 13–18, to discuss war damage costs and the war-driven displacement of roughly 1 million Lebanese citizens.
• Gates up, then down: Several Christian villages in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa installed overnight security gates at their entrances—sparking social media outrage—before municipalities clarified the barriers were strictly nighttime anti-theft measures, not sectarian exclusion, and temporarily removed them pending official approvals.

INTERNATIONAL

Hungary's Orbán Era Ends as Péter Magyar Wins Stunning Upset

• Péter Magyar won Hungary's national election on Sunday, ending Viktor Orbán's 16-year grip on power in a result that sent European leaders into rare collective celebration, with congratulations pouring in from French President Macron, German Chancellor Merz, NATO Secretary-General Rutte, and European Commission President von der Leyen.
• Magyar told the AP ahead of the vote that he would repair Hungary's relationship with the EU, which Orbán had repeatedly strained through vetoes on Ukraine support and a backchannel to Moscow that outraged EU officials.
• Ukraine is among the most eager to see the transition succeed, with a €90 billion EU loan package for Kyiv having been blocked by Orbán—a blockade that Magyar's win could now lift.

The bigger picture: Magyar's victory, coming after Poland's democratic shift in 2023, suggests that the wave of EU-skeptic populism that defined the 2010s is now visibly receding across Central Europe.

Spain Becomes Europe's Most Vocal Outlier on the Middle East

• Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has positioned his country as Western Europe's most outspoken critic of both US and Israeli military actions, condemning strikes on Iran as "unjustified and dangerous," refusing use of Spanish bases, and reopening Spain's embassy in Tehran this week after the fragile US-Iran ceasefire took hold.
• Netanyahu responded by announcing Spain's removal from a US-led Gaza military strategy centre, accusing Madrid of "hypocrisy and hostility," while Trump called Spain "terrible" and threatened to cut off all trade over the base refusal.
• A new Politico European Pulse survey found that 51% of Spanish people consider Washington a threat to Europe—the highest proportion of any country surveyed—while 94% said Europe needs to become more self-sufficient from major powers.

What to watch: Whether Sánchez's unambiguous stance inspires other EU governments to harden their positions, or remains an isolated moral posture while the broader bloc hedges, will shape Europe's credibility as a geopolitical actor.

A 70-Boat Flotilla Sets Sail From Barcelona to Break Gaza's Naval Blockade

• Around 1,000 volunteers from 70 countries departed Barcelona's port Sunday aboard a 70-vessel "Global Resilience Flotilla" loaded with food, medicine, and school supplies, aiming to breach Israel's naval blockade of Gaza, according to Al Jazeera.
• Organizers—coordinating with Greenpeace, Open Arms, and Palestinian civil society groups—said the mission aims to "condemn international complicity" in Gaza's siege and open a humanitarian sea corridor, warning that ongoing US-Iran and Lebanon conflicts are letting Israel tighten its blockade under reduced global scrutiny.
• The flotilla is the second of its kind in under a year; the first, which departed Barcelona in September 2025 with 42 boats and 462 activists, was intercepted in international waters and resulted in hundreds of arrests and deportations.

Zooming out: Every flotilla attempt since 2010 has been intercepted by Israeli forces, making this mission's outcome as much a test of international pressure and political will as it is a humanitarian operation.

GHER HEK

• Holy fire reaches Baabda: The Holy Light from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem arrived in Lebanon by Lebanese army helicopter on Sunday evening, landing at the Baabda Palace helipad before being distributed to Orthodox churches and parishes across the country—a tradition that, war or not, Lebanon refuses to let go of.
• Bruno's back, debt-free: Bruno Mars launched his first official stadium tour in over a decade—a 77-city, 9-country run—at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 10, debuting 8 new songs, reuniting Silk Sonic with Anderson .Paak, and getting a street on the Las Vegas Strip renamed Bruno Mars Drive in his honor.
• Faster than Bolt at 18: Australian teenager Gout Gout clocked a stunning 19.67 seconds in the 200m at the national championships in Sydney on Sunday, setting a new world under-20 record and running faster than Usain Bolt had managed at the same age—the kid was born in Queensland to parents from South Sudan.
• India's voice, forever: Legendary Bollywood playback singer Asha Bhosle, who recorded more than 12,000 songs across an eight-decade career, passed away in Mumbai at age 92—she received the Dadasaheb Phalke award, earned two Grammy nominations, and inspired everyone from Cornershop to Gorillaz.

That's your Monday—go make it count.