Most have been barred from holding foreign currency assets for the past two years, with banks allowing only small withdrawals that often fall short of what is needed. In two separate incidents on Wednesday, banks were held up by customers trying to access their savings. During one visit, a woman and some associates took what she said was a toy gun to a BLOM bank branch in Beirut and made off with more than $13,000 (£11,260) in cash from her account. The woman, Sali Hafiz, said she broke into the bank to get money for her sister’s cancer treatment. BLOM Bank said customers were threatened during the raid, with the branch manager and cashier forced to fetch money from a safe. A gunman later entered a Bankmed branch in the mountain town of Aley to retrieve some of his trapped savings. He surrendered shortly after. It comes a month after a man held up a Beirut bank to withdraw money to treat his ailing father. He was arrested but later released after the bank dropped the charges. “I have nothing left to lose” Before going into hiding, Ms Hafiz told local media that she had no choice but to hold up the BLOM bank. He said: “I have nothing left to lose, I have reached the end of the road. “It got to a point where I was going to sell my kidney so my sister could get treatment.” Ms Hafiz said she had tried to withdraw money two days earlier but had failed. Her mother told local television: “All we have is this money in the bank. My daughter was forced to take this money – it’s her right, it’s in her account – to treat her sister.” Banks are supposed to make exceptions for customers trying to pay for things like hospital care, but many say that’s not the case. Senior bankers have warned that arrears could increase. One told Reuters: “I think this is an invitation for other people to do the same. As long as people get away with it, they will continue. What a failed state.”
