A branch of Ogero in Badaro, Beirut. (Credit: Philippe Hage Boutros)
As the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has threatened to expand since Oct. 8, 2023, Lebanon also faces the risk of being cut off from the world, with no access to telephone communications or the internet.While this scenario did not unfold during the 2006 war, the situation seems to have evolved since then, with Israeli officials issuing thinly veiled threats against the country’s infrastructure in the event of renewed conflict.Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated in late June that his country could send Lebanon “back to the Stone Age.”“One of the first potential targets would be the telecommunications network,” said Abed Kataya, digital content director at SMEX, an organization dedicated to promoting free internet in the Middle East. “We have already seen that telephone exchanges and relay antennas were among the first...
As the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has threatened to expand since Oct. 8, 2023, Lebanon also faces the risk of being cut off from the world, with no access to telephone communications or the internet.While this scenario did not unfold during the 2006 war, the situation seems to have evolved since then, with Israeli officials issuing thinly veiled threats against the country’s infrastructure in the event of renewed conflict.Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated in late June that his country could send Lebanon “back to the Stone Age.”“One of the first potential targets would be the telecommunications network,” said Abed Kataya, digital content director at SMEX, an organization dedicated to promoting free internet in the Middle East. “We have already seen that telephone exchanges and relay antennas were among...
