The highway from Damascus seen from the pedestrian bridge at the entrance of Hadath, on Dec. 27, 2024. (Credit: P.H.B./OLJ)
Before clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, which began on Oct. 8, 2023, escalated into near-total war almost a year later, the Lebanese government had been actively working on several initiatives to address problems stemming from the multidimensional crisis that erupted in 2019, after which the entire Lebanese financial system collapsed.Five key issues — the rehabilitation of the Beirut port after the devastating Aug. 4, 2020 explosion, the drafting of a 2025 budget, the restructuring of banks, the exploration and exploitation of offshore oil and gas, as well as Lebanon’s return to the gray list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) — have been understandably relegated to the background of national affairs due to the spiral of violence that engulfed the country, from the Israeli pager attack targeting Hezbollah members on Sept. 17...
Before clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, which began on Oct. 8, 2023, escalated into near-total war almost a year later, the Lebanese government had been actively working on several initiatives to address problems stemming from the multidimensional crisis that erupted in 2019, after which the entire Lebanese financial system collapsed.Five key issues — the rehabilitation of the Beirut port after the devastating Aug. 4, 2020 explosion, the drafting of a 2025 budget, the restructuring of banks, the exploration and exploitation of offshore oil and gas, as well as Lebanon’s return to the gray list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) — have been understandably relegated to the background of national affairs due to the spiral of violence that engulfed the country, from the Israeli pager attack targeting Hezbollah members on...