Protest by depositors on Dec. 22, 2025, in Baabda, at the intersection leading to the presidential palace, ahead of a government meeting on the return of deposits. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
As far back as he can remember, Michel Jreidi has known little but hardship. At 14, he began working during the 1975-90 Civil War, when his house was repeatedly targeted and his life often hung by a thread.This lanky man with a “sharp tongue” eventually settled down, spending 29 years as a civil servant at the Tourism Ministry and setting aside $200,000 for his retirement, which he took in 2024.Jreidi imagined a quiet retirement, proud of the path of his only daughter, whom he hoped would have a bright future.But five years earlier, Lebanon’s financial collapse, one of the worst financial crises in the world since the mid-19th century according to the World Bank, swept away his modest dreams and those of millions of Lebanese, turning his later years into an ordeal. Up to date? Financial gap: Diplomats back Lebanon’s draft law amid...
As far back as he can remember, Michel Jreidi has known little but hardship. At 14, he began working during the 1975-90 Civil War, when his house was repeatedly targeted and his life often hung by a thread.This lanky man with a “sharp tongue” eventually settled down, spending 29 years as a civil servant at the Tourism Ministry and setting aside $200,000 for his retirement, which he took in 2024.Jreidi imagined a quiet retirement, proud of the path of his only daughter, whom he hoped would have a bright future.But five years earlier, Lebanon’s financial collapse, one of the worst financial crises in the world since the mid-19th century according to the World Bank, swept away his modest dreams and those of millions of Lebanese, turning his later years into an ordeal. Up to date? Financial gap: Diplomats back Lebanon’s draft law...
