A woman looks at the window display of a clothing store. Bourj Hammoud, March 28, 2026. (Credit: Ségolène Ragu/L’Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — Raed Tarabay has been in business for nearly 20 years. He runs Helena Touch, a family-owned beauty store, center, and salon in Jbeil, which today employs around 45 people.The business has survived successive shocks, from the Covid-19 pandemic to Lebanon’s economic collapse. But the resumption of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel on March 2 may prove to be one blow too many."The second war came when we had barely recovered from the first," he told L’Orient Today. "We almost had no cash flow on hand when this war began."He sees no clear horizon. "If this continues, I don’t know how long we can hold out," he said.Businesses located in areas heavily targeted by Israeli strikes have seen operations come to a halt. But even those outside immediate danger zones have not been spared.While the impact has...
BEIRUT — Raed Tarabay has been in business for nearly 20 years. He runs Helena Touch, a family-owned beauty store, center, and salon in Jbeil, which today employs around 45 people.The business has survived successive shocks, from the Covid-19 pandemic to Lebanon’s economic collapse. But the resumption of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel on March 2 may prove to be one blow too many."The second war came when we had barely recovered from the first," he told L’Orient Today. "We almost had no cash flow on hand when this war began."He sees no clear horizon. "If this continues, I don’t know how long we can hold out," he said.Businesses located in areas heavily targeted by Israeli strikes have seen operations come to a halt. But even those outside immediate danger zones have not been spared.While the...
