Libanon

A UN expert blasted the country’s banking sector for failing to recognize its role in the country’s crippling economic crisis.

The Arab League said it was concerned about a rapid deterioration of Lebanese-Gulf relations after critical comments from a Lebanese minister about the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen were followed by the kingdom banning all imports from Lebanon and giving the Lebanese ambassador 48 hours to leave.

Lebanon is suffering economic meltdown while its politicians dither. Reform – and fiscal relief – is unlikely before 2022 elections. While pushing for timely polls, international partners should send humanitarian assistance to ease the public’s pain, keep key infrastructure running and avert security breakdowns.

Lebanon's parliament voted on Tuesday to hold legislative elections on March 27, giving Prime Minister Najib Mikati's government only a few months to try to secure an IMF recovery plan amid a deepening economic meltdown.

Clashes on 14 October over a judicial investigation into the 2020 Beirut port blast evoked the sectarian divisions of Lebanon’s civil war and threatened what's left of the rule of law. Hizbollah must allow the investigation to proceed or risk further weakening of the state.

The UN and humanitarian partners on Friday announced a $383 million Emergency Response Plan (ERP) for Lebanon to provide critical life-saving assistance and protection to some 1.1 million citizens and migrants over the next 12 months. 

Lebanese presidency announces government formation, ending a 13-month deadlock that worsened the country’s economic situation.

Poverty in Lebanon has drastically increased over the past year and now affects about 74% of the population, warned the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) on Friday. 

Reliable fuel and electricity supply are urgently needed in Lebanon to avert a potential “humanitarian catastrophe”, the top UN aid official in the country warned on Tuesday. 

Analysts say, despite recent tensions, all-out war is unlikely 15 years after the 2006 conflict as Hezbollah enjoys unprecedented military power. But the Lebanese group is under pressure at home.