The Israel-Gaza conflict that has plagued the region since the creation of the Israeli state has been characterized by intense ground battles as well as airstrikes and political upheaval, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of military personnel and civilians, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Read MoreHezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, a powerful and long-standing figure in Middle Eastern militancy, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on September 27, marking a significant escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. According to CBS News, Israel confirmed that its airstrike hit Nasrallah’s underground headquarters in Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area long known as a stronghold for the group.
Read MoreOne group particularly vulnerable to a potential war between Hezbollah and Israel is the 1.5 million Syrian refugees residing in Lebanon.
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Both Lebanon and Israel were on track to accept the terms of a U.S.-brokered maritime deal, until a new development on Thursday, October 6 when Israel rejected some amendments proposed by Lebanon. Al Jazeera reports that Lebanon made specific amendments to the terms of the deal to avoid any “misunderstandings.”
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General Hossam Zaki, secretary of the Arab League, arrived in Beirut on November 8 to hold talks with the Lebanese government. Al Jazeera reports that the talks were meant to resolve the current rift between the Saudi Arabian government and Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi. Kordahi previously criticized Saudi Arabia’s actions in Yemen against Houthi rebels in a pre-recorded interview released on October 26. Al Jazeera continues that Kordahi sympathized with the Houthi rebels, an Iran-backed group fighting in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, claiming that they were “defending themselves… against an external aggression.”
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Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have announced the removal of Lebanese envoys, following statements made by the Lebanese Minister about the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen. The Gulf nations have also enacted a blanket ban on all imports from Lebanon, according to BBC News.
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On Monday, November 2, The Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at Seton Hall University’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations presented “Peacemaking in Lebanon” with Mr. Assaad Chaftari, as a part of its speaker series.
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After the one-month anniversary of the August 4 Beirut explosions that took place in the port of Lebanon’s capital, dark skies blanketed the city once again with two new fires that erupted within the past week. The former erupted on Tuesday, September 8 and the latter blazed through the port just two days after. The fire has since been contained and no new injuries have been reported. According to NPR, the Lebanese army declared that the latter blaze occurred in a warehouse that housed oils and tires in the port’s duty-free area.
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The Lebanese government introduced its new Prime Minister on August 31, an expected move from a government under intense criticism. Mustapha Adib, a former Ambassador to Germany, assumed the role after securing support from the Lebanese parliament and accepting the president’s appointment, according to the . His tenure will not start on an easy note however, as the new Prime Minister will be tasked with confronting a multitude of crises facing the state while battling extreme skepticism from his own citizens.
Read MoreHezbollah, an Iranian-backed armed group based in Lebanon, attacked an Israeli army base on the border between Southern Lebanon and Israel, firing anti-tank missiles at an army base and a military ambulance.
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