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As UN peacekeeping forces prepare to withdraw from Lebanon, Israel remains present and Hezbollah is still armed. A new EU support mission aims to strengthen Lebanon's army, but will not replace UN peacekeepers.
Lebanon's economic crisis has dragged on since 2019. A re-igniting of Israel's war with Hezbollah derailed the weak recovery seen last year. The World Bank now forecasts that the Lebanese economy will shrink by 6.4 percent this year, with inflation expected to reach around 17.5 percent. A growing divide is visible everywhere: in households, in businesses and even in consumer habits. Our correspondents Serge Berberi and Renée Davis report.
The reported $200m in aid from Iran to Hezbollah has put the Lebanese government under increased pressure from the US.
Hezbollah said explosives were to be used against Israel but political figures and some analysts fear assassinations.
Analysts say Hezbollah's decision on October 8 to join a 'war of support' for Gaza changed Lebanon's political reality.
Six sources from Syria, the US and Lebanon told Reuters news agency the reported meeting aimed to calm tensions.
After Houthi victories in Yemen, the group's importance in the US-Iran war has grown. Previously Lebanon's Hezbollah was considered most significant in Iran's "axis of resistance." Now the Houthis are rising to the top.
