Life in Lebanon: A Country’s Collapse Exacerbated by Conflict

Oct 28

Oct 28 Life in Lebanon: A Country’s Collapse Exacerbated by Conflict

September 23 was one of the deadliest days in Lebanon since its civil war, decades earlier. 558 lost their lives, including 50 children and almost 100 women, with many more still missing. This tragedy signalled the start of what military experts are calling one of the most intense and destructive air raids seen in a contemporary conflict. Since the beginning of Israel’s campaign, the death toll has surpassed 2,225 and more than 1.2 million citizens have been displaced. The conditions for civilians, handicapped by an economic crisis and a paralysed government, are worsening by the day. The last war between Hezbollah and Israel took place in 2006, lasting just over a month and resulting in 1,191 deaths, making this new attack over three times as fatal per day.

Lebanon’s medical personnel and infrastructure have also taken a hit; 5 hospitals have been damaged by the strikes, at least four paramedics killed, and tens of emergency vehicles targeted in blasts. According to the UN, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have deliberately fired on UN bases in Lebanon, forcing entry and setting off multiple explosions, wounding multiple peacekeepers. However, Israel’s government denies this version of events, claiming they were attempting to evacuate injured UN workers. On October 12th, IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee confirmed their firing on ambulances in the combat area, accusing Hezbollah of transporting weapons and fighters in the vehicles. Adraee provided no evidence. A recent UN report charges Israel with “deliberately killing, detaining and torturing medical personnel” in Gaza and targeted facilities “devoted to pediatric and neonatal care,” inciting fears Israel will employ similar tactics against Lebanon. The country cannot handle more destabilisation of its medical infrastructure. In a poll earlier this year, before the recent escalation, two-thirds of Lebanese citizens were already entirely dissatisfied with the care available. As health services are destroyed or forced to close, that number is sure to rise, and casualties along with it. Israel continues to defend its actions, alleging combatants use human shields and civilian infrastructure to navigate the conflict zones. They justify this stance through Hezbollah’s vital role in what social services do exist, often providing the sole lifeline for civilians.

According to a 2021 World Bank report, Lebanon’s 2019 economic collapse ranks as one of the worst three since the 1800s; its currency depreciated by 90% and real GDP dropped by over 20% in 2020. While signs of financial devastation started in 2018, the Prime Minister’s resignation, combined with corruption, left the government underequipped, unmanned, and unable to stymie the crisis. Four times in the past two decades critical leadership roles sat empty for months, each with devastating consequences. Besides the Prime Ministery in 2018-2019, the presidency was vacant from November 2007 to May 2008, May 2014 to October 2016, and, most recently, from October 2023 to the present. Polling in Lebanon reflects this instability; 90% of citizens have little to no trust in their government and 95% are dissatisfied with its performance.

Political standoffs and incompetence have destroyed the public’s faith in leadership and caused a lack of dependable services including most economic safety-nets. The government’s inadequate assistance capabilities, combined with economic fallout causing food prices to triple, have put already vulnerable civilians in impossible circumstances. Multiple organisations have stepped up to fill the administrative void such as Al Shabiba Risala, founded in 2020 to promote peace and healthcare. They employed the paramedics killed in Israel’s initial attack. Notably, Hezbollah is a main provider of these services, sponsoring education initiatives, subsidising medical centres, and operating cultural centres. In some areas, primarily in the south and east, it operates with practical impunity, frequently called a “state within a state.” Residents there have no choice but to depend entirely on the group. While the majority of Lebanese citizens (55%) do not trust Hezbollah and a plurality (42%) strongly disapprove of their involvement in regional politics, many rely on their infrastructure and reside in areas in which the organisation operates. Those vital resources and even residential buildings are largely what is under attack.

While Israel claims to be pursuing minimal loss of civilian life, life on the ground paints a different picture. In the past, the IDF has carried out precise strikes on individual vehicles, properties, and even singular floors of multi-story compounds. Yet, their recent campaign entails levelling apartment buildings and, in Gaza, an entire city square. On September 29 they launched an attack targeting a residential complex over 60 kilometres north of the border. The strike caused the building to collapse, killing at least 45 people and leaving many more trapped in the rubble or severely wounded. Seven-year-old Zahra Assi and her family, like many others, had fled there to escape the bombings. She lost her mother and brother in the raid. Another attack that same day in Khiam, left its victims confused and angry. The father of a family hospitalised by the bombing said “We are 100 percent defenseless people. We are not affiliated with anyone.” He and his son worked as mechanics. On the 26th, a strike in Bekaa Valley left 15 dead, including a sixteen-year-old named Ali Shuab. His cousins survived, one recounting his passion for sports and love of hiking, standing with his brother staring at the destruction while the chickens Ali had been raising roamed the rubble aimlessly. Not one of them received an evacuation warning.

It is an international law and norm to give time for civilians to evacuate before launching a strike. Though the IDF claims to abide by that expectation, an analysis by Amnesty International shows the announcements to be so inadequate it is difficult to attribute their shortcomings to incompetence. At 23:06 on September 28th, the IDF released a singular message in Arabic on the social media platform X. It called for an evacuation of 500 metres in three densely populated areas, providing no timeline for when the bombings would begin. A mere hour and a half later, at 00:36, the first strikes would be reported. Many elderly and sick struggled to escape, relying on family, friends, and neighbours risking their lives to help. Perhaps the most unexplainable aspect of the announcement, even beyond its conditional accessibility and short notice, were the maps included in the post. Red circles demonstrating the evacuation areas had radial lines to their edge explicitly labelled ‘500 metres.’ These circles were, on average, 125 metres in radius, a fourth of the actual range. The largest of the misdrawn circles, approximately 135 metres, included 30 buildings. If properly expanded, it would have included 500. That night Israeli security forces conducted eleven strikes including on targets outside even the most generous interpretations of their provided warnings. At 22:51 on October 3rd, they issued another evacuation announcement. By 23:30, four bombings had been documented. While frequently offering no or, late notice, Israel has given “overly broad warnings” demanding “immediate” departure to over a hundred towns and villages. They have systematically cut off aid to many areas outside their reach, exacerbating the displacement crisis in a seemingly purposeful way.

In the past few years, Lebanon has faced unimaginable hardship. As the country’s political and financial standing has worsened, what little services available are crippled by this conflict. The realities of the air raids, their intensity, and poor humanitarian measures, speak to an utter disregard for civilian safety. Richard Weir, a researcher at the Human Rights Watch, called them “apparent war crimes.” The UN High Commissioner for Refugees posted “Israeli airstrikes are now relentlessly claiming hundreds of civilian lives.” Only weeks into the onslaught, millions have been impacted. Hundreds of thousands, having abandoned their homes and belongings, move from place to place, trying to escape the ever-growing threat. Told to avoid cars and buildings, families sleep on streets trying to make it to safety, unsure if it even exists. Thousands have died and the IDF shows no signs of slowing. Whether malicious, callous, or somehow justifiable, Israel’s actions have made life for the people of Lebanon full of uncertainty and fear with no end in sight.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the wider St. Andrews Foreign Affairs Review team.