Lebanon faces renewed instability

By Nathan Morley

Lebanon, home to the largest Christian population in the Middle East, is facing renewed instability as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continues. 

On Tuesday, the United Nations began its largest drawdown of peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, citing budget cuts and a decision to extend the UNIFIL mandate for only one year. 

The force says Israel has violated the ceasefire more than 10,000 times since it was signed in November 2024, with more than 300 people killed.

Earlier this week, Israeli warplanes struck Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing a senior Hezbollah commander. 

Under the truce, Israel was supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon in January, but the army only partially pulled out and continues to hold five border outposts. 

Lebanese officials say the agreement exists largely in name, with more than 5,000 violations by land, air and sea reported in the past year.

Lebanon, which also hosts about 1 million Syrian and Palestinian refugees, is struggling with a deep economic crisis that began in 2019, leaving the country mired in inflation, poverty and political paralysis.