Dalal Saoud

Lebanon is racing against time to vaccinate a large number of its population, including Palestinian refugees, displaced Syrians and migrant workers, in order to contain an increase in the COVID-19 mortality rate.

Lebanon, sinking deeper into political and financial crisis, has reached a dangerous impasse with no solution in sight to save it from a painful crash.

Bank depositors in Lebanon, who woke up one day more than a year ago to face the painful reality that their life savings are stuck in the banks, are now bracing for the worst: Most of their money, if not all, is gone and cannot be recovered. 

Lebanon, which entered a 25-day lockdown last week, tightened its measures to slow a dangerous surge in COVID-19 cases and ease pressure on hospitals whose intensive care units have reached full capacity.

The people of Lebanon are keen not to break the tradition of celebrating Christmas despite a catastrophic year that plunged them into poverty and grief.

Lebanon, which is witnessing the collapse of one professional sector after another due to an economic crisis, is losing its highly skilled workforce, with an increasing number of doctors, nurses and engineers leaving.

More than four months after the blast at the Beirut port, inhabitants of the devastated areas are still recovering, finding comfort in relentless support by local groups and renewed international aid.

Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are at risk of losing their only source of survival as the United Nations agency that has been supporting them since its creation in 1949 is running out of cash.

Recent U.S sanctions targeting Hezbollah's close political allies have ​also affected the Iran-backed group's alliances and weakened its longtime supporters in Lebanon, analysts say.

Lebanon's government is fighting a surge of COVID-19 cases amid a shortage of medical staff and equipment with a new two-week lockdown. But many people, desperate to earn money for food, are not staying home.

The defeat of Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election brought relief to some countries in the troubled Middle East, but raised much concern for others.

Challenged by economic deterioration and an uprising that has shaken the ruling class amid a trend toward normalizing Israeli-Arab relations, Hezbollah is facing a new reality as the most powerful party in Lebanon.

The return of veteran politician Saad Hariri as Lebanon's prime minister was met with mixed reactions as the country plunges deeper into economic crisis and despair grows among an exhausted population.  

A year after protests broke out against the government in Lebanon, activists have raised hope for change and shaken the political leadership -- but not enough to bring down the ruling elite.

With no new government in sight to adopt reforms that would release urgently needed international aid, poverty is growing in Lebanon, with a pervasive fear that it's going to get worse.

Lebanon, stuck in an uphill struggle between the United States and Iran, will have to wait for a settlement in the region to regain some political and economic stability and deal with the growing influence of Hezbollah.