Lebanon faces long list of challenges after ceasefire deal

BEIRUT

Hours after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect, Lebanon woke up to the sound of celebratory gunfire instead of Israeli airstrikes and drones buzzing overhead.

It was a rare moment of respite for Lebanon, as bombs stopped falling after a year of war. Thousands of displaced people joyfully drove back to their towns and villages in southern and eastern Lebanon.

But the realization of what lies ahead quickly sank in. Town after town in the south and east as well as parts of Beirut have been destroyed, entire border villages leveled to the ground and thousands of buildings damaged.

The World Bank estimates losses amounting to some $8.5 billion.

For the tiny and broken Mediterranean country, which has dealt with compounded calamities for over half a decade, the ceasefire deal has brought more questions than answers.

Among them, who will foot the bill for rebuilding? Will Hezbollah fully remove its fighters and arsenals from the south, relocating north of the Litani River — and how will the Lebanese army ensure that it does so? And will Israel ultimately accept the militants being pushed back, battered but not destroyed?

Lebanon’s political paralysis between groups allied and opposed to Hezbollah has only worsened during the war, raising the possibility of instability that could rattle the ceasefire.

Cash-strapped Lebanon needs support for its military and battered country as Lebanon since late 2019 has been mired in a crippling financial crisis that pushed millions into poverty, destroyed its banking system, and limited the country to just a few hours of state electricity daily.

The Lebanese military has suffered as well, with troops quitting or working second jobs to pay the bills. Yet, the aim of the agreement is for Lebanon to recruit more and deploy an additional 10,000 troops south of the Litani River. Without significant funding, this would be impossible — especially with the huge rebuilding costs Lebanon now faces.

The international community in a donor conference in Paris last month pledged $1 billion dollars for Lebanon, including $800 million for humanitarian assistance and $200 million to support the army. But aid groups say none of that funding has materialized yet.

In his first interview since the start of the ceasefire in Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that if Hezbollah were to violate the agreement, there would be “intensive war.”

The prime minister said he had given the Israel Defense Forces instructions that in the case of a “massive violation of the agreement,” the response would extend beyond “surgical operations like we’re doing now.”

The Israeli military said its air force struck a facility used by Hezbollah to store mid-range rockets in southern Lebanon on Nov. 28, after both sides accused each other of breaching the truce.