Life goes on in Lebanon in this not-so-normal new normal

Dear readers,

So here we are again, sitting on our balconies looking into the sky, wondering what the coming days and weeks will bring. When will Israel respond to Saturday’s tragic Majdal Shams strike, the biggest single loss of life in the cross-border attacks since October ? Though Hezbollah continues to deny claims by Israel and the U.S. that it is responsible for the strike, it still seems inevitable that Israel will act upon its accusation regardless. So, how big will its retaliation be ? What should we here in Lebanon do ?

It’s not the first time we’re asking these questions.

You’ll remember well that there have been multiple points before where tensions between Israel and Hezbollah reached fever pitch: the assassination of Saleh al-Arouri and of senior Hezbollah commanders Mohammed Nasser, Taleb Abdallah, and Wissam Tawil. On many occasions, we have felt the cross-border conflict was on the brink of expanding. And that makes it, in a sense, harder to discern if what we are experiencing now is new or ‘normal.’ Perhaps this is what we should anticipate in this not-so-normal ‘new normal’ of the drawn-out, arhythmic, attritional conflict between the two sides.

Most sources seem to indicate we can expect a strong, but limited response from Israel — short of an outright war. Nonetheless, here in Lebanon we are, once again, holding our breath and trying to continue life as normal, or whatever normal means these days.

The mood in Beirut

The prospect of Beirut being targeted by Israel is low, though of course never negligible. The U.S. has said it is a red line, while multiple flights have been delayed or canceled in an abundance of caution. But what’s the mood like on the ground ? L’Orient Today reporters Wael Taleb and Suzanne Baaklini went to Beirut's southern suburbs, and Hamra and Achrafieh neighborhoods, to find out. In Beirut's southern suburbs, Shafia Haidar maintained a defiant stance: « We are not scared ... We have lived through many wars. If they strike, they'll get struck back. We are ready, » she asserts. She recalls how, in 2006, when Israeli bombardments flattened whole areas in Beirut’s suburbs, she stayed behind.

If you’re wanting a quick overview of where we’re at, I suggest reading the following articles:

• Mounir Rabih’s analysis of the Majdal Shams strike and U.S.-Iranian efforts to ensure a measured response.

• Who struck Majdal Shams ? Here are the various hypotheses.

• Flight changes at Beirut’s airport.

Other news: Miss Lebanon 2024

In unfortunate timing, while tensions were escalating on the Lebanese-Israeli border on Saturday night, Nada Koussa received her crown as Miss Lebanon 2024. Between white linen-covered tables, crates of free-flowing wine and strangers marveling at each other’s dresses and tuxedos, the capital’s waterfront pursued glamor despite the contestant's stressed-out mothers complaining about their bad seats or the printed signs giving the event a false school fair feel — albeit a glittery one. Karl Richa has all the gossip from behind the scenes.

How Lebanon’s cultural scene is bouncing back

« When we saw every cinema in the world closing down, we didn’t know if we’d be able to open again, » recalls Hania Mroue, the director of Metropolis Art Cinema. The cinema had to shut its doors in January 2020 due to Lebanon’s economic crisis — a month before the pandemic lockdown — but this August, Mroue is scheduled to unveil Metropolis 3.0, a two-screen cinema housed in a purpose-built movable structure in Mar Mikhael, located within a garden fitted with a third outdoor projection space. Read Jim Quilty’s article about how Lebanon’s cultural scene is bouncing back to life.

Very best,

Olivia Le Poidevin

Head of L’Orient Today