Hussein Kassir / Shutterstock.com
Israel has officially offered humanitarian aid to Lebanon after the office of Defence Minister Benny Gantz made an announcement on Tuesday.
This arrives during the backdrop of a major financial meltdown in Lebanon, still suffering from the fallout over the Beirut port explosion in August 2020 and from significant political instability. The offer was relayed through UNIFIL, the UN agency responsible for operations in Southern Lebanon.
Israel and Lebanon still have no diplomatic ties, primarily due to the influence of Iran’s proxy Hezbollah having significant influence in the Lebanese Government.
Israel fought Hezbollah in a war in 2006, and Hezbollah have reportedly been rearming along Israel’s northern border ever since. Hezbollah was proscribed by the UK Government as a terrorist organisation in March 2019.
The Israeli offer of support arrives as Lebanon faces unprecedent economic turmoil, which the World Bank describes as one of the world’s worst financial crises since the 1850s.
There are shortages of gasoline and electricity, with protests around fuel prices flaring up across the country. The Lebanese pound has depreciated by more than 90 percent of its value on the black market, and the State can only provide 5 hours of electricity per day in most places.
Israel has offered humanitarian aid to Lebanon in the past, most notably after the Beirut explosion in August 2020. However, the offer was rejected at the time.
