The negotiations on the maritime border in the north took over the news broadcasts in Israel, but it seems that in Lebanon it is a marginal issue in the order of priorities, in light of the collapse of the country that was once considered the Switzerland of the Middle East.
The danger of civil war still hovers in the streets.
Nasrallah caused an uproar a few weeks ago when he referred to the massacre in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, which was carried out by the Christian phalanxes.
It was a response to criticism aimed at him in speeches commemorating the assassination of President Beshir Jumail 40 years ago.
"Today there is a new norm to say 'this is our Lebanon and this is your Lebanon,'" Nasrallah said.
"I say to those who carried out the massacre in Sabra and Shatila - this is part of your Lebanon. It is part of the works of your hands. This is your true manifestation. At any time, we talk about the culture of life and the culture of death. The culture of death (referring to the phalanxes) is the one that carried out the massacre in Sabra and Shatila, and culture Life is the one that liberated the south (referring to Hezbollah)."
Nasrallah.
Answer the review, photo: Arab Networks
It wasn't just a political fight.
Hezbollah's mouthpiece, the "Al-Akhbar" newspaper, accused Samir Jaja, the leader of the Lebanese Forces party, the successor of the Phalanges, of trying to degenerate the situation into a civil war.
Since the killing of Hezbollah supporters in a demonstration last year, tensions have been escalating.
The governmental crisis has intensified since a series of resignations of prime ministers against the backdrop of the economic crisis.
The May elections did not bring any news in this matter.
Although the Hezbollah camp lost the majority in parliament, no coalition was formed, and the interim government of Nasrallah's partners is in power.
At the same time, the elderly President Michel Aon (88) will finish his term at the end of the month, and the parliament is unable to form a majority for an agreed candidate.
The political crisis is holding back reforms needed to receive financial aid from the International Monetary Fund, and is fueled by institutional corruption.
Jaja.
There is no alternative coalition, photo: Reuters
The Syrian refugees are perhaps the issue that worries the politicians the most, who call for them to be deported.
The Minister of Displaced Persons, Issam Sharp Al Dins, announced this summer a plan to deport 15,000 Syrians every month.
According to him, Syria has become safe and "the war is over".
But Syria is certainly not safe, the war is not over, and Assad's dictatorial rule shows no willingness to move towards reform or any compromise with the opposition.
About 1.5 million Syrian refugees live in the land of the cedars, 950 thousand of them are registered with the United Nations aid agency. About half of them suffer from real hunger. It is estimated that in the winter their situation will get worse.
Their difficult situation makes them try to escape from Lebanon.
A group of such refugees tried to immigrate to Europe in September.
It ended in tragedy when the ship sank off the coast of Syria, and about 100 people perished in the disaster.
The Lebanese pound collapsed.
The currency traded on Friday at about 39,500 pounds to the dollar.
Since January, the pound has lost tens of percent of its value.
Lebanese lira.
zero value,
The situation makes it difficult to import products from abroad, including flour, fuel, food, medicines and medical equipment. The drop in the value of the pound was caused by the abandonment of foreign investors, many of them from the Gulf countries, who decided to withdraw the money they had deposited in Lebanese banks in exchange for high interest rates. Some because of the economic crisis and some As a sign of protest over Hezbollah's involvement in the civil war in Syria.
The electricity supply is reduced to less than 4 hours a day.
The country relies on seven power stations that work with fuels whose imports every year lead to an annual deficit of about 1.8 billion dollars.
The Lebanese depend on fuel from Iraq, and recently there were negotiations for a free supply of fuel from Iran.
As mentioned, the value of the pound has crashed, so it is more difficult to import fuel.
Added to this was the war in Ukraine which led to an increase in prices.
Lebanon, by the way, is not interested in renewable energy.
According to an article published in "Independent Arabiya", the production of renewable energy in the country does not exceed 5%.
An official at the Ministry of Energy confirmed to the newspaper that the operating cost of hydroelectric plants does not exceed 50 million dollars and can provide electricity at a low rate and with economical use of fuel.
However, the ministry prefers, for unknown reasons, to purchase fuel for the electric corporation's stations.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun, photo: AFP
Cholera returned to Lebanon after an absence of almost three decades.
The first patient since 1993 was identified last week, and since then 14 more patients have been confirmed.
The Minister of Health estimated that the cause of the infection is related to the outbreak of the disease in Syria, where hundreds of cholera patients were reported.
The banks decided to close their doors on Friday after a series of raids by customers, who demanded the release of their deposits.
Last week none other than the member of parliament Cynthia Zarazir obtained part of her deposit money in the bank in the town of Antalias in this way.
Zarazir barricaded herself in the branch and demanded $8,500 to finance an operation she was scheduled to undergo.
Sally Hafez threatens the bank employees with a toy gun // Photo: Arab Networks
Serious implications
The water infrastructure is in poor condition.
About three million people, almost half of the population, are connected to the water infrastructure.
The rest depend on more expensive alternatives such as water trucks, private suppliers and pirate drilling.
Also, most households depend on bottled water for drinking because of the poor quality of tap water.
This water crisis also affects hospitals and schools.
The situation could have serious consequences in light of the infiltration of cholera, which thrives in areas with neglected water infrastructure.
A Lebanese reporter summed up the crisis well in view of Israel's statements about preparing for an escalation in the north.
"The Israelis instructed to prepare for escalation," said the reporter in a video posted online, "Bhaiyat, what do you want to bomb? The electricity? There is no electricity! You will bomb the gas? There is no gas! So come on, prepare for escalation."
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