🌳 This Week's Recap

THIS WEEK IN LEBANON

1. Rockets, Airstrikes, Displacement: Lebanon's Ministry of Health reported 31 killed and 149 wounded in overnight Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs — a direct consequence of rocket fire toward Haifa earlier that morning. The strikes triggered the displacement of thousands of residents in the early predawn hours, with families fleeing on little notice. It was the sharpest single-night toll Lebanon has absorbed since the latest regional escalation began.
2. "State Sovereignty" Moment: Prime Minister Nawaf Salam held an emergency press conference declaring that the cabinet has decided to ban any activity that could drag Lebanon into the regional war without its consent — framing the moment as one of state authority and national sovereignty. Critically, his statement acknowledged that Lebanon's Shia community, roughly one-third of the population, are Lebanese citizens first — not proxies — and that families sleeping in cars amid the displacement crisis deserve the full protection of the state. The speech was widely seen as a defining test of the new government's resolve.
3. Judiciary Moves on Rocket Launchers: Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar coordinated directly with the Cassation Prosecutor and the government commissioner to the military court to issue arrest warrants for those responsible for launching the rockets toward Haifa. The military court commissioner contacted security agencies and requested intensified investigations to identify the perpetrators. It's a rare and pointed use of Lebanese judicial authority to prosecute armed actors — and a signal that the government intends to hold someone accountable.
4. Cash Aid for 50,000 Families: Social Affairs Minister Hanin el-Sayed announced that the government has begun transferring emergency cash assistance to 50,000 displaced families as Lebanon's displacement crisis deepens. All public schools and universities have been opened as emergency shelters, and families are being directed toward the north, Akkar, and the Bekaa Valley where capacity is greater. Additional shelter centers — including the Sports City complex, Charles Helou station, and the Olympic pool in Dbayeh — are being prepared to absorb more arrivals.
5. Schools Close Nationwide: The Ministry of Education announced the closure of all public and private schools, secondary institutions, and vocational training centers effective Monday, citing serious security risks to students, teachers, and administrative staff. The ministry said it would reassess the situation on a daily basis in coordination with relevant authorities. It's a sweeping decision that affects hundreds of thousands of students across the country and underscores just how quickly daily life in Lebanon has been upended this week.
6. Foreign Ministry Emergency Unit: The Lebanese Foreign Affairs Ministry announced the creation of a dedicated emergency unit to monitor and respond to the situation facing Lebanese nationals abroad, amid the regional fallout from the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. The ministry said it is tracking developments with "great concern" across multiple Arab countries and released a list of emergency contact numbers for Lebanese citizens to call. It's a rare proactive move from a ministry not historically known for speed.
7. Food and Medicine Security Cell Formed: Industry Minister Joe Issa al-Khoury announced the formation of a joint crisis cell specifically tasked with ensuring food and pharmaceutical security across Lebanon during the current emergency. The minister also pledged to secure fuel for all factories to keep supply chains running. The announcement came alongside a press conference with the head of the Industrialists' Association and signals a coordinated attempt to prevent the kind of panic-buying and supply collapse that has historically accompanied Lebanese crises.
8. Paris Army Conference Postponed: A planned international conference in Paris to mobilize support for the Lebanese Armed Forces has been postponed, with French President Emmanuel Macron citing the escalating regional situation following the US-Israeli-Iranian confrontation. Lebanese officials confirmed the delay on Sunday, and while no new date has been set, the postponement is a setback for Lebanon's military — which has been counting on international backing to consolidate the army's expanded role in the south under the ceasefire framework. Timing, as always, is everything.
9. Flights Cancelled Across the Region: Multiple airlines suspended or cancelled flights to and from Lebanon this week as Middle Eastern airspace restrictions expanded in the wake of the Iran strikes. Pegasus Airlines, for example, cancelled all flights to Lebanon, Iraq, and Jordan through March 2, and suspended routes to Gulf countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar. For the Lebanese diaspora — many of whom had been traveling or planning to visit — the cancellations added a painful layer of helplessness to an already anguished week.
10. A Diaspora Voice from Asheville: Maan Abou Khzam, a Lebanese restaurateur who owns Habibi Village in Asheville, North Carolina, had just landed back in the US from a family visit to Lebanon when the situation escalated overnight. He spent the following days making early-morning calls to relatives sheltering at home, checking headlines obsessively, and trying to hold himself together. "All we can do is pray," he told local news — a sentiment that captured what millions in the Lebanese diaspora were feeling this week, scattered across the world and unable to do much more than watch.

That's your week — a heavy one, but you faced it with us. Take a breath, check on your people, and we'll be back in your inbox tomorrow.