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1 1 (November 13, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdcof0001 and id is 1 raw text is: * ~ ~ tiE>sct~rch $3c ~ .................. Updated November 13, 2020 Lebanon Lebanon, a country of 5.5 million people, faces the worst economic crisis in its history amid ongoing political unrest, the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), and an August 2020 explosion that severely damaged the port of Beirut and surrounding densely populated areas. Lebanon hosts the largest number of refugees in the world per capita (over 1 million, mostly Syrians), which has raised social tensions and strained public services. U.S. policy toward Lebanon has focused on countering the influence of Iran and Hezbollah, and on bolstering the Lebanese state while calling for reforms to counter corruption and mismanagement. The United States also has worked to broker talks between Lebanon and Israel aimed at delineating the countries' shared maritime border; an issue complicated by potential undiscovered natural oil and gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean. Lebanon's confessional political system divides power among its three largest religious communities (Maronite Christian, Sunni, Shi'a), to which it allocates the posts of president, prime minister, and parliamentary speaker, respectively. Lebanese President Michel Aoun was elected in 2016 by Lebanon's parliament for a six-year term. Aoun is affiliated with the Christian Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), which along with Hezbollah and the Shi'a Amal Movement comprise the major components of the March 8 political bloc. Parliamentary elections in 2018 gave the bloc, which advocates friendly ties with Iran and Syria, a simple majority (68 out of 128 seats). The United States has maintained ties with March 8's political rival, known as the March 14 bloc, which includes the Future Movement (Sunni), the Lebanese Forces, and Kataeb (both Christian). In October 2019, a nationwide mass protest movement prompted the resignation of then-Prime Minister Saad Hariri. A subsequent government led by Hassan Diab resigned after eight months, following the Beirut port explosion. Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib resigned a month after his appointment, after Hezbollah and Amal blocked his efforts to form a Cabinet. H arn Seek to F'crm Ne oenet.. In October 2020, President Aoun re-nominated Saad Hariri as prime minister designate. Hariri seeks to form a government of specialists that can negotiate an economic relief package with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Hariri reportedly has agreed to allow the Finance Ministry to remain in Shi'a control, a key demand of Amal and Hezbollah, and a sticking point in prior negotiations. Lebanon's four sovereign ministries (Defense, Interior, Foreign Affairs, and Finance) are not formally allotted to a specific sect, but customarily have been divided among the country's largest sectarian groups: Maronite Christian, Sunni, Shi'a, and Orthodox Christian. Figure I. Lebanon S 0 ...or: .::. p..... . LEBANON .H - - )-flanasctis . ?c ISRAF r' -x Source: Created by CRS using ESRI, Google Maps, and Good Shepherd Engineering and Computing. On August 4, 2020, a massive explosion at the port of Beirut killed over 190 people, and injured and displaced thousands. Lebanese officials linked the explosion to 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been confiscated from a disabled cargo ship in 2014 and stored in a warehouse at the port. According to the government, the initial cause of the explosion was a welding accident at the port, but many Lebanese blamed the blast on government negligence and mismanagement. Reports have highlighted pervasive corruption and smuggling at the port, reportedly linked to all of Lebanon's major political parties. Authorities named a military judge to lead the investigation into the cause of the blast; some Lebanese have questioned his independence from political elites. U.S. and French investigations have not reached a firm conclusion on what caused the blast. Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), operates in Lebanon as a militia force, a political party, and a provider of social services. It is closely linked to Iran, which provides it with significant funding and has used it as a proxy or allied force to threaten Israel. While Israel withdrew in 2000 from areas of southern Lebanon it had occupied since 1982, Hezbollah has used the remaining Israeli presence in disputed areas in the Lebanon-Syria-Israel triborder region to justify its ongoing conflict with Israel and its continued existence as an armed militia alongside the Lebanese Armed Forces || ||| ||| ||| i

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