NEED TO KNOWLebanon Begins to Find Its Footing as Threats to Reforms – and Peace – LoomLEBANONA year ago, Lebanon finally got a president. But for more than two years, Lebanon existed in a political stalemate with the powerful Shiite group Hezbollah and its allies wanting one candidate, while almost everyone else wanted Aoun. Lebanese officials say that while they are making progress, they know they are on a tight clock and that the countdown to the May elections has begun, an event that could disrupt their momentum. “You need economic reforms, but you also need security and political reforms. Meanwhile, the 2023–2024 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah devastated southern Lebanon, and the country needed donor funds to rebuild.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 21, 2026 13:44 UTC