Critics of the government and the various armed factions that control political life in Lebanon are vulnerable to reprisals for speaking out. Tripoli was already one of Lebanon’s poorest areas before the coronavirus pandemic piled new misery onto a chronic economic crisis. Under sanctions pressure from the Trump administration, Iran and its various proxies across the region found themselves squeezed and isolated. El-Hafez is skeptical that a more conciliatory US attitude toward Iran will have an immediate effect on Lebanon. “As far as Lebanon is concerned, I don’t think the country can expect any help for some time.”-----------------Twitter: @rebeccaaproctor

Source: Ethiopian News March 11, 2021 15:58 UTC