Lebanon has been plagued by a crippling shortage of fuel and medicine, due in particular to the depletion of the central bank’s foreign exchange reserves used to subsidize imports.
Fuel and electricity shortages have forced Lebanon’s hospitals to scale back operations. Power cuts last up to 22 hours a day.
Violent skirmishes and shootings have become commonplace at gas stations, where wait times to fill up typically exceed five hours. Motorists have resorted to sleeping in their cars overnight to secure a place in line.
Due to political deadlock, the country has been without a government since the last one resigned in the aftermath of the August 2020 Beirut port blast.
