Key Takeaways:
- Fighting escalated between Hezbollah and the Israeli military along Lebanon’s southern border in November, with Israeli shelling reaching the Zahrani area, 30 kilometers into Lebanese territory. Eleven civilians were killed and 15 were injured by Israeli shelling in November, bringing the total number of Lebanese civilian casualties since fighting broke out on October 8 to 15 killed and 38 injured (as of November 30).
- Fighting along the southern border resulted in damage to infrastructure, including telecommunications transmission towers and public water infrastructure. Israeli shelling has also heavily damaged farmland and ignited forest fires.
- The Consumer Price Index (CPI), surged by 17.2% in October, during the period that fighting intensified along Lebanon’s southern border. Notably, the highest CPI increases were recorded in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. The nationwide spike in consumer prices is primarily attributed to increases in rent, household expenditure, and education costs.
- The Central Bank issued decision 13592 to broaden depositors’ eligibility to benefit from Circular 158. Depositors who transferred US dollar (USD) balances to another bank after October 31, 2019, and later returned them to their original banks are now covered by the provisions of Circular 158, allowing them to withdraw USD 300 from their USD-denominated accounts each month.
By Crisis Analytics Team, Mercy Corps Lebanon
