Beirut, Lebanon - Recent

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is crippling Lebanon's economy, as businesses and local companies struggle to navigate the escalating crisis.

Lebanon's economy has been in a downward spiral as the war has affected major sectors like trade, industry, and tourism.

The Israeli offensive has expanded from southern Lebanon to other cities, including Beirut, the country's capital and business hub.

Many business owners had fled the country with their families, fearing for their lives, but many opted to stay and adapt to Lebanon's rapidly changing situation.

Hani Bohsali, an importer, said his offices and warehouses near the airport were recently damaged in an Israeli raid targeting a Hezbollah-controlled neighborhood nearby.

Bohsali said he remains committed to keeping his business running despite the security risks.

Managing employees during such critical times has been another challenge for employers like Asaad Sacall, whose holding group is operating at around 50 percent capacity.

Sacall said he has been forced to seek alternative measures to prevent further losses.

Moving operations out of the country harms not only Lebanon's economy but also its workforce.

They all agreed that a ceasefire was urgently needed to restore stability to their beleaguered nation.

Shotlist:
Beirut, Lebanon - Recent:
1. Traffic;
2. National flag of Lebanon;
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Bassem Bawab, president, Consortium of Lebanese Enterprises (partially overlaid with shot 4):
"Tourism and services, this was affected a lot during the last period because of the wars, and we had big problems in this sector. Many companies had to shut down, like hotels, like restaurants, like clubs and even rent-a-car companies. These contribute a lot to the GDP of Lebanon. Lebanon today has a GDP of 25 billion [U.S.] dollars which is down from 55 billion [U.S.] dollars in 2019.";
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4. Reporter;
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5. Various of warehouse;
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Hani Bohsali, chairman, Food Importers Syndicate (starting with shot 5):
"We have been moving from huge offices to a very, very small place just to accommodate all the people that are there and this is one of the problems. There are companies that have been smashed out because they are all located in unsafe regions and they have totally closed.";
7. Interview in progress;
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Asaad Sacall, president, Lebanese Kuwaiti Business Council (ending with shot 9):
"(It is) impossible to work in full capacity because we cannot force any employee to come to work at the time there is bombing in lots of areas. Streets are not secure. Those employees don't know when they are at work if they can go back home. Some are not coming, working online from home, and some have left the country.";
9. Various of employees working in office;
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Asaad Sacall, president, Lebanese Kuwaiti Business Council (starting with shot 9):
"We are planning immediately a new factory, mainly in the Arab area, to be opened up in a couple of months, to be ( to have) always a plan B for our factory in Lebanon. We're building some new network of customers from there.";
11. Various of employees working in office;
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Bassem Bawab, president, Consortium of Lebanese Enterprises (partially overlaid with shot 13/ending with shot 14):
"We know that more than 200,000 Lebanese laborers out of one million are not going to work by force (they are being forced to stop working). And we have a very big percentage (of workers) now that will be laid off if the war continues.";
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13. Interview in progress;
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14. City view.

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