Beirut
You might have thought that the threat of the Gaza war spiralling into an all-out regional conflagration, along with breathless travel advice from western governments urging their nationals to leave the country, would have deterred Lebanon’s expats from flying home to celebrate Eid al-Fitr this year. Not one bit. Flights, hotels and restaurants were fully booked despite Iran’s drone strike.
The Lebanese know that even if there is fighting (and in South Lebanon, there is on an almost daily basis), if it isn’t on your doorstep, there’s no reason to stop the party.
The Lebanese know that even if there is fighting, if it isn’t on your doorstep, there’s no reason to stop the party
In any case, the Lebanese always think they have the inside track. ‘We knew it wouldn’t come to much,’ a friend assured me after Beirut airport reopened at 7 a.m. on Sunday. ‘There was a deal. No one wanted an escalation.
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