Airlines Reduce Number of Flights to Beirut

A general view shows Beirut airport, Lebanon June 19, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A general view shows Beirut airport, Lebanon June 19, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
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Airlines Reduce Number of Flights to Beirut

A general view shows Beirut airport, Lebanon June 19, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A general view shows Beirut airport, Lebanon June 19, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

The financial and economic crisis in Lebanon has had an effect on all vital sectors, especially tourism. On the eve of Christmas and New Year, the country seemed devoid of joy that usually surrounded the streets.
 
Travel and tourism companies have seen a sharp decline in reservations for the holidays. Sources at Rafic Hariri International Airport told Asharq Al-Awsat that several airlines have reduced the number of their inbound and outbound flights. They added that this reduction was linked to the cancellation of many reservations, and not for any other reason.
 
Tourism companies that used to promote their offers two months ago seem almost absent from the social media. They have been unable to pay the salaries of their employees and cover the expenses of their offices in Lebanon and abroad.
 
Christelle Majdalani, Sales Manager at Nakhal for Travel and Tourism (one of the largest travel companies in Lebanon), told Asharq Al-Awsat that the financial and economic crisis has had a negative impact on the tourism sector and on the Lebanese reservations abroad.
 
“Travel reservations for Christmas and New Year holidays outside the country have fallen to 10 percent,” she said.

“Citizens residing in Lebanon prefer to stay home because of the scarcity of liquidity, burdens of life and inflation,” she added.
 
Turkey and Egypt remain the first destination for the Lebanese wishing to travel for leisure, due to very reasonable prices and the low exchange rate against the US dollar, compared to European countries.
 
Majdalani noted that those who booked flights to travel abroad for the holidays were the ones who have external funding sources, and cash transfers from parents or children working abroad, but they are few.
 
The crisis is also impacting hotels and restaurants. A source at the Hotel Owners Syndicate told Asharq Al-Awsat that reservations this year were almost at their lowest levels.

“A large number of tourism institutions will not organize special events on Christmas and New Year due to the difficult economic conditions,” the sources said.
 



US to Withdraw 600 Troops from Syria, Leaving Fewer than 1,000 to Help Counter ISIS Militants

The US troops have been critical not only in the operations against the ISIS group but as a buffer for the Kurdish forces against Türkiye, which considers them to be aligned with terror groups. File. | Photo Credit: AP
The US troops have been critical not only in the operations against the ISIS group but as a buffer for the Kurdish forces against Türkiye, which considers them to be aligned with terror groups. File. | Photo Credit: AP
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US to Withdraw 600 Troops from Syria, Leaving Fewer than 1,000 to Help Counter ISIS Militants

The US troops have been critical not only in the operations against the ISIS group but as a buffer for the Kurdish forces against Türkiye, which considers them to be aligned with terror groups. File. | Photo Credit: AP
The US troops have been critical not only in the operations against the ISIS group but as a buffer for the Kurdish forces against Türkiye, which considers them to be aligned with terror groups. File. | Photo Credit: AP

The US will withdraw about 600 troops from Syria, leaving fewer than 1,000 to work with Kurdish allies to counter the ISIS group, a US official said Thursday.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet announced publicly.
The US troops have been critical not only in the operations against ISIS but as a buffer for the Kurdish forces against Türkiye, which considers them to be aligned with terror groups.
President Donald Trump tried to withdraw all forces from Syria during his first term, but he met opposition from the Pentagon because it was seen as abandoning allies and led to the resignation of former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
The departure of the 600 troops will return force levels to where they had been for years, after the US and its allies waged a multiyear campaign to defeat ISIS. The US had maintained about 900 troops in Syria to ensure that the ISIS militants did not regain a foothold, but also as a hedge to prevent Iranian-backed militants from trafficking weapons across southern Syria.
The number of US troops was raised to more than 2,000 after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas in Israel, as Iranian-backed militants targeted US troops and interests in the region in response to Israel's bombardment of Gaza.
Three US troops in Jordan were killed by a drone fired by an Iranian-backed militia in January 2024.
In December 2024, Syrian President Bashar Assad fled the country. In the months since, Syrians displaced by more than a decade of war have returned home, but the country remains unstable. Israel has targeted Syrian weapons installations, and there are some indications that the ISIS group is trying to reconstitute itself, and Iranian-backed militias in Syria remain a threat to US interests.
The withdrawal of the 600 troops was first reported by The New York Times.