Lebanon Endures Severe Wave of Human Capital Flight

Medical staff at the entrance of the AUBMC (AFP).
Medical staff at the entrance of the AUBMC (AFP).
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Lebanon Endures Severe Wave of Human Capital Flight

Medical staff at the entrance of the AUBMC (AFP).
Medical staff at the entrance of the AUBMC (AFP).

It may seem that all the losses that Lebanon has been incurring for nearly two years as a result of the economic and social crises are remediable, if the country is put on the right reform track in the coming years. All losses can be compensated... But the severe brain drain will leave resounding repercussions in Lebanese society, threatening the country with a bleak future.

The new wave of emigration that the country has been witnessing since 2019, which started with the collapse of the banking sector and the seizure of depositors’ money, was - until mid-2020 - understandable and expected, to some extent. However, with the Beirut Port explosion on Aug. 4, 2020, which destroyed half of the capital and claimed more than 200 lives and thousands of wounded, this wave turned into a sweeping “tsunami.” As soon as it calmed down, it strongly resumed as the crisis hit rock bottom, with the lack of all the necessities of life, such as bread, water, petrol, gas, baby formula and medicine.

The situation of “hell” left the people of this country with no choice but to flee... Looking closer into this wave of emigration, one can see that the largest number of “fugitives” are from the elite: the talents and brains that no longer find in Lebanon a fertile ground for their ambitions and dreams.

The flight of human capital mainly affects the medical sector, with hundreds of doctors, nurses and medical staff emigrating in the past two years. All unions agree that they do not have any specific and precise number of those leaving the country, but rely on estimates.

Elie Ghosn, 22, from the northern border town of Andakt, left Lebanon about a month ago to complete his university studies in France after receiving a scholarship for excellence in engineering. He is not thinking of returning to settle in his homeland. Although a few weeks have passed since he left Lebanon, he noticed the huge difference in the lifestyle and the services provided by the state there in exchange for the basic necessities of life lost in his home country.

The ambitious young man is looking forward to obtaining French citizenship. He sees many opportunities in France, “where universities offer not only excellent education, but the development of the human being psychologically, physically and socially, which we lack in most universities in Lebanon.”

Noha Antoun has raised a relatively large family of four children. She loves to be surrounded by her children and grandchildren. But after years of family devotion, she is now deprived of this warmth. Three of her children emigrated in the past few years. The last of them is Aziz, the youngest, who left Lebanon last year. He is a computer engineer who is now working in Amsterdam after many successes in more than one Lebanese institution.

“They left one after the other. Only my eldest son remained… But I very much fear that he would follow the same path,” Noha told Asharq Al-Awsat.

She added: “There is no doubt that we cannot ask them to stay here, for there is no basis for survival ... As for me and their father, we will not leave our house despite all the difficulties, and it will remain a gathering place for them on holidays and occasions.”

A “Systematic theft” Of Brains and Competencies

Perhaps the most dangerous of all of the above is the attempt by foreign institutions to take advantage of the Lebanese tragedy to hunt down the competencies and skilled workforce in all sectors. This was evident with the tendency of more than one institution to persuade doctors, nurses, and medical staff to leave the country, by offering them “attractive packages” as a result of the sharp collapse in the exchange rate of the Lebanese pound against the US dollar.

This trend is not limited to the medical sector. The president of the University of Balamand, Dr. Elias Warrak, goes further, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat about “systematic theft of outstanding students and professors” by “universities and scientific centers abroad that we have been cooperating with for years.”

“What’s sad is that the packages, which were offered to these people years ago, are no longer available. Today, the packages are half that value… they are stealing the Lebanese brains and talents cheaply,” he remarked.

Warrak noted that the latest figures indicate that 75 percent of Lebanese students are waiting for the opportunity to emigrate and between 10 and 15 percent of professors have left the country.

“What we are witnessing is a real massacre... Everything can be compensated for except for brain drain... It seems clear that there is an intention and will for the systematic destruction of the country, and it is no longer permissible for us to remain silent about this dangerous reality,” he underlined.

Upcoming Waves

Professor of Politics and Planning at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and supervisor of the Crisis Monitor, Dr. Nasser Yassin, pointed out that Lebanon had historically exported brains and human capital, but of course not in the current numbers.”

Yassin told Asharq Al-Awsat about three important sectors that are losing their human resources: The health sector, which is witnessing a structural crisis and an inability to continue its normal functioning. Second, the educational sector, which is experiencing major repercussions of the crisis.

According to Yassin, around 200 doctors working at the AUB and the university hospital (AUBMC) have left or took an open-ended leave.

“We expect these numbers to rise with the beginning of the new academic year, as many educational institutions will be forced to close or witness a major downturn,” he said.

The third sector is the banking sector, as a large number of branches were closed and hundreds of employees laid off.

“This sector needs years to be able to rise again,” Yassin noted.

260,000 Passports in 8 Months

The Lebanese General Security recorded a significant increase in the issuance of passports during the first eight months of this year. Available data indicates that the number of passports issued since the beginning of 2021 is about 260,000, compared to about 142,000 passports in the same period last year. That is an increase of 82 percent.

1,500 Medical Doctors Emigrated in Two Years

The head of the Lebanese Doctors Syndicate, Dr. Sharaf Abu Sharaf, points out that there are no accurate numbers of doctors who left the country. He revealed that about 130 doctors from the AUBMC left Lebanon, most of them to the United States, while around 30 percent of the physicians left two other major hospitals – Saint Georges Medical Center and Rizk Hospital.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Abu Sharaf estimated that more than 1,500 doctors emigrated over the past two years, most of whom are specialists with high qualifications. He warned that this number might drastically increase if the crisis persisted.



Israel Wary of Egypt's 'Military Infrastructure' in Sinai: Peace Treaty at Risk?

Egyptian army chief Ahmed Khalifa inspects troops near Israel's border late last year. (Military spokesman)
Egyptian army chief Ahmed Khalifa inspects troops near Israel's border late last year. (Military spokesman)
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Israel Wary of Egypt's 'Military Infrastructure' in Sinai: Peace Treaty at Risk?

Egyptian army chief Ahmed Khalifa inspects troops near Israel's border late last year. (Military spokesman)
Egyptian army chief Ahmed Khalifa inspects troops near Israel's border late last year. (Military spokesman)

Israel has voiced growing concerns over Egypt’s military presence in the Sinai Peninsula, fearing a potential escalation between the two sides amid the ongoing Gaza war.

Israeli media reports said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has asked both Washington and Cairo to dismantle what it describes as a “military infrastructure” established by the Egyptian army in Sinai.

However, an informed Egyptian source and experts cited by Asharq Al-Awsat insisted that Egypt has not violated its peace treaty with Israel. They argued that Cairo’s military movements are a response to Israeli breaches of the agreement.

Israel’s Israel Hayom newspaper, citing a senior Israeli security official, reported that Egypt’s military buildup in Sinai constitutes a “major violation” of the security annex of the peace treaty.

The official said the issue is a top priority for Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, stressing that Israel “will not accept this situation” amid what it views as Egypt’s growing military footprint in the peninsula.

The official added that the issue goes beyond the deployment of Egyptian forces in Sinai exceeding the quotas set under the military annex of the Camp David Accords.

The real concern, he said, lies in Egypt’s continued military buildup in the peninsula, which Israel views as an irreversible step.

Moreover, he stressed that while Israel is not seeking to amend its peace treaty with Egypt or redeploy troops along the border, it believes the current situation requires urgent action to prevent a potential escalation.

Egypt-Israel relations have not seen such tensions since the outbreak of the Gaza war, particularly after Israel violated a ceasefire agreement with Hamas brokered primarily by Egypt. Israeli forces resumed airstrikes on Gaza last month and failed to fulfill their commitments to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor and Palestinian border crossings.

A senior Egyptian source dismissed Israel’s accusations, telling Asharq Al-Awsat that “these repeated Israeli pretexts ignore the fact that Israeli forces have violated the peace treaty, seizing control of areas where Egypt objects to their presence without the necessary coordination with Cairo.”

Egypt has the right to take all necessary measures to safeguard its national security against any threats, emphasized the source.

“Nevertheless, Cairo remains fully committed to the peace treaty and has no intention of aggression against any party,” it added.

Israeli forces seized control of the Gaza-Egypt border, including the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah crossing, in May 2024. Israel has accused Egypt of not doing enough to stop weapons smuggling into Gaza through border tunnels—an allegation Cairo has denied.

Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, which Israel later broke, Israeli forces were supposed to begin withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor on March 1, completing the pullout within eight days. However, Israel failed to do so and instead resumed airstrikes on Gaza.

Israel also announced the creation of an administration aimed at facilitating the “voluntary departure” of Gaza residents, a move Cairo strongly rejected and formally condemned.

Egypt has insisted that Palestinians must remain in their homeland and has put forward a reconstruction plan for Gaza and called for the implementation of the two-state solution. The plan was endorsed at an emergency Arab summit three weeks ago.

Media reports have indicated that Egypt responded to Israel’s control of the Gaza border by increasing its military presence near the frontier—an act that some Israeli officials claim violates the peace treaty and threatens Israel’s security.

Former Egyptian intelligence official Gen. Mohammed Rashad told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israel itself violated the peace treaty by seizing the Philadelphi Corridor, controlling border crossings, and blocking aid to Gaza while seeking to forcibly displace Palestinians into Egypt.

“Every Israeli action along Gaza’s border with Egypt constitutes hostile behavior against Egypt’s national security,” said Rashad, who previously headed the Israeli military affairs division in Egypt’s intelligence service.

“Egypt cannot sit idly by in the face of such threats and must prepare for all possible scenarios.”

The Philadelphi Corridor is a strategically sensitive buffer zone, serving as a narrow 14-kilometer passage between Egypt, Israel, and Gaza, stretching from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south.

Military expert General Samir Farag insisted that Egypt has not violated the peace treaty or its security annex in over 40 years, arguing that Israel has repeatedly breached the agreement and is attempting to shift blame onto Cairo.

“Israel is doing this to distract from its internal problems, including public discontent over its ballooning defense budget,” Farag told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“It also wants to deflect attention from Egypt’s reconstruction plan for Gaza and leverage its claims to pressure the United States for more military aid by portraying Egypt as a threat.”

Farag emphasized that Egypt’s actions are solely aimed at protecting its national security, adding: “There is no clause in the peace treaty that prevents a country from defending itself.”

“The so-called ‘military infrastructure’ Israel refers to consists of roads and development projects in Sinai.”

“The US has satellite surveillance over the region—if Egypt had violated the treaty, Washington would have flagged it. Moreover, security coordination between Egypt and Israel continues daily,” he explained.

Egypt and Israel signed their landmark peace treaty on March 25, 1979, committing to resolving disputes peacefully and prohibiting the use or threat of force. The agreement also established military deployment guidelines and a joint security coordination committee.

Meanwhile, US Republican Party member Tom Harb told Asharq Al-Awsat that Washington has received intelligence from multiple sources indicating that Egypt has amassed a significant military force in Sinai.

Israel considers this a breach of the peace treaty, which designates Sinai as a demilitarized zone to prevent surprises like the 1973 war, Harb said.

While the US fully supports Israel’s concerns, it also wants to prevent further escalation, as that would destabilize the region, he added.

Ultimately, Egypt must clarify whether its troop movements are aimed at threatening Israel or preventing Palestinians from crossing into Egyptian territory, he stated.