...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...banking lobby implored the government to hold firm against the latest crisis, pay the country’s debts and safeguard its financial industry.
"A stable economy is largely dependent on a strong banking sector," said Salim Sfeir, perched on the edge of his chair near a large corner window overlooking the garden of his villa.