[20200817]IN11483_黎巴嫩：八月爆炸后的新不稳定.pdf

CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Lebanon: Renewed Instability Following August Blast August 17, 2020 On August 10, Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab and his cabinet resigned in the wake of a massive explosion at the port of Beirut that killed at least 178 people and injured thousands. The blast displaced an estimated 300,000 people, and Lebanese President Michel Aoun estimated the damage at the port to be roughly $15 billion. The explosion triggered widespread outrage among citizens, and has generated renewed protestsat times violentagainst Lebanons political leaders. Diabs resignation leaves Lebanons government in caretaker status with reduced authorities. Observers speculate that the country could become mired in months of government formation at a time of economic and humanitarian crisis, leaving it vulnerable to paralysis and greater social unrest. Policymakers may review U.S. assistance to Lebanon in the wake of growing humanitarian and economic needs, and in the context of potential shifts in the countrys political leadership. Renewed Protest Movement The August 4 blast renewed the momentum of the protest movement that began in O