Giant US embassy in Lebanon raises questions

Lebanon is currently experiencing the worst economic crisis in its history, with nearly 80 percent of people in the small Mediterranean country living below the poverty line. Currently, Lebanon is the worst affected by food inflation in the world. During this time, the US is building an oversized embassy complex in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

The US Embassy has now published pictures of it on its official social media presence. They show the huge complex of buildings some 10 miles outside Beirut’s historic center, in the suburb of Aoukar. According to the CNN news channel, the building is two and a half times the size of the White House in Washington DC. in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

Lebanese criticize the construction on Twitter. One user writes: «You don’t need all this, Lebanon will not be an American colony that you control to bring peace to the enemy. We are a free people, endowed with dignity and honor, even if some of us are your slaves.” Someone comments, “It’s bigger than the Pentagon.” Others ask, “Is the White House moving to Beirut?” or “What is there anything else planned for this building besides issuing visas?».

The huge multi-storey complex has leisure areas, swimming pools and green areas. It includes apartments and restaurants for embassy staff, as well as “shaded gardens and an art project featuring site-specific works by international and Lebanese artists,” according to the embassy’s website. In addition, they boast an energy saving and sustainability strategy. Construction costs are expected to be $1 billion.

But what is all this for? Why does a country only four times the size of Saarland need such a large diplomatic representation? Only a few tourists from the US travel to Lebanon. The US State Department has issued a third-level travel advisory to the country.

Founded in 1982, the Iranian-backed militant Islamic terrorist organization Hezbollah is based in Lebanon. In 1983, they bombed the US Embassy in Beirut. The attack killed 52 people. Later there were more attacks, for example on US marines, in which people were killed.

On the 40th anniversary of the April 2023 attack, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said: “Despite Hezbollah’s efforts to use terror to drive a wedge between the United States and the Lebanese people, our close cooperation in the 40 years since this reprehensible attack has only deepened.” The United States is considered Lebanon’s biggest supporter of humanitarian and military aid.

As the Jerusalem Post reports, the new oversized building could indicate that the US wants to shift its focus on the region — or did when plans for the building were made public in 2015. During this time, the US was still fighting the Islamic State in Iraq. Lebanon was the starting point for countless covert military actions for the US.

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