The construction of a vast new US embassy complex in Lebanon has sparked controversy due to its enormous size and expensive features, which are in complete contrast to a country where over 80% of its population lives below the poverty line.The newly constructed US compound in Lebanon, located around 13 kilometres from Beiruts city centre and replacing the current embassy, bears a remarkable resemblance to a self-contained city. The facility, which spans a wide 43-acre area in the Awkar district, is more than double the size of the White House grounds and greater than 21 soccer fields.Many Lebanese people have voiced scepticism about the need for such a large embassy in their city on social media. Despite its small size and residents of only six million people, Lebanon has a significant Lebanese American population, yet American tourists are scarce due to the countrys high travel alert rating given by the State Department.Sandy, a social media activist, wrote, “Did the US relocate to Lebanon” emphasising the confusion regarding the new embassys splendour. The national executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Abed A. Ayoub, observed sarcastically, “Maybe youll have enough space to work on all those pending visa petitions.” The computer-generated pictures of the embassy portray a modern compound with multi-story buildings, broad glass windows, leisure areas, and a swimming pool encircled by greenery and facing the Lebanese capital. According to the projects website, the compound includes a chancery, residential and employee lodgings, communal facilities, and related support structures.Lebanons economy has been devastated by a number of disasters, including the COVID-19 epidemic and the terrible 2020 Beirut explosion. Many Lebanese people are unable to afford basic essentials such as food, medicine, and energy. Critics took to social media, with one user sarcastically posting, “Let them feed concrete,” referring to the sharp contrast between the lavish embassy and the poor conditions endured by the local community. The embassy facility was announced in 2015, with a reported cost of $1 billion. The Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) is in charge of overseeing the building of various US embassies across the world.The US-Lebanon relationThe US embassy in Lebanon did not respond to a request for comment from the media. The United States has had an unstable relationship with Lebanon. Despite being the home of the countrys most powerful group, Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, Lebanon continues to maintain friendly ties with the US. Last month commemorated the 40th anniversary of the bombing of the US embassy in Beirut in 1983, which killed 63 people, including 52 Lebanese and embassy personnel. In October of the same year, a bomb exploded near a barracks holding American and French troops in Beirut, killing 299 people.
