This article was originally published on CFR.org and updated by NBC News. Lebanon is again at a critical junction. Following the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in February 2026 and the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel , opening a new front of the war. Lebanon’s political and economic crisis has since deepened, worsened by its fragile political, economic, and security environment. And yet U.S.-brokered talks between Israel