Lebanese universities suspend teaching as Israeli attacks mount

Lebanon’s minister of education and higher education announced the closure of universities across the country as it faces continued Israeli attacks, forcing thousands to flee their homes.

Universities will be closed until the end of the week, as they await further instructions from the government.

More than 560 people have been killed in Lebanon from Israeli bombing since 23 September, with the country facing its biggest daily death toll since the end of its 1975-90 civil war. Israel says it is targeting terrorist infrastructure and weapons used by Hezbollah, the militant group which has been firing rockets at northern Israel in support of Palestine since Hamas’ 7 October attacks last year.

Abbas Al-Halabi, caretaker minister of education and higher education in Lebanon, originally announced that education providers, including universities, would be required to close on 23 and 24 September, but “due to the continued circumstances” has now said the closures will continue until the end of the week in southern Lebanon – including Nabatieh, Bekaa, Baalbek-Hermel and southern Beirut. 

The state-funded Lebanese University has announced that a number of students and staff have been killed in the strikes, including Rasha Ahmed Gharib, a fourth-year dentistry student, and Nazih Deeb Raad from its Faculty of Law and Political Sciences.

While classes and exams will be suspended, and labs and studios will be shut, the American University of Beirut (AUB) said its library, workspaces, research labs and athletic facilities remained open for students.

Fadlo Khuri, AUB’s president, thanked medical staff on campus for their “fortitude and resolve” during this “very difficult period”. He said that online teaching would not occur this week, with the university waiting until it is safe to resume on-site learning. 

“Please be assured that we are monitoring the situation closely and will provide updates accordingly. The safety, security and well-being of our community, both inside and outside our walls, remain our top priorities,” he said. 

“Motivated by our mission to empower and serve the people of this country and beyond, to provide world-class patient-centred healthcare, and to maintain excellence in education and research, I know that this community will continue to excel under pressure.”

Meanwhile, Israeli university leaders have warned that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is resulting in “catastrophic” damage to Israel’s research capabilities, as students and researchers leave the country and international boycotts make it increasingly isolated. 

Israel has been accused of conducting an “educide” after its military action destroyed all the universities in Gaza.

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com