Hezbollah Seeks to Offset War Impact with Compensation, Reconstruction Plans

Lebanese citizens Inspect Destroyed Building After Israeli Airstrike in Southern Town of Dibbin (AFP)
Lebanese citizens Inspect Destroyed Building After Israeli Airstrike in Southern Town of Dibbin (AFP)
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Hezbollah Seeks to Offset War Impact with Compensation, Reconstruction Plans

Lebanese citizens Inspect Destroyed Building After Israeli Airstrike in Southern Town of Dibbin (AFP)
Lebanese citizens Inspect Destroyed Building After Israeli Airstrike in Southern Town of Dibbin (AFP)

Hezbollah in Lebanon is providing significant aid to over 87,000 people displaced from southern border villages due to ongoing conflict with Israel since it decided to support Gaza.

 

The group is offering housing, food, and monthly payments through its Jihad al-Bina organization. It's also assessing damage for rebuilding efforts.

 

While the Lebanese government allocated one trillion Lebanese pounds (equal to $10 million from the 2024 budget) for compensation in November, Hezbollah reportedly allocates around $20 million monthly for refugee aid, covering rent and providing families with $100 to $200 per month.

 

Senior Hezbollah official and member of parliament Hassan Fadlallah had confirmed earlier that Hezbollah has started compensating those affected by Israeli aggression on border villages.

 

Hassan, a 44-year-old resident of south Lebanon, acknowledged Hezbollah’s promise to rebuild homes damaged by war.

 

However, some residents prefer financial compensation to buy homes away from the border to avoid future destruction, but Hezbollah hasn't addressed these requests, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

 

Displaced families, according to Hassan, receive $100 USD every 15 days and assistance for heating.

 

Damage estimates are uncertain due to ongoing conflict, but Ali Hamieh, Lebanon’s Minister of Public Works and Transport, reported hundreds of housing units fully or partially destroyed.

 

According to the minister, over 9,000 units were partially damaged.

 

Mohammad Shamseddine of Information International told Asharq Al-Awsat that around 1,300 homes are completely damaged, 2,000 severely affected, and 3,000 with minor damage.

 

By the sixth month of the war, Shamseddine revealed that there were 87,000 displaced individuals, with most still in southern areas. However, many also moved to Beirut and other regions, staying with relatives or friends.

 

About 1,300 people are living in shelters like schools and clinics, while 500 wealthy families rented homes in Mount Lebanon and Kesrouan.

 

Shamseddine pointed out significant damage to agriculture, especially olive and tobacco crops.

 

Estimates of damages incurred by Hezbollah vary.

 

Economic sources suggest total losses are nearing $2 billion, while Ministry of Economy General Manager Mohammad Abou Haidar indicates losses surpassing $1.5 billion, with $300 million from closures in the south.

 

Shamseddine estimated direct war losses at around $250 million, with indirect losses reaching $900 million.

 



As Syrian Opposition Sweep into Aleppo, Army Closes Airport and Roads

A destroyed Syrian army tank in the village of Anjara on the outskirts of Aleppo, Nov. 29. (AP)
A destroyed Syrian army tank in the village of Anjara on the outskirts of Aleppo, Nov. 29. (AP)
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As Syrian Opposition Sweep into Aleppo, Army Closes Airport and Roads

A destroyed Syrian army tank in the village of Anjara on the outskirts of Aleppo, Nov. 29. (AP)
A destroyed Syrian army tank in the village of Anjara on the outskirts of Aleppo, Nov. 29. (AP)

Syrian authorities closed Aleppo airport as well as all roads leading into the city on Saturday, three military sources told Reuters, as the groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad said they had reached the heart of Aleppo.
The opposition fighters, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, carried out a surprise sweep through government-held towns this week and reached Aleppo nearly a decade after having been forced out by Assad and his allies.
Russia, one of Assad's key allies, has promised Damascus extra military aid to thwart the opposition, two military sources said, adding new hardware would start arriving in the next 72 hours.
The Syrian army has been told to follow "safe withdrawal" orders from the main areas of the city that the opposition have entered, three army sources said.
The fighters began their incursion on Wednesday and by late Friday an operations room representing the offensive said they were sweeping through various neighbourhoods of Aleppo.
They are returning to the city for the first time since 2016, when Assad and his allies Russia, Iran, and regional Shi'ite militias retook it, with the insurgents agreeing to withdraw after months of bombardment and siege.
Mustafa Abdul Jaber, a commander in the Jaish al-Izza opposition brigade, said their speedy advance this week had been helped by a lack of Iran-backed manpower in the broader Aleppo province. Iran's allies in the region have suffered a series of blows at the hands of Israel as the Gaza war has expanded through the Middle East.
The opposition fighters have said the campaign was in response to stepped-up strikes in recent weeks against civilians by the Russian and Syrian air force on areas in opposition-held Idlib, and to preempt any attacks by the Syrian army.
Opposition sources in touch with Turkish intelligence said Turkiye, which supports the opposition, had given a green light to the offensive.
But Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said on Friday that Turkiye sought to avoid greater instability in the region and had warned recent attacks undermined de-escalation agreements.
The attack is the biggest since March 2020, when Russia and Turkiye agreed to a deal to de-escalate the conflict.
CIVILIANS KILLED IN FIGHTING
On Friday, Syrian state television denied opposition had reached the city and said Russia was providing Syria's military with air support.
The Syrian military said it was fighting back against the attack and had inflicted heavy losses on the insurgents in the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib.
David Carden, UN Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, said: "We're deeply alarmed by the situation unfolding in northwest Syria."
"Relentless attacks over the past three days have claimed the lives of at least 27 civilians, including children as young as 8 years old."
Syrian state news agency SANA said four civilians including two students were killed on Friday in Aleppo by insurgent shelling of university student dormitories. It was not clear if they were among the 27 dead reported by the UN official.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Moscow regarded the attack as a violation of Syria's sovereignty.
"We are in favor of the Syrian authorities bringing order to the area and restoring constitutional order as soon as possible," he said.