Hezbollah Offers Housing Aid, Calls for Joint Reconstruction with Lebanon

Hezbollah’s Chief Naim Qassem (AFP)
Hezbollah’s Chief Naim Qassem (AFP)
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Hezbollah Offers Housing Aid, Calls for Joint Reconstruction with Lebanon

Hezbollah’s Chief Naim Qassem (AFP)
Hezbollah’s Chief Naim Qassem (AFP)

Hezbollah's leader, Naim Qassem, declared that the group remains resilient and has regained its unity following Israel's nearly two-month-long offensive on Lebanon.
Speaking at an event titled “The Reconstruction Campaign: A Promise and Commitment,” he detailed compensation plans for damaged homes, furniture, and rent, crediting Iran for most of the funding.
Qassem placed the responsibility for rebuilding on the Lebanese government and urged Arab nations to assist. He admitted Hezbollah recently faced its toughest challenge yet, saying, “Israel tried to crush the resistance but failed.”
The Hezbollah leader confirmed the group’s approval of the ceasefire as part of UN Resolution 1701, rejecting claims it involves other resolutions like 1559, which calls for disarming militias.
He said the Lebanese government is responsible for addressing violations, while Hezbollah supports giving the ceasefire a chance to succeed.
“Internal matters involving the party, the state, and the army are for Lebanon to decide, not Israel,” he added.
Qassem highlighted Hezbollah’s aid to displaced families, acknowledging most funds come from Iran.
“We thank Iran, Iraq, and Yemen for their generous support,” he said, urging Arab nations and the international community to help with reconstruction.
Hezbollah plans to provide $6,000–$8,000 for temporary housing and has already distributed $57 million in aid.
“Shelter and reconstruction are promises we will fulfill,” he stated, calling on the government to handle debris removal and infrastructure repairs.
Qassem accused the US and Israel of using extremist groups to destabilize Syria and shift it away from its resistance stance.
He vowed Hezbollah’s continued support for Syria to counter these efforts, saying, “We will stand by Syria to thwart this aggression".

Late in September, Israel waged a two-month offensive on Lebanon that mainly devastated the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs in Beirut (Dahieh), and villages in south Lebanon and other areas, causing widespread destruction to homes, infrastructure, and vital services.

The offensive, which targeted Hezbollah strongholds, left large sections of the area in ruins, with buildings reduced to rubble and thousands of civilians displaced.

 



Italy’s Foreign Minister Heads to Syria to Encourage Post-Assad Transition

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)
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Italy’s Foreign Minister Heads to Syria to Encourage Post-Assad Transition

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he would travel to Syria on Friday to encourage the country's transition following the ouster of President Bashar Assad by insurgents, and appealed on Europe to review its sanctions on Damascus now that the political situation has changed.
Tajani presided over a meeting in Rome on Thursday of foreign ministry officials from five countries, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States.
The aim, he said, is to coordinate the various post-Assad initiatives, with Italy prepared to make proposals on private investments in health care for the Syrian population.
Going into the meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and their European counterparts, Tajani said it was critical that all Syrians be recognized with equal rights. It was a reference to concerns about the rights of Christians and other minorities under Syria’s new de facto authorities of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HT.
“The first messages from Damascus have been positive. That’s why I’m going there tomorrow, to encourage this new phase that will help stabilize the international situation,” Tajani said.
Speaking to reporters, he said the European Union should discuss possible changes to its sanctions on Syria. “It’s an issue that should be discussed because Assad isn’t there anymore, it’s a new situation, and I think that the encouraging signals that are arriving should be further encouraged,” he said.
Syria has been under deeply isolating sanctions by the US, the European Union and others for years as a result of Assad’s brutal response to what began as peaceful anti-government protests in 2011 and spiraled into civil war.
HTS led a lightning insurgency that ousted Assad on Dec. 8 and ended his family’s decades-long rule. From 2011 until Assad’s downfall, Syria’s uprising and civil war killed an estimated 500,000 people.
The US has gradually lifted some penalties since Assad departed Syria for protection in Russia. The Biden administration in December decided to drop a $10 million bounty it had offered for the capture of a Syrian opposition leader whose forces led the ouster of Assad last month.
Syria’s new leaders also have been urged to respect the rights of minorities and women. Many Syrian Christians, who made up 10% of the population before Syria’s civil war, either fled the country or supported Assad out of fear of insurgents.