Lebanon’s Municipalities: First Defense Line in Times of Crisis

Lebanon’s Municipalities: First Defense Line in Times of Crisis
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Lebanon’s Municipalities: First Defense Line in Times of Crisis

Lebanon’s Municipalities: First Defense Line in Times of Crisis

Lebanon’s municipalities are striving to be the defense line in the face of the coronavirus epidemic despite their limited capabilities and budgets. They are also making remarkable efforts that go beyond implementing the government’s decisions, through special voluntary initiatives.

The government entrusted the municipal councils with several tasks, including monitoring residents’ commitment to social distancing, preventing gatherings and regulating the work of institutions that are exempted from shutting down, in addition to distributing aid to underprivileged families.

“Municipalities are the only form of administrative decentralization in Lebanon, and they enjoy financial and administrative independence… but the problem lies in their limited financial capabilities, with the exception of some cities such as Beirut,” former Interior Minister Ziad Baroud told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“Based on the recent state of emergency declared by the government, the municipalities have a role to play because they are in contact with the people… There is no doubt that the effectiveness of their work lies on their capabilities and the number of staff,” he continued.

While stressing the need to support the municipalities and raise their budgets, Baroud noted that Lebanon allocates between 5 and 7 percent of the total domestic spending to municipalities, while in other countries the budget reaches 27 percent.

Tripoli, where a large number of stores did not adhere to the government’s “general mobilization” decision to fight the COVID-19 disease, is an example of the difficult task assumed by the municipalities.

Riad Yamak, the head of Tripoli’s municipality, told Asharq Al-Awsat: “We have a great responsibility and our capabilities are limited, especially in light of the widespread poverty in the city, as more than 40 percent of its residents are below the poverty line.

“This has put pressure on our task to close the shops and markets, which led to the intervention of the army,” he explained.

“A city lockdown and preparing for the next stage in the event of an outbreak of the virus needs great financial capabilities,” Yamak stressed.

Despite all, some municipalities have launched special and distinctive initiatives that are not limited to financial, social and health support but go as far as providing entertainment activities to urge families to stay home.

Some municipalities anticipated the government’s plans by helping poor families through special initiatives, while others chose to resort to different methods to motivate people to stay home. The municipality of Aley, for example, circulated vehicles broadcasting music and recruited volunteer musicians, who toured the neighborhoods, raising cheers from people standing on their balconies.



Iran Seeks to Turn ‘New Page’ in Ties with Lebanon

 In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)
In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)
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Iran Seeks to Turn ‘New Page’ in Ties with Lebanon

 In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)
In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Lebanese officials on Tuesday that Iran wanted to turn a "new page" in relations with Beirut, hinting at a shift in diplomatic ties that were long grounded in supporting Tehran-backed armed group Hezbollah.

Hezbollah was once a powerful armed movement and political party with sway over Lebanon's state, but it was severely weakened by Israel's bombing campaign last year. Since then, Lebanon's army commander was elected president and a new cabinet with curtailed influence for Hezbollah and its allies took power.

Araqchi's one-day trip to Beirut on Tuesday was his first since February, when he attended the funeral of Hezbollah's secretary general Hassan Nasrallah, killed in Israeli air strikes in September.

Araqchi told both Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi that he wanted to "turn a new page" in Iran's ties with Lebanon, according to statements by Salam and Raggi's offices.

"Araqchi affirmed his country's keenness to open a new page in bilateral relations with Lebanon, based on mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs," Salam's office said. Araqchi also extended a formal invitation for Salam to visit Iran.

The statement from Raggi's office said the pair had a "frank and direct discussion," including on establishing the state's monopoly on the use of arms - an apparent reference to possible negotiations on the future of Hezbollah's arsenal.

The top Iranian diplomat briefly addressed reporters on Tuesday after meeting with Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who is a key Hezbollah ally. Unlike previous addresses by Iranian diplomats, his comments did not mention Hezbollah.

The visit followed several turbulent episodes in ties between the two countries.

Lebanon's foreign ministry summoned Iran's ambassador to Beirut in April over comments alleging that plans to disarm Hezbollah were a "conspiracy".

Last year, then-Prime Minister Najib Mikati also issued a rare rebuke of Iran for "interfering" in internal Lebanese affairs.

In February, Iran blocked Lebanese planes from repatriating dozens of Lebanese nationals stranded in Tehran after Lebanon said it would not allow Iranian aircraft to land in Beirut because of Israel's threats that it would bomb the planes.