October 20, 2026
Representative Ghazi Zuaiter rejected the concerns raised about what is known as the “Fanar-Zaaitriyah Tunnel,” considering that some media coverage and political and parliamentary positions anticipated the results of the field investigation with the aim of pushing families residing in the region to emigrate. He stressed that “this dream will not come true,” and at the same time affirmed his full support for the security services and the judiciary in pursuing violators and perpetrators without exception.
Zuaiter explained that some media outlets and personalities were quick to promote the discovery of a tunnel before verifying the truth of the matter or waiting for what the Lebanese Army would announce, pointing out that the information received indicates that the site is a hole created to search for antiquities or gold, and that determining its nature is up to the competent authorities.
He pointed out that the “Al-Fanar” and “Zaitaria” areas belong to one municipality, which is the Al-Fanar municipality, explaining that the neighborhood has been inhabited by families from the Al-Zaiter family and other families from the Bekaa and non-Bekaa since the early 1950s. He thanked the Lebanese army for clarifying the reality of the hole, praising at the same time the patriotic position of the mayor of Fanar, Michel Salama, and the mayor of Jdeideh – Bouchrieh – Al-Sad Bakhos, for not rushing to launch their positions.
Zuaiter accused political and media entities of trying to displace the people through “slanders and lies,” recalling the 1983 decree that was issued during the Lebanese war when the neighborhood was deserted, and classified the industrial zone as a first-class industrial zone to prevent housing there and deprive the people of their return. He stated that during his tenure at the Ministry of Public Works and Transport in 2015 and 2016, he worked to amend this decree in cooperation with the then mayor, George Salama, to lift the injustice suffered by thousands of residents.
Zuaiter stressed his support for the steps of the military establishment and the security and judicial agencies in uncovering any breach of security and prosecuting the perpetrators regardless of their identity, denouncing the launch of hasty positions regarding a hole or trench that was said to be about 13 meters long between a horizontal and vertical extension, after the army had its final say on it.
Zuaiter concluded by emphasizing that the residents of Al-Fanar, from the Zuaiter family and other families, will not leave their area, especially in light of the current circumstances and the state of war that the country is experiencing. He considered that the current media and political campaigns are reviving the goals of the 1983 decree aimed at displacing the population, and stressing again: “This dream will not come true for anyone.”
