Representative Hassan Fadlallah, a member of the “Loyalty to the Resistance” bloc, confirmed that the reconstruction file represents a national issue par excellence, and called for it to be set aside from any political calculations or internal and external pressures, stressing that the primary responsibility lies with the Lebanese state, which pledged in its ministerial statement to reconstruction.
Fadlallah pointed out that “Hezbollah” has taken important steps in this file, as it completed a large restoration and shelter project that benefited nearly 400,000 families who returned to their homes, in addition to popular charitable contributions that addressed some limited shortcomings, stressing that the entire file is now in the custody of the current government.
In a television interview, Fadlallah explained that during the discussion of the general budget in the Finance and Budget Committee, representatives of the “Loyalty to Resistance” bloc and the “Development and Liberation” bloc insisted on including clear allocations for reconstruction, regardless of the amounts allocated in the budgets of the Southern Council and the Higher Relief Commission. He pointed out that the shelter issue represents an urgent priority, especially paying rent to families whose homes were destroyed, in the south, the suburbs, the Bekaa, and other areas that were subjected to Israeli attacks.
He revealed that Hezbollah has begun a practical step to pay shelter allowances in specific amounts to those eligible in various Lebanese regions, provided that work will be done in coordination with the official authorities to strengthen this path in the coming months. He indicated that he discussed this file extensively with the Prime Minister and the President of the Southern Council, awaiting the final formulation in the next few days.
Regarding infrastructure, Fadlallah explained that part of the treatment will be through loans that have been announced, noting that some of the work has been completed while the other part needs more effort, expressing his hope that the rest of the infrastructure will be restored during the coming months.
He explained that the reconstruction file includes the restoration of damaged homes and the rebuilding of completely demolished homes, in addition to structural restoration, as sums have been allocated in the budget for this purpose, considering that these steps will contribute to returning thousands of families to their homes.
Fadlallah stressed that the completely demolished homes remain the main issue, and it is the government’s responsibility in the first place, pointing out that the government’s movements so far have not addressed this problem in the desired manner, especially in the front villages to which the enemy is trying to prevent the people from returning or rebuilding, all the way to preventing the entry of prefabricated homes, in addition to the rest of the affected areas.
He stressed that this file represents a permanent national priority for Hezbollah, whether at the level of leadership and institutions or through governmental and parliamentary work, considering that continuing pressure will open loopholes in the current state of blockage, which is not only due to a lack of funding, but rather to external political pressure aimed at exploiting people’s pain to achieve political gains, which will not lead to any result.
Fadlallah concluded by emphasizing that the voices of the southerners, the people of the suburb and the Bekaa, and all those affected had arrived, stressing that these people, despite the pain and suffering, refuse to exploit their pain politically, stressing that reconstruction will remain a national priority alongside the priority of protecting sovereignty and protecting citizens.
