Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs on Nov. 25, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/OLJ)
The head of the Burj al-Barajneh municipality, Atef Hassan Mansour, issued an appeal Monday to authorities, saying he is unable to provide basic services or pay municipal employees due to the regular shelling of this neighborhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs by the Israeli army.
He cited the suspension of municipal tax collection as a major issue, according to the National News Agency (NNA). Mansour warned that his municipality, one of the largest in the southern suburbs, risks ceasing operations entirely due to financial shortfalls, "which would lead to the complete collapse of the municipal network."
"Our municipality is suffering from a lack of resources because tax collection has stopped," Mansour said in a statement. "Despite this, it is on the front lines in providing basic services to citizens. However, the residents' needs have far exceeded the municipality's capabilities."
He detailed that the municipality is struggling to maintain infrastructure, repair water and electricity networks, and clear debris from streets following nearly daily bombings of residential areas for over two months. "The accumulation of waste is also causing an additional environmental and health crisis, exacerbating the suffering," Mansour added.
Since Oct. 8, 2023, the day after Hamas launched its attack on Israel from Gaza, Hezbollah has opened a front from southern Lebanon in support of Gaza. After a year of daily cross-border clashes, the conflict escalated, becoming nationwide. A turning point came with the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during a raid in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sept. 27. Since then, southern Beirut, southern Lebanon and northern Bekaa have been subjected to daily, intensive Israeli airstrikes. Areas of Beirut previously spared, such as Basta and Mar Elias, have also been hit. The was has so far resulted in 3,754 killed and 15,626 injured, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health, published Sunday.
Calling for a national strategy to ensure sustainable funding for municipalities and the provision of emergency funds, Mansour urged the government to prioritize this issue as "a national priority." He warned that the collapse of municipal services would drastically disrupt the daily lives of citizens.
