A resident retrieves some belongings from the rubble of what was supposed to be his home, Nov. 27, 2024. Photo (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L’Orient-Le Jour)
The rubble clearing operations generated by the Israeli destructions during the war were awarded to the Union of Municipalities of the Southern Suburbs of Beirut, dominated by Hezbollah, following an opaque process, claims the Financial Times in an article published Sunday.
The newspaper highlights that this $10 million contract has yet to be made public. The contract was awarded in December by the government of Nagib Mikati – who had been serving in an interim capacity since May 2022 but was only replaced on Feb. 8 by the government formed by Nawaf Salam.
On Feb. 7, former Public Works Minister Ali Hamieh, a Hezbollah member, stated that 900 billion Lebanese pounds, or just over $10 million, had been released to finance this project.
The FT notes that the Salam government is under pressure from both public opinion and foreign donors to increase transparency in public spending and reduce Hezbollah’s grip on Lebanese institutions. It adds that Hezbollah’s opponents fear that its involvement in the reconstruction, similar to what happened after the 2006 war, could enable it to consolidate its political power and channel public funds to its base.
The UN estimates that 10 million cubic meters of rubble were produced by Israeli bombings during the war, which targeted numerous residential areas in South Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and the southern suburbs of Beirut, resulting in over 4,000 deaths. The damage is estimated in the billions of dollars.
