A young man observes a structure destroyed by Israeli strikes in Houla, southern Lebanon, in June 2025. (Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam responded Monday to Israeli threats made Sunday against engineer and activist Tarek Mazraani, a native of south Lebanon, who founded the 'Assembly of Residents of Southern Border Localities' last August.
Mazraani has been advocating for the reconstruction of border regions devastated by Israeli aggression. "What engineer Mazraani endured — direct threats broadcast via loudspeakers from an Israeli drone — is utterly reprehensible. In this context, I can only reaffirm the government’s full commitment to reconstruction and to the right of all southerners, especially those in border villages, to a safe and lasting return to their towns and villages," Salam wrote on X.
Since the cease-fire, Hezbollah has consistently called on the Lebanese state to finance the reconstruction of destroyed areas, while the party’s supply lines have largely dried up, notably following the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria in Dec. 2024 when land supply routes from Iran were cut off. The gradual reassertion of Lebanese state control over Beirut's port and airport has also affected supply channels.
Meanwhile, Israel continues its near-daily strikes in southern Lebanon and maintains control over several strategic points near the border, in violation of the cease-fire agreement.
Not affiliated with Hezbollah and advocating for reconstruction
Mazraani, a native of Houla (Marjayoun), was threatened on Sunday in an audio message broadcast by an Israeli drone over several localities in the area, according to reporting by our correspondent in the region.
The 'Assembly of Residents of Southern Border Localities,' which he founded, is an independent group that advocates for the reconstruction of south Lebanon and in particular the border towns, our correspondent reports. An article published Sunday by al-Modon describes Mazraani as an activist interested in poetry and art, with no affiliation to Hezbollah.
'Lies have engulfed Hezbollah'
In several videos and recordings circulating on social media Sunday, a male voice coming from an Israeli drone cries out menacingly in Arabic: "Lies have engulfed Hezbollah. Today, engineer Tarek Mazraani continues their conspiracy. Drive them out to reclaim your land and so that reconstruction may begin,' says the voice.
Contacted Sunday by L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south, the activist said he was "surprised" by these threats. He added that the assembly has no political goals, clarifying that its main purpose is to support displaced persons financially, especially since most of them are unemployed and have lost their assets.
Interviewed last August by our correspondent during the launch of his Assembly, Mazraani emphasized the "social and humanitarian aspect [of his action], far removed from political demands."
"We call on the authorities and on local and international NGOs to listen to our families in the south who have been suffering for two years, without water or electricity," said the activist, promising visits to the president, the prime minister, and the head of Parliament. The municipality of Houla could not be reached Monday for comment.
The Order of Engineers condemns
For its part, the Order of Engineers in Beirut condemned "in the strongest terms" the Israeli attacks targeting engineers in the south, recalling "the death of three colleagues last week and the direct threat against engineer Tarek Mazraani," describing this escalation as "serious and unacceptable." On Oct. 2, a drone strike targeted a car near Kfar Roummane (Nabatieh) in which two engineers working for Jihad al-Bina', the civilian body responsible for reconstruction within Hezbollah, were traveling.
In its statement, the Order calls on "the State, in all its components, to assume its responsibility for the safety of engineering personnel, by providing immediate and direct protection in areas at risk, and by resorting to international protection, UNIFIL [United Nations Interim Force], if necessary." It stresses that "targeting engineers constitutes a direct attack on the pillars of reconstruction and stability" and warns: "We will not remain silent in the face of this contempt for the lives of national experts."
During a visit to Zgharta (northern Lebanon), the commander-in-chief of the Lebanese army, General Rodolph Haykal, denounced "the persistence of Israeli attacks against citizens and the destruction of civilian property and infrastructure, the latest of which took place in the Msayleh region in the south." According to him, "these attacks cause death and significant material damage, constitute a permanent threat to Lebanon, and represent a flagrant violation of international law and cease-fire agreements."
The Israeli army, which accuses Hezbollah of seeking to rebuild its capabilities in a south Lebanon devastated by systematic bombing and destruction of entire neighborhoods, has recently been regularly targeting construction equipment. Reconstruction in south Lebanon is being conditioned by the international community on Hezbollah’s disarmament. The party, on the other hand, insists that reconstruction of the border villages should not be tied to its arsenal.
Massive Israeli strikes carried out overnight from Friday to Saturday in Msayleh, on the road between Zahrani and Nabatieh, targeted a site housing construction equipment just a few hundred meters from the home of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
In an interview Monday with the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat, the Speaker of Parliament and leader of the Amal movement emphasized that Saturday’s strikes — the most intense since nearly a year of cease-fire — reflected Israel’s intention to prevent any reconstruction of border villages devastated by the war between Israel and Hezbollah.
The strikes occurred less than 24 hours after Berri had called on the government to include in the 2026 budget credits earmarked for reconstructing the localities destroyed by Israel, and he criticized it for having 'excluded' this issue from the bill adopted by the government a few weeks ago.
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