The Jaafarite mufti Ahmad Qabalan. (Credit: National News Agency)
Jaafarite mufti Ahmad Qbalan, an ally of Hezbollah, again sharply criticized the Lebanese state on Sunday, accusing it of "suffocating its people" and being indifferent to the fate of residents in the South and the Bekaa, who are still struck almost daily by Israel — he also accused it of "blocking and punishing anyone who wants to repair their house," — in a speech reported by the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
"The image of the current situation shows us a state that suffocates its people, its national fighters and its sovereign environment, deprives them of all means of survival and turns a blind eye to the most severe daily Zionist terrorism against our land, our people and our national and sovereign capacities, as if the South and the Bekaa belonged to another planet," the religious leader declared.
Since the cease-fire signed on Nov. 27, 2024, the Israeli army has bombed southern Lebanon and the Bekaa almost daily — regions where Hezbollah enjoys strong popular support and which were already heavily hit during the 13 months of war, including two months of major offensives between Israel and the party.
"There is no state presence in the South, no willingness by the state to play its national and sovereign role there, no national program to support the most important sovereign front line of this country, no solidarity aid despite the immense price paid by the people of the South and the resistance for Lebanon's unity and the national family," he continued.
These accusations echo those made two weeks ago by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, who said it "seems as if the South is not part of Lebanon," in light of government policy toward the region.
Blocking and punishing anyone who wants to repair their house
Qabalan went further on Sunday, directly accusing the Lebanese state of plotting against part of its own population: "On the contrary, the official policy is to block and punish anyone who wants to repair their house," said the Hezbollah ally, often considered the party's unofficial spokesperson, referencing "entire villages destroyed along" the border with Israel.
"Faced with tens of thousands of displaced Lebanese from the South and elsewhere who are still without housing, authorities have nothing more to offer than more suffocation ... some are using power in this country so it acts against its own people and its citizens, which is extremely serious," he said.
The reconstruction of areas destroyed in the latest war between Hezbollah and Israel has been a goal of the Salam government "since day one," according to Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who visited Saida 10 days ago.
However, international aid for reconstruction is conditioned on Hezbollah's disarmament, which the group refuses to discuss as long as Israel occupies at least six points near the border and continues its attacks on Lebanese territory.
"And the state is a state by justice, partnership, and equality, not by injustice, blockade and vengeance against those who have raised Lebanon to the skies," concluded the Jaafarite mufti.
