The members of the Finance Committee gathered to review the budget at Parliament in Beirut on Dec. 10, 2025. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said the parliamentary Finance Committee has approved extra funding for the Council for Development and Reconstruction, the Council for the South, and the High Relief Commission to support reconstruction in areas damaged by Israeli bombardment in the 2026 draft budget.
Finance Minister Yassine Jaber attended the meeting. Initially approved by the Cabinet in September and then sent to Parliament for a vote, the bill did not include any specific line for the reconstruction or rehabilitation of destroyed homes and infrastructure.
“We sent a message from Parliament to the citizens, especially the residents of the South, West Bekaa, Beirut’s southern suburbs, Baalbek-Hermel, and Zahle, as well as all those affected by the Israeli aggression, the state must assume its responsibilities,” the MP said.
He added that the credits, the amount of which he did not disclose, are sufficient to finance the most “essential” projects, citing “accommodation or urgent needs” in particular.
Also speaking after the meeting, MP Ibrahim Kanaan explained that “an allocation mechanism has been adopted regarding housing and renovation, with the transfer of a modest sum from budget reserves [the unallocated amounts planned in the text to fund certain emergencies during the year], as a positive sign from the Lebanese state toward our people, within the budget and without any increase in public spending.”
He added that “the budget for the Higher Defense Council and the General Directorate of State Security was also approved,” adding that he hoped the committee would finish its review in early January.
Parliament will then have until the end of the same month to vote on the bill. If there is no vote, the government can enact it by decree as originally sent to Parliament, without the newly allocated credits for reconstruction.
'The government cannot remain passive'
In a report published last winter, the World Bank estimated the total cost of damage and losses suffered by Lebanon during the war between Israel and Hezbollah at about $14 billion. “The reconstruction project requires significant funding, but the government cannot remain passive while waiting for funds from abroad. We welcome any assistance provided to Lebanon, as long as it is unconditional and not politicized when it comes to reconstruction; but at the same time the Lebanese state has a responsibility to its people,” Fadlallah added.
“The government must do what is necessary to adopt the decree regulating rehabilitation and reconstruction. We hope it will be approved at the next session so that everyone knows their rights and duties,” added Amal MP Ali Hassan Khalil.
Parliament, chaired by Amal leader Nabih Berri, has still not convened to approve several World Bank loans.
The organization recently confirmed to L’Orient-Le Jour the postponement of discussions on two other loans it was considering granting Lebanon for social projects, for a combined amount of $300 million, assuring that it is “working with the Lebanese authorities to facilitate swift approval” of the pending projects.
In early November, Jaber said that the delay in Parliament’s approval of the loan “raises concerns about its possible cancellation.”
