Haret Hreik resident says Hezbollah destroyed his livelihood after kiosk removal

BEIRUT — A resident of Beirut’s southern suburbs accused Hezbollah of destroying his "livelihood and house" after a roadside kiosk he operated was removed by the municipality of Haret Hreik, in a video circulating on social media Thursday. The municipality denied any political involvement, saying the structure had been built on public property and was removed following repeated complaints from residents.

The video shows the resident angrily speaking after the removal of his kiosk by the municipality of Haret Hreik in the southern suburbs of Beirut. “We sacrificed for Hezbollah. I have lost my livelihood and my home. Look at what Hezbollah is doing to us, what a disgrace! Who are we supposed to stand up to, Israel or Hezbollah? My home and the source of my livelihood are gone. I have five people to support. I have to provide for them. May God help me,” he said.

Local residents told L’Orient Today's correspondent that the road leading toward the Kuwaiti Embassy in the Sultan Ibrahim area, near the Jandouline roundabout, was blocked following the removal of kiosks along the side of the road.

Following the video's circulation, Haret Hreik municipality denied in a statement any political involvement in the removal and said the "measure was part of a routine campaign to remove violations from public property."

The municipality said its teams "had carried out a field inspection following several complaints from residents. During the inspection, they removed a violation that had been the subject of repeated complaints, after which the video was filmed and accusations were directed at a political party," according to the statement.

The municipality said the removal was "a routine measure falling within its daily duties to enforce public order."

It said the "removed structure was not located on private property or within a shared section of a property, but had been built on public property and was removed solely following complaints from residents."

"No political, partisan, or local party, nor any public figure, has any connection to the removal of this violation," the municipality said. "The decision was made solely by the municipality." The municipality said a delegation representing the owners of the removed structure later visited its offices to seek a resolution to their situation.

It urged residents to address violations through the municipality and official procedures rather than through media platforms or disputes on social media, adding that its doors remain open to all residents.

Reporting contributed by our correspondent in the South, Muntasser Abdallah