[News] Hezbollah readies 'large-scale' reconstruction plan for Lebanon
Anti-Imperialist News
news at freedomarchives.org
Mon Sep 8 12:23:27 EDT 2025
Hezbollah readies 'large-scale' reconstruction plan for Lebanon: Report
International aid to reconstruct areas of the country destroyed by
Israel has been linked to Hezbollah’s disarmament as a condition
News Desk <https://thecradle.co/authors/news-desk-9>
SEP 8, 2025 -
https://thecradle.co/articles/hezbollah-readies-large-scale-reconstruction-plan-for-lebanon-report
(Photo credit: BBC)
Hezbollah is preparing to launch its own reconstruction program to
rebuild parts of Lebanon which were destroyed by Israel last year,
according to a report released by /Al-Akhbar/
<https://en.al-akhbar.com/news/hezbollah-steps-in-with--3-billion-reconstruction-plan-as-st?s=35>newspaper
on 7 September.
The resistance group “is preparing to launch its own large-scale
reconstruction program, financed privately through its Waad Project,”
the report said.
“Hezbollah’s institutions, most notably Jihad al-Binaa and Waad, are
ready to begin a three-phase plan, even though an official announcement
is yet to be made. The first stage allocates $1 billion for
reconstruction in Beirut’s southern suburb and other war-damaged areas,
excluding border villages. Two additional stages, each worth another $1
billion, will follow. The program also covers $500 million for ongoing
repairs and continued assistance for displaced families,” it added.
Informed sources emphasized that “this move does not absolve the state
of its obligations.”
“Rather, it reflects Hezbollah’s conclusion that the government has
effectively abandoned the matter,” they added, framing the situation as
“political blackmail” against the resistance, as well as “government
inaction.”
In late August, Lebanon signed a $250-million loan with the World Bank
for reconstruction.
Yet the /Al-Akhbar/ report states that Hezbollah is dissatisfied with
the loan and believes it is nowhere near enough. The report says
Hezbollah has already spent more than the loan’s worth on repairs and
housing.
The loan is also reportedly tied to “conditions so stringent they verge
on impossible.”
The Lebanese government adopted the decision to disarm the resistance in
early August under heavy pressure from Washington.
Hezbollah has rejected the decision. It says it is open to discussing a
national defense strategy, which would see its weapons incorporated into
the Lebanese army and be available for use in defending the country if
needed.
Yet the resistance group has emphasized that these talks cannot take
place as Israel continues to attack Lebanon and occupy its territory in
the south.
Deliberations on a Lebanese army plan
<https://thecradle.co/articles/hezbollah-and-allies-withdraw-from-govt-session-on-disarmament-plan>to
begin implementing the decision – which was discussed in cabinet last
week – have been kept confidential. According to reports, the government
is waiting for Israel to signal a willingness to withdraw its forces
from southern Lebanon before it can continue disarmament efforts south
of the Litani River, where Hezbollah’s infrastructure has been
dismantled as part of the agreement.
Sources cited
<https://thecradle.co/articles/US,-Gulf,-tie-Lebanon-reconstruction-funds-to-Hezbollah-disarmament>
by /Bloomberg /last month said Lebanon is under pressure from the US and
Gulf nations to completely disarm Hezbollah in exchange for loans and
investments needed to rebuild the country.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait have told Lebanese President Joseph
Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam that “funds for reconstruction and
investment in Lebanon are contingent upon a timetable-bound plan to
fully disarm Hezbollah,” /Bloomberg /wrote, citing people with direct
knowledge of the matter.
On behalf of Washington, the Lebanese government recently cracked down
on Hezbollah’s Qard al-Hassan financial institution, which provides
interest-free loans to citizens of all sects.
The Lebanese Central Bank has banned financial institutions from
directly or indirectly engaging with Qard al-Hassan
<https://thecradle.co/articles/lebanese-central-bank-outlaws-dealings-with-hezbollah-financial-institution>.
Qard al-Hassan, founded in 1983, is a profit-free and interest-free
Islamic banking and loan withdrawal system adopted by the Lebanese
resistance. It has been described as a charitable organization and has
been repeatedly targeted by US sanctions.
The latest of these sanctions was imposed in July. Washington says
Hezbollah uses the organization to evade sanctions and conduct financial
transactions through “shadow accounts.” The Lebanese resistance movement
denies receiving any funding through the organization.
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