Lebanonupdated 5h ago2 min read
Hezbollah Announces Up To $14,000 Housing Allowances For Displaced People In Lebanon
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Hezbollah launches housing aid for displaced Lebanese, up to $14,000 per family, four installments. Reuters reports Iran sent about $200 million to Hezbollah to fund displacement aid.
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Shelter aid announced
Hezbollah announced a financial support program for displaced people in Lebanon whose homes were destroyed or damaged and who do not have alternative housing, with a maximum of $14,000 to be paid in four installments over a year. Sheikh Ali Dammoosh announced the plan at a press conference in the southern suburbs of Beirut, and he said the aid would include “worth $14,000 for housing units in Beirut and the southern suburbs (of Beirut) and $12,000 for housing units” outside them.
Dammoosh said the aid would go to people whose homes were completely destroyed or severely damaged and are no longer habitable, and he said it would also cover displaced people from areas occupied by Israel in southern Lebanon if they do not own another dwelling. Lebanese authorities estimated that more than 290,000 housing units have been destroyed or damaged, while the announcement came as Lebanese authorities tightened oversight of Hezbollah’s money- and weapons-supply routes and the Lebanese government said it would disarm Hezbollah and keep weapons in the hands of legitimate forces.
Funding dispute and denials
Hezbollah’s announcement came as Reuters had reported that the group received $200 million from Iran to aid displaced Lebanese families, and the United States denied that the funds exist.
Tomi Bighout, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said the funds do not exist, accusing Hezbollah of trying to save face with false narratives about cash flows from Iran.
Sheikh Ali Dammoosh told reporters that the aid would be disbursed in four installments over a year and that it would cover eligible families affected by the September 2024 and March 2026 wars, while he did not specify the program’s funding source.
Reuters reported that intermediaries who handled transfers charged a 20 percent commission, and one intermediary said the rate equaled four times the usual commission because of the risks involved in dealing with Hezbollah.
Eligibility and what is at stake
Hezbollah said the aid would be limited to families who used the affected properties as their primary residence and do not own a second home, excluding summer homes and vacant properties. Ali Da'moush said eligible families in Beirut and the southern suburbs would receive $14,000, including $8,000 for furniture and $6,000 for rent, while families living in other parts of Lebanon would receive $12,000, including $8,000 for furniture and $4,000 for rent.
Da'moush said the aid would be paid in four installments over a year, with the first amounting to $3,500 for families affected in Beirut and the southern suburbs and $3,000 for families affected in other areas, and he said eligibility and the type of aid would be determined by criteria assessing the extent of damage to each property. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said in mid-September that the cost of the two wars on Lebanon could exceed $27 billion, according to World Bank estimates, and he said the scale of needs exceeds the Lebanese state’s capacity and its ability to bear these burdens alone.