Beirut, Dec 5 (EFE).- The secretary-general of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Naim Qasem, said on Thursday that the group had been “seriously harmed” but was gradually recovering after a year-long war with Israel that escalated drastically in September.
“The resistance has been seriously harmed, but it is gradually recovering. Hezbollah is strong because of its structures, parliamentary representation, popularity, and institutions. It is an important player in the country. And it will remain so,” Qasem said in a televised speech.
He noted that the displacement of more than 1.2 million people during Israel’s escalation of the war, which focused on southern and eastern Lebanon as well as the southern suburbs of Beirut known as the Dahye, “continues to have an impact and has been difficult.”
Qasem announced the beginning of a “shelter and reconstruction” phase called “Promise and Commitment” to fulfill a promise made by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah – who was killed in an Israeli strike on Sep. 27.
“Most of the money for the shelters will come from Iran,” he said.
“We do not accept that our people are displaced in public places or in a place where they are a burden to others, but we want them to be loved, especially those who have found their homes completely or partially destroyed,” he stressed.
The secretary-general also said Hezbollah would “stand shoulder to shoulder with the Lebanese government” and “help in the reconstruction,” and would make a “call on partner countries to participate in the reconstruction.”
“So far, we have distributed 57 million dollars in donations from Hezbollah and Iran to 170,000 families, and we will pay between 12,000 and 14,000 dollars over a year to those whose homes have been destroyed,” he said.
More than 4,000 people have been killed and more than 16,600 injured in Lebanon in just over a year of war between Israel and Hezbollah, with the vast majority of casualties (around 84%) occurring in the last two months of escalating warfare. EFE
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