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Source: https://www.ft.com/content/6f67322f-bd89-4e50-873c-b8ed576cbd4d
Hizbullah Compensation for War Damage Described as Stingy or Slow
(Financial Times-UK) Malaika Kanaaneh Tapper - Hizbullah, long Lebanon's most powerful political and military force, is reeling from its worst ever defeat. In more than a year of conflict before a ceasefire in November, Israel not only killed thousands of fighters and decimated its senior leadership, but caused enormous destruction in Shia-majority communities from which Hizbullah draws support. The fall of ally Bashar al-Assad in neighboring Syria dealt another blow, cutting off vital supply chains between Hizbullah and its patron Iran. According to pro-Hizbullah daily al-Akhbar, the party has distributed $400 million in compensation payments to 140,000 people. Those who lost their entire homes receive $12,000 to $14,000, meant to cover a year of rent elsewhere and destroyed furniture. But in the Hizbullah heartlands of the Bekaa Valley, southern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs, people described stingy or slow practices in appraising damage and compensating them. The war caused at least $3.4 billion in physical damage, according to the World Bank. Many say that Hizbullah and its patron Iran lack the means to lead reconstruction this time.