Hizbullah hands out cash to Lebanese war victims
Group hands out bundles of cash to people whose houses were destroyed by Israeli bombardments. Lebanese official says war has inflicted USD 3.6 billion worth of physical damage on country
Hizbullah handed out bundles of cash on Friday to people whose homes were wrecked by Israeli bombing, consolidating the Iranian-backed group's support among Lebanon's Shiites and embarrassing the Beirut government.
"This is a very, very reasonable amount. It is not small," said Ayman Jaber, 27, holding a wad he had just picked up from Hizbullah of USD 12,000 in banknotes wrapped in tissue.
Israeli and US officials have voiced concern that Hizbullah will entrench its popularity by moving fast—with Iranian money—to help people whose homes were destroyed or damaged in the 34-day conflict with Israel.
Hizbullah has not said where the funds are coming from to compensate people for an estimated 15,000 destroyed homes. The scheme appears likely to cost at least USD 150 million. The Lebanese government has yet to launch anything similar.
Its reconstruction chief said Israeli bombardment had inflicted a "disastrous" USD 3.6 billion worth of physical damage on Lebanon from which it could take years to recover.
Al-Fadl Shalaq, head of the Council for Development and Reconstruction, said the devastation from the five-week conflict exceeded that caused by Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war.
"I have witnessed all the wars in Lebanon but I have never seen a war this fierce and I do not see a response to clearing the rubble of war to match it," he told Reuters in an interview.
