Leader of the Lebanese Forces (LF) Samir Geagea criticized the government’s intention to compensate the people who sustained losses and damages in southern Lebanon since October 8 from taxpayers’ money, stressing that the majority of the Lebanese were against opening the southern front with Israel in support of the Gaza conflict.
“The ten million dollars promised by the government to compensate for damages caused by missile and artillery exchange between Hezbollah and Israel should be paid by the ministers who voted for this decision, from their own pockets,” Geagea said in a statement on Thursday.
“A significant majority of the Lebanese people did not authorize anyone to launch rockets from Lebanon against Israel to preserve their regional role,” he added, in a clear allusion to Hezbollah.
“What the South is witnessing is not in support of Gaza at all,” he continued. “The biggest evidence is that the aggression on Gaza continues. Can the destruction in Gaza be greater than what it has already witnessed? What role did the rockets and shells launched from Lebanon play? The answer is that the role of these rockets and missiles is merely to keep Hezbollah, and by extension, Iran, in the equation of the Arab-Israeli conflict.”
On Wednesday, the Council for South Lebanon approved a $10 million compensation plan for residents affected by Israeli bombardment. The decision was made during the Cabinet session after discussions between caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah. The approved plan includes $40,000 for owners of completely destroyed homes, $11,000 for partially damaged homes, and compensation ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 for the injured and families of victims.
