BBCAmid a three-story-high pile of rubble and charred property in south Beirut is a twisted and cracked metal sign. “Leftover parts. Jeep Cherokee,” he said.
It is the only indication that the ground floor of the collapsed building was occupied by a busy auto parts shop – one such business destroyed by heavy Israeli bombardment in Dahieh, a large Hezbollah-controlled area south of the capital.
“We were very confident that we would not be hit, because of the nature of the people here – ordinary people, business owners,” said Imad Abdelhak, staring at the demolished building.
Abdelhak’s garage, next door, had survived the worst of the air strike, but he was waiting to find out if the entire building would have to be demolished as a result of the impact.
Across Lebanon, business owners are reeling after the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has seen Israeli bombs rain down on the country’s residential, commercial and industrial areas, destroying shops, warehouses and supplies.
A US- and French-brokered cease-fire, which is the main player, stopped the fighting last week, but for many of the country’s business owners and workers the pain is just beginning.
“I lost $20,000 and my only source of income,” said Ibrahim Mortada, another auto parts dealer in Dahieh whose building was hit. “I don’t know how we can survive,” he said.
Like Abdelhak, Mortada was waiting for engineers to inspect the building, but it was clear to anyone standing under it that the building was unsafe. The top seven floors were destroyed by the direct strike. Large chunks of cement and loose debris hung from Mortada’s head as he tried to clear what was left of his yard.
“My business has been open here for 23 years,” he said wistfully. “We trust God to help us now.”
Business owners in Dahieh and beyond are relying on Hezbollah, Lebanon’s most powerful political and militant group, which has said it will begin this week to assess the damage to homes and businesses and release money so people can pay rent, buy new furniture, and start rebuilding.
In the southern city of Nabatieh on Wednesday, where its Ottoman-era market and surrounding businesses were completely destroyed, people were still waiting for Hezbollah inspectors to arrive.
“No one has touched you – no one from the government, no one from any party,” said Niran Ali, a 56-year-old woman whose shop, Zen Baby Fashion, has disappeared along with almost all of its stock.
Surveying the rubble, Ali saw a pink, soot-covered girl’s tracksuit hanging from a metal belt sticking out of the pile. “These were mine,” he said, running his finger over the black fabric. They are probably the only thing left in my business.
Like others in Nabatieh, Ali had heard that Hezbollah would start by raiding homes (the group promised $5,000 per household to help pay rent, and $8,000 to replace furniture) and then move on to businesses, where losses are high. .
Jalal Nasser, who owned a large complex with a coffee shop, a restaurant and a library, returned to the city on the first day of the ceasefire to find that the complex had been reduced to a burning husk by a massive air strike across the street. He estimated he lost up to $250,000.
He set up a small table and chair on the edge of the building’s shell, facing the main road, and smoked his shisha. “Giving people hope”, he said.
As for where the money will come from to rebuild, “that’s a big question,” he said, stepping back. “But we are waiting for Hezbollah. I am sure they will give.”
The World Bank estimates that the war has caused at least $8.5bn worth of damage to the Lebanese economy. It would be a huge sum for any similar nation, but in Lebanon it comes after the financial crisis in 2019 and the devastating port explosion the following year.
After the last war with Israel, in 2006, money poured in from Iran and the Gulf states to rebuild Lebanon. In this case, it is not clear whether that tap will open.
“There is nothing yet about the reconstruction quota,” Nasser Yasin, the environment minister and head of the government’s crisis group told the BBC on Wednesday.
“We have good indications, some promises from friends in Lebanon,” he said. “But we estimate that we will need billions of dollars for this. The level of destruction is probably six to ten times what it was in 2006.”
Israel said it was only working against Hezbollah in its strikes in Nabatieh, not against the Lebanese people. Yasin accused the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of “urbicide” for destroying the city.
During a visit to Nabatieh on Wednesday afternoon, Imran Riza, the UN’s deputy special envoy for Lebanon, told the BBC that the amount of work to be done was “enormous”.
“The last two and a half months, in particular, have been very destructive,” he said. “It’s a very long road back.”
The historical market in Nabatieh dates back almost 500 years. It has been repeatedly invaded by Israel in the decades since 1978. Unlike previous attacks, this time the destruction was complete.
“This is the worst war of Nabatieh, the worst war we have ever seen,” said Yusuf Mouzzain, who owned a clothing store in the market. In his shop, a few surviving clothes hung on the rail, covered in soot. He estimated his damages at about $80,000.
In 2006, Hezbollah gave a handsome sum to the business owners involved. This time, he didn’t know what they would accept, or from whom. “But we lost everything, he said. “So someone has to give us something.”
Additional reporting by Joanna Mazjob. Photos by Joel Gunter.
Source link
