Cash-strapped Hezbollah said to freeze funds for home repairs in war-ravaged Beirut stronghold

Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group has informed homeowners in southern Beirut’s Dahiyeh district that it is freezing compensation for repairs to homes damaged or destroyed during the war with Israel in October and November of last year, the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reports.

According to the report, the suspension of funding is due to a cash shortage affecting Hezbollah, with no clear indication if or when the group will resume payments.

The Saudi paper does not specify the cause of Hezbollah’s financial shortfall.

Last week the newspaper Al-Jadeed reported that the recent assassination of Said Izadi, a commander of Iran’s Quds Force and head of a unit responsible for funneling Iranian funds to Lebanon, was expected to impact financial support for Hezbollah and its ability to pay for the rebuilding of Dahiyeh.

The densely populated neighborhood, a Hezbollah stronghold, was rocked by an intense Israeli air campaign over several weeks last year as part of a military campaign aimed at dismantling the Iranian proxy group following nearly a year of daily cross-border rocket and drone attacks.

In the past, Hezbollah has used payouts and other forms of social welfare to build up its popularity among Lebanese Shiites.