Berri Presses Salam to Act as South Lebanon Faces Mounting Needs

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri urged Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to move swiftly on the rising cost of living and activate tenders supporting the steadfastness of southern residents, according to sources familiar with their meeting.

On Monday, October 5, Berri and Salam met at Ain el-Tineh to review Salam’s recent visit to the South, alongside political, security, economic and social developments. They also discussed his recent foreign visits, including to the United States, and his tour of Nabatieh.

Salam visited Nabatieh on Friday, his third trip to the district since taking office, announcing that the Council for Development and Reconstruction had launched 23 tenders covering road repairs, obstacle removal, shelter rehabilitation, and the provision of ambulances, medical equipment and communications systems.

Meanwhile, 12 additional tenders are expected this month, including projects to rehabilitate five hospitals, among them Nabatieh Governmental Hospital, as well as supply rescue and firefighting vehicles. Contracts for power stations and water networks are also being awarded. Salam also laid the foundation stone for a new Civil Defense headquarters and pledged continued efforts to revive the south.

However, Salam said the scale of needs left by the war exceeds the Lebanese state’s capacity and requires substantial funding. He said discussions are underway with the UN secretary-general, US officials and the World Bank president over financing.

On September 15, Salam told parliament that the cost of “Israel’s” wars on Lebanon since October 2023 could exceed $27 billion.

The estimate draws on World Bank figures placing the 2023-24 war at around $14 billion, including approximately $7.2 billion in physical damage.

For the war that began on March 2, 2026, the World Bank estimates direct costs so far at $3-$4 billion, while Salam put additional indirect losses at $4-$5 billion. He also said Lebanon’s economy is expected to contract by 6.4% this year.

The meeting further addressed Lebanon’s chronic electricity crisis, with discussions focusing on either a build-operate-transfer system or a Lebanese-international agreement.

The cabinet approved an electricity reform policy in July, but households and businesses continue to rely on private diesel generators amid unreliable public supply.

At the same time, Nabatieh continues to face “Israeli” air and artillery strikes, alongside the bulldozing, burning and destruction of homes and property. The attacks have persisted despite months of direct negotiations between Lebanese authorities and “Israel” and the so-called framework agreement.

In mid-September, “Israeli” strikes severely damaged the Finance Ministry building in Nabatieh and destroyed Ghandour Hospital, prompting condemnation from President Joseph Aoun.