Thousands of Lebanese families displaced by the war are still waiting for a second year of housing compensation promised by Hezbollah, with no clear timeline in sight, fueling growing uncertainty and speculation over whether the payments have been suspended or merely delayed, Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported. 

Wissam, a resident of Beirut’s southern suburbs who asked that his real name not be used, says he has received no response regarding the payment of housing allowances for the second year. According to Wissam, the official in charge of compensation told him that “there is no specific date yet for disbursing the payments,” adding that “once the batch is ready, you will be informed by phone.”

No explanation was provided for the delay in paying the annual housing allowance, set at $4,800 per year for each housing unit destroyed during the war. The lack of clarity has left thousands of displaced families in a state of limbo.

The number of housing units completely destroyed during the war exceeds 51,000, according to estimates by the International Information Center, a local statistics firm. This includes around 9,000 units in Beirut’s southern suburbs, 1,500 in the Bekaa Valley, and roughly 22,000 in the border strip along southern Lebanon.

The figure increased over the past year following Israeli strikes and explosions that hit homes in the border area, as well as additional strikes carried out after two rounds of evacuation warnings that targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Less than a month after the fighting stopped, Hezbollah began disbursing housing compensation to affected residents. The group allocated $400 per month to those displaced from the southern suburbs, and $300 per month to residents from the south and the Bekaa Valley. It also paid a one-time furniture allowance ranging between $6,000 and $8,000, while housing allowances were to be paid annually or in installments. Hezbollah also disbursed tens of millions of dollars for the repair of buildings that were damaged but not completely destroyed.

While most affected residents received housing allowances for the first year, none have so far received notification of payment for the second year.

“Those we contact have no clear answers,” Wissam told Asharq Al-Awsat. “They do not respond to what people are saying on the street about whether the party will stop payments entirely or simply delay them.”

Within Hezbollah’s own support base, accounts have circulated about internal investigations into last year’s payments. One supporter told Asharq Al-Awsat that initial inquiries uncovered cases of favoritism, where some affected residents received compensation exceeding the actual value of the damage.

“Some people were paid more than the real assessment of the damage, either because of poor evaluation or favoritism,” the source said. “For example, some homes were initially assessed at $800, but ended up receiving around $1,500.”

In other cases, repair compensation was paid at levels below the actual cost, prompting homeowners to object.

“Additional sums were eventually paid,” the source said, describing the situation as one of “chaos” and “favoritism.” According to the source, ongoing investigations aimed at resolving these discrepancies have contributed to the delay in new payments.

However, critics of Hezbollah argue that investigations into repair files should not affect housing allowances, since the amounts were predetermined on a monthly or annual basis and the destroyed homes had already been inspected.

Opposition sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the delay is more likely linked to a financial crisis facing the group.

“Logically, housing allowances should not be subject to favoritism or clientelism, unlike damage and repair compensation,” the sources said. “They should be paid without obstacles. The more likely explanation is that Hezbollah is facing a financial crunch, forcing it to delay payments.”

According to the sources, pressure on Hezbollah has intensified since last year, beginning with the closure of the Syrian border, restrictions preventing Iranian aircraft from landing at Beirut’s airport, tighter controls at the airport and ports, and increased pressure on Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a Hezbollah-affiliated financial institution. These measures, they said, have significantly reduced the flow of Iranian funds to the group.

At the same time, Hezbollah’s financial obligations have increased unprecedentedly, the sources said. The group is now required to pay salaries to the families of fighters killed in the wars, provide additional social assistance to their relatives, and cover rising medical costs for those wounded, while Iran itself is facing mounting financial difficulties that prevent it from increasing funding to Hezbollah.

Regardless of whether the delay is caused by financial strain or internal investigations, housing allowances have not been paid this year, nor has Hezbollah completed the remaining repair payments for damaged homes. This has left many residents scrambling for alternatives.

A resident from the Bekaa Valley told Asharq Al-Awsat that he gave up his rented home three months ago and moved to another town to live with a relative in order to cut expenses, fearing that the housing allowance might not be paid.

“Things became clear since the summer, when the party stopped completing repair payments,” he said. “That indicated a crisis, so I made the decision before the school year started to avoid being unable to pay my rent.”

In Beirut’s southern suburb of Mrayjeh, residents pressured Hezbollah to reinforce the foundations of a building that was heavily struck but did not collapse, and urged Jihad al-Binaa, the group’s reconstruction arm, to install an elevator to prevent the building from being demolished and to avoid prolonged displacement. Residents ultimately repaired their homes at their own expense in order to return, anticipating that housing allowances might not materialize.

One resident said he borrowed around $20,000 to repair his home.

“It was to reduce rent costs at a time when my financial capacity has declined,” he said.

While Hezbollah has covered a large portion of repair compensation in most areas, payments were limited to individual housing units and did not include shared spaces such as exterior repainting or the repair of building entrances. For many residents, returning home — even to partially repaired buildings — has become the only option left to avoid the burden of rising rents.