Berri says govt. marginalizing south, calls for prioritizing reconstruction

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri accused Thursday the Lebanese government of ignoring the residents of the southern border villages, claiming that the Raouche light show has taken much more attention from the government than rebuilding the war-hit villages in order for the residents to return home.

"Unfortunately, (the government is acting) as if the South is not part of Lebanon," Berri decried, adding that the 2026 budget will not pass if it does not include a clear clause related to the reconstruction.

Thousands of Hezbollah supporters had gathered last month and projected images of the group’s former longtime leader and his successor on the iconic arched Raouche rock to commemorate their deaths in Israeli airstrikes nearly a year ago, despite an apparent attempt by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to halt the planned light show.

Salam asked the ministers of interior, justice and defense to take "appropriate measures, including arresting the perpetrators and referring them for investigation". The matter was later discussed in a cabinet session Monday.