BEIRUT (Dispatches) -- Hezbollah is preparing to launch its own reconstruction program to rebuild parts of Lebanon which were destroyed by Israel last year, according to a report released by Al-Akhbar newspaper.
The resistance group “is preparing to launch its own large-scale reconstruction program, financed privately through its Waad Project,” the report said. 
“Hezbollah’s institutions, most notably Jihad al-Binaa and Waad, are ready to begin a three-phase plan, even though an official announcement is yet to be made. The first stage allocates $1 billion for reconstruction in Beirut’s southern suburb and other war-damaged areas, excluding border villages. Two additional stages, each worth another $1 billion, will follow. The program also covers $500 million for ongoing repairs and continued assistance for displaced families,” it added. 
Informed sources emphasized that “this move does not absolve the state of its obligations.”
“Rather, it reflects Hezbollah’s conclusion that the government has effectively abandoned the matter,” they added, framing the situation as “political blackmail” against the resistance, as well as “government inaction.”
In late August, Lebanon signed a $250-million loan with the World Bank for reconstruction. 
Yet the Al-Akhbar report states that Hezbollah is dissatisfied with the loan and believes it is nowhere near enough. The report says Hezbollah has already spent more than the loan’s worth on repairs and housing. 
The loan is also reportedly tied to “conditions so stringent they verge on impossible.”
The Lebanese government adopted the decision to disarm the resistance in early August under heavy pressure from Washington. 
Hezbollah has rejected the decision. It says it is open to discussing a national defense strategy, which would see its weapons incorporated into the Lebanese army and be available for use in defending the country if needed. 
Yet the resistance group has emphasized that these talks cannot take place as Israel continues to attack Lebanon and occupy its territory in the south.
Deliberations on a Lebanese army plan to begin implementing the decision – which was discussed in cabinet last week – have been kept confidential. 
According to reports, the government is waiting for Israel to signal a willingness to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon before it can continue disarmament efforts south of the Litani River, where Hezbollah’s infrastructure has been dismantled as part of the agreement. 
Sources cited by Bloomberg last month said Lebanon is under pressure from the U.S. and Persian Gulf nations to completely disarm Hezbollah in exchange for loans and investments needed to rebuild the country. 
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait have told Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam that “funds for reconstruction and investment in Lebanon are contingent upon a timetable-bound plan to fully disarm Hezbollah,” Bloomberg wrote, citing people with direct knowledge of the matter.
On behalf of Washington, the Lebanese government recently cracked down on Hezbollah’s Qard al-Hassan financial institution, which provides interest-free loans to citizens of all sects. 
The Lebanese Central Bank has banned financial institutions from directly or indirectly engaging with Qard al-Hassan.
Qard al-Hassan, founded in 1983, is a profit-free and interest-free Islamic banking and loan withdrawal system adopted by the Lebanese resistance. It has been described as a charitable organization and has been repeatedly targeted by U.S. sanctions. 
The latest of these sanctions was imposed in July. Washington says Hezbollah uses the organization to evade sanctions and conduct financial transactions through “shadow accounts.” The Lebanese resistance movement denies receiving any funding through the organization.