Lebanese people reject government’s plan & Hezbollah’s plot

Menna Abdel Razek

Lebanon is undergoing economic turmoil and massive popular protests, in addition to an outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. Against this backdrop, the Hassan Diab-led government, which is backed by Hezbollah, has approved what it labels a rescue and reform plan.

The plan comes as part of changing the Lebanese state to include it in the Iranian plot, which is aimed at controlling the country’s banks and foreign exchange.

In April, the Lebanese government unanimously approved the economic plan after making some slight changes, following three-day protests over high living cost. Lebanese activists called the protests the April Revolution.

The Hassan Diab-led government, which is backed by Hezbollah, has been trying to pass this economic plan since the beginning of the year.

The government says that Lebanon needs around $80 billion to overcome the economic turmoil, in addition to around $10 billion -$15 billion in foreign financial assistance over the coming five years.

The plan is based on a number of key points such as ending a pegged lira, restructuring debts and the banking system, as well as getting international financial aid. The plan also aims at rationalizing government spending and reforming the tax system.

The Middle East and North Africa Geopolitical Center for Strategic Studies and Research said in a study released this month that the economic plan is a “strategic coup” to legalize Hezbollah’s economy. The study said that the rescue plan would be against the Arab and international drive aimed at tightening the noose on Iran and its hostile role Hostility in the region.

The plan will not rein in Hezbollah’s role either. The study added that the Hassan Diab-led government’s plan would be against Lebanon’s liberal economy as it holds the private sector and the Lebanese people responsible for the fallout of the country’s public sector and the political system.