Lebanon is at an extremely critical yet still reversible phase, stressed Lebanon’s Minister of Social Affairs, Hanin Sayyed, in an interview with the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) while holding a series of meetings at the United Nations this week. She emphasized that despite the serious deterioration of the security situation and the major humanitarian pressures, “the country has not broken down.”

Minister Sayyed said that the government is working “day and night”, with its first priority being to address the humanitarian crisis and provide support to one million displaced persons, while noting that even after the recent massive Israeli attack – which she described as “Black Wednesday,” during which “within 10 minutes more than 100 targets were hit and 300 people were killed”  –  no internal strife broke out, something she attributes to Lebanese society’s choice not to return “to the civil war period.”

The full interview of Lebanon’s Minister of Social Affairs to ANA-MPA and G. Garantzioti:

Following developments on the ground, how close is Lebanon to a new breakdown?

“The situation is really hard and tense. It is difficult, but it is salvageable. It has not broken down. Our government is very committed and is working day and night. First of all, to address the humanitarian crisis, which is top priority. It is our first priority. To seek funding and the like for the one million displaced.

And I think that, if we take into account what happened last Wednesday – what we call ‘Black Wednesday’ – when Israelis within 10 minutes hit more than 100 targets and 300 people were killed and yet civil strife did not break out, this is because the Lebanese people do not want to go back to history. They do not want to go back to the civil war period.

They are still hoping, meaning they are still able somehow to overcome the anger they feel. Many communities have a lot of anger against each other, against Israelis, but even against Hezbollah, because many in Lebanon perceive that it brought us into this war. We did not ask for it.

I think even the displaced people I speak to are angry, because first, in the middle of Ramadan, they had to leave their homes and go onto the streets, and second because many of them do not see when this tension is going to end.

Therefore, we are really at a critical point where, first, a ceasefire is needed. Second, the international community must increase its financial support. Until now, we only have 30% of what we need. And this is very important. This is my main message on my trip here and in Washington: if we want to avoid a real breakdown of Lebanon, serious support will be needed.”

You spoke about a necessary ceasefire. Diplomatic efforts begin tomorrow in Washington with U.S. mediation. Are you optimistic?

“We hope there will be a positive outcome. What exactly that will be remains to be seen, but it is a first step. A first step among many steps. We know that this is a process that will take time and will require many iterations. But perhaps it is what they call ‘breaking the ice.’ I have to be optimistic. For the sake of Lebanon, for the sake of the Lebanese. You cannot lose hope. As a country we have gone through so much and every time we rise again. And we will do so again this time.”

Can the Lebanese government guarantee the disarmament of Hezbollah?

“As a government, we already took the decision. We have taken that decision on August 5 of last year. And we took it again on – we made a series of decisions which are historical. It has never happened before in the existence of Hezbollah that the government has basically said that their arms are illegal. No arms must exist outside the control of the state, whether it be Hezbollah or other factions, Palestinian factions or others. So it’s very clear. There’s no shyness about this, that their arms are illegal. Now, they’re also a political group. They have communities and that’s a different story, but as arms outside of the state are illegal, and only the state, the government, can declare matters of war and peace. Of course, they have been ignoring this, and they violated this, and they brought us into this war, which we could have avoided. I’m of the conviction that we could have avoided this war, despite those that say, no, Israel was going to hit anyway. But I believe every time we’re stuck in that kind of narrative that, “Oh, Israel was going to do it anyway, so it’s okay, we did it” – I don’t buy that. In the end, you have to have a state. If we want to really stand against Israel, it’s better for a state against another state, versus an armed group against a state, which would never have credibility, either internationally. This divided up the Lebanese people, noting that more than 80% do not want to have arms outside of the state, much more. I mean, most Lebanese, including those that might support the communities from which Hezbollah comes, many of them also do not want to have a state outside. But their argument is that “the state hasn’t defended us so far”. But the argument back to that is “but neither have all these weapons that have not defended you”, because, on the contrary, they brought destruction upon you. Three hundred villages in the south that have been destroyed, you know, a huge displacement, close to 70,000 housing units destroyed, also bridges. So how can Hezbollah claim that they have defended the country? While if the army is given that chance, it would be more credible, at least internationally. This is the government that is trying to maintain the peace and sovereignty of its country”.

How do you assess international support for Lebanon so far?

“At this moment we are at around 30% of our needs. We thank of course those who helped us, but we are in a region where our Gulf friends also have their own understandable problems. In addition, globally over the last two years there has been a 50% cut in humanitarian aid. Whatever we receive is welcome, but it is not enough.
This is exactly what I am advocating here at the UN and in Washington: if you want Lebanon to be saved – and this is important not only for Lebanon itself but for the region, there must not be another failed state in the region.
We have received around 100 million dollars since the outbreak of the war, whereas in the previous war in 2024 Lebanon received around 700 million dollars. I understand the regional and international difficulties, but we clearly need more support.”

Which contacts are included in your programme this week at the UN for this purpose?

“I met senior UN officials from different agencies. The Secretary-General visited Lebanon three weeks ago and we had a very good exchange with him. I will also meet Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and agencies such as UNDP, UNFPA and others with whom we cooperate.”

What is the situation in the country based on the official figures you have?

“It is difficult. We have one million displaced people. Many are concentrated in Beirut, Saida and Mount Lebanon. There is enormous pressure. Some shelters host around 1,500 people. As much help as we provide, it is not enough. It is not a dignified life to live in a shelter. Eighty-five percent of the displaced are outside shelters, and that is a huge challenge. We need funding for direct cash support programmes, for job creation, because these people today have no work. Their jobs have been destroyed. First the war must stop so that they can return, and then they must be supported to rebuild their lives.”