Beirut - Damascus: Europe and the Arabs - Agencies
Months after a devastating war with Israel, Lebanese went to the polls on Sunday to participate in municipal elections, the first since a ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and Hezbollah.
The first round of voting, conducted according to regional divisions, saw a high turnout in the districts of Mount Lebanon, including the southern suburbs of Beirut, which were subjected to Israeli bombardment and were the scene of the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and most of the party's leaders in recent raids. According to a report by the European news network in Brussels, "Euronews," although these elections, which include the selection of mayors and local councils, do not carry the weight of the parliamentary elections scheduled for 2026, they are considered an important indicator of the extent to which the war, which has killed more than 4,000 people and destroyed entire neighborhoods, has affected the popularity of political forces, especially in the south, where Hezbollah and the Amal Movement hold significant influence. Hezbollah and its Shiite ally, the Amal Movement, are expected to win most of the seats in the southern suburb. Flags of both parties were widely displayed outside polling stations, where staff wearing their green and yellow colors were present to assist voters in casting their ballots.
Voting took place in public schools near buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. The Lebanese government, suffering from a severe financial crisis, is seeking international funding for reconstruction, estimated by the World Bank at more than 9.7 billion euros.
Municipal elections were supposed to be held years ago but have been postponed three times, including once due to budget constraints.
Separately, in neighboring Syria, Syrian Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir announced on Sunday that Damascus is preparing to sign an agreement with Turkey to supply electricity via a 400-kilovolt line extending from southern Turkey to Syrian territory.
SANA, the official Syrian Arab News Agency, quoted al-Bashir as saying that "the electricity line will connect the Turkish city of Reyhanli with the Harem area in the Idlib countryside," a move aimed at alleviating the country's years-long electricity crisis. The minister added that work is also underway to establish a natural gas pipeline between the Turkish city of Kilis and Aleppo, explaining that this pipeline "will enable us to supply 6 million cubic meters of gas per day to power plants in Syria, which will contribute to improving the country's energy situation."
In a related context, Al-Bashir called on Turkish companies to invest in the Syrian market, stressing that "investment opportunities are available in all energy sectors, including oil and natural gas exploration, refining, and transportation, in addition to rehabilitating electricity networks and power plants, and rebuilding refineries."
Syria faces a severe electricity shortage, prompting it to seek partnerships with several countries, including some Gulf states, to strengthen its energy and electricity sectors. It's worth noting that at the end of last year, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced that his country was ready to supply electricity to Syria and Lebanon, noting that a Turkish government team had visited Damascus to discuss ways to address energy problems. Bayraktar said at the time: "The electricity needs of Syria and Lebanon may initially be met by exporting it from Turkey, and of course, we can see the picture more clearly after examining the situation of the transmission network."
These developments come amid significant regional shifts, as Damascus seeks to improve its devastated infrastructure after years of war, while Ankara demonstrates greater flexibility in dealing with the Syrian issue, against the backdrop of shared economic and geopolitical interests.