Trump's Son-in-law Reportedly Plans to Turn the Destroyed South Lebanon into an Economic Zone

JAKARTA - The Minister of Finance (Menkeu) of Lebanon, Yassine Jaber, denied that the southern part of Lebanon, which was devastated by the Israeli attack, would be turned into an economic zone.

On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Yassine explained when asked by the AN media that the idea first came from the US Ambassador to Lebanon, Morgan Ortagus, in December 2025.

At that time, southern Lebanon continued to face Israeli air raids. Jaber said the idea was immediately rejected.

Lebanese media at the time also reported that parts of southern Lebanon would be turned into an economic zone based on a proposal and would be managed by US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Meanwhile, Jaber also denied the news that he and the Lebanese ministers held a bilateral meeting on Tuesday, January 20 with the US envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and Kushner.

Jaber stressed that the meeting was attended only by "all Arab finance and foreign ministers, where they (Witkoff and Kushner) were present briefly and explained to the audience the idea of deciding on a peace council for Gaza."

When asked about his performance in attracting investment to improve Lebanon's economy, Jaber said: "The reality now is that we need to reach a situation where there is stability that will allow the Lebanese army, so that aggression (Israel) must be stopped."

Over the past few years, Lebanon has been hit by disasters: the economic crisis is one of the worst in the world, the largest non-nuclear explosion in its capital's port, a paralyzed parliament, and a war with Israel.

Formal mechanisms have been put in place between Lebanon and Israel to maintain the ceasefire, with plans to disarm Hezbollah in areas below the Litani River.

However, Jaber said, Israel's next move is unpredictable.

"They are actually putting pressure on the whole region. So, a lot of efforts are being made for that problem," he said.

"There are still attacks in the south of the country as well, so stability is the main need that will really succeed in pushing the economy forward and making reforms beneficial," Jaber continued.