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Lebanon... War Losses Exceed $8 Billion and 40,000 Homes Destroyed
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Lebanon faces unprecedented economic and humanitarian challenges due to direct and indirect war damage, requiring urgent international support
Military confrontations intensified on the Lebanese front, where Hezbollah began targeting Israeli strategic facilities, announcing a hit on "an explosives factory near the coastal city of Haifa with a barrage of specialized missiles".
Hezbollah declared attacking "Maale Golani barracks (Hermon Brigade 810 headquarters) with a barrage of specialized missiles."
Israeli fighter jets carried out a violent attack on the Jiyeh area targeting a residential unit, while other raids hit various areas across the country, causing casualties.
Lebanese health institutions revealed that the casualty toll has risen to more than three thousand people, mostly since the end of September, with today's losses reaching five deaths near the city of Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley.
Clashes escalated between Hezbollah and the Israeli army seeking to advance towards the vicinity of Maroun al-Ras and Bint Jbeil, coinciding with attacks on the Israeli Meron Air Base in Upper Galilee and the Sasa settlement.
Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath correspondent reported the destruction of an entire neighborhood in the town of Shahabiya in southern Lebanon due to Israeli raids, while shelling hit the villages of Arabsalim, Arzoun, Al-Kharayeb, and Kafrtebnit.
The "National News Agency" published a report about Israeli infantry and vehicle movements in the heights of Shebaa Farms and Kfarchouba hills, being targeted by missiles.
The Israeli army disclosed intercepting a drone coming from the east over the Dead Sea area, in addition to aerial targets launched from Lebanon and Syria.
The Israeli raid on the Damascus vicinity resulted in the death and injury of 7 Hezbollah militants in the Sayyida Zainab area, where a training camp for Hezbollah fighters operating with Syrian regime forces is located.
Lebanese official statistics showed the complete destruction of more than 40,000 residential units in 37 southern towns, while 22,000 homes were partially damaged and 120,000 slightly affected.
Initial estimates for the cost of housing reconstruction reached about $4.2 billion, while indirect economic losses were estimated at about $4 billion, with economic activity declining by 50%.
Confrontations continue in the southern border regions since October 8, 2023, following Israel's declaration of war on Gaza and Hezbollah's announcement of support for the strip.
Levant-Agencies
