Lebanon’s PM says scale of war recovery beyond state’s capacity

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has stated that the cost of rebuilding regions ravaged by the recent Israel-Hezbollah conflict is beyond the country's capacity. Speaking in Nabatieh, a city severely damaged by Israeli airstrikes, Salam emphasized the magnitude of the crisis, including the destruction, displacement, and loss of livelihoods.

He called for significant funding to aid in the reconstruction efforts. The latest conflict began in March when Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group, launched attacks on Israel, leading to a broader Middle East war. The fighting followed a 2023 conflict that also resulted in a full-scale war. Lebanon estimates the overall death toll from these conflicts at over 8,900, with hundreds of thousands of people displaced, mostly from the southern region.

Israel maintains a self-declared security zone around 10km inside Lebanon's border. Salam highlighted that the estimated total cost of the two wars could surpass US$27 billion. Although violence has decreased since a ceasefire, following a US-Iran memorandum of understanding in June, and after a US-sponsored framework agreement, Nabatieh and nearby areas continue to face Israeli attacks.

The proposed Israel-Lebanon deal involves disarming Hezbollah, Israel's gradual withdrawal from Lebanon's south, and the deployment of the Lebanese army, starting in designated "pilot zones." Salam stressed the importance of garnering all available support for a full Israeli withdrawal and establishing a state that holds sole authority over war and peace, aiming to prevent further conflicts or Israeli occupation expansions.