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

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has stated that the scale of rebuilding efforts required to recover from the recent Israel-Hezbollah war is beyond the capacity of his country's state. In a visit to Nabatieh, a city in the south heavily damaged by Israeli airstrikes, Salam emphasized the need for significant funding to support reconstruction.

The latest conflict was triggered when Hezbollah launched an attack on Israel in March, leading to a broader Middle East war. The death toll from these conflicts has been estimated at over 8,900, and hundreds of thousands remain displaced, primarily from the south. Israel maintains a security zone around 10km inside Lebanon's border.

While violence has decreased since a ceasefire following a US-Iran memorandum of understanding in June, Israeli attacks continue in Nabatieh and surrounding areas. The Israel-Lebanon deal, which involves Hezbollah disarming, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the region in test areas known as "pilot zones", is crucial for achieving a full Israeli withdrawal and establishing a state solely responsible for war and peace decisions. However, Hezbollah has rejected disarming.