The head of the municipality of Kfar Shouba and Arkoub (Hasbaya), Qassem al-Kader, at a press conference on March 11, 2025. (Credit: NNA)
The head of Kfar Shuba and Arkoub (Hasbaya) municipality, Qassem al-Kader, called on Tuesday for the accelerated reconstruction of the village, which was heavily damaged by Israeli strikes during the war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2023/2024.
During a press conference, Kader said that nearly half of Kfar Shuba's residents have returned home after the Lebanese army deployed in the village following the cease-fire agreement, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
"So far, they do not have access to water, electricity, telecommunications, schools, shops and security ... The abandonment of this area is unbearable," he stated. He also denounced that a month and a half after this return, the Water Authority has still not provided residents with their water needs, even though they paid the necessary fees.
The municipal president also highlighted that the Arkoub road had still not been repaired.
"The Electricity of Lebanon (EDL) network connecting Wazzani to Kfar Shuba is still out of service, and we do not know when it will be repaired," he added, noting that the repair of the EDL network was "very slow" due to poor weather conditions or lack of materials.
Regarding the houses destroyed by the Israeli strikes, Kader stated that no repairs have been carried out because the company that committed to managing the rubble has not paid the necessary costs. He added that no official damage assessment was conducted in Kfar Shuba and that the Arkoub region did not receive the needed interest from officials visiting the south to work toward its reconstruction.
Kfar Shuba is located about two kilometers from the border with Israel. Despite the implementation of the cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel on Nov. 27 last year, the Israeli army maintains a presence in five points it deems strategic in southern Lebanon and continues its daily operations against alleged Hezbollah militants. In a report published last week, the World Bank estimated that $11 billion is needed in the short and medium term to repair the damage caused by Israeli bombings during the war.