BEIRUT —  In a meeting with the U.N.'s humanitarian coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza, Minister of Finance Yassin Jaber renewed his call for reconstruction assistance, emphasizing its importance for sustainable stability, according to a statement relayed by the state-run National News Agency.

Jaber also stressed the need for better-coordinated "international efforts and for U.N. institutions to pressure Israel to stop its aggression," which has been ongoing in Lebanon since and despite the cease-fire. Jaber, whose nomination to the post of finance minister was put forward by Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, called for concerted efforts to have UNIFIL, in cooperation with the Lebanese Army, extend full control over all southern areas, which is part of the Lebanese truce agreement, and which calls for, in tandem, Hezbollah's withdrawal from all territory south of the Litani River.

Riza, for his part, said that donors should coordinate "to secure funding for the reconstruction of what was destroyed by the war," and noted that the U.N. is about to launch a new campaign to collect aid for Lebanon and support projects related to social affairs, particularly in the fields of health and education.

However, Riza also expressed concern that the U.S. decision to halt its aid to Lebanon would negatively impact the funds, which totaled $1.3 billion last year.

The World Bank released its final report approximately two weeks ago on the damages and losses sustained by Lebanon due to the war between Israel and Hezbollah from Oct. 8, 2023, until the truce on Nov. 27, 2024. The report estimated the total damage cost at $6.8 billion in regions affected by Israeli bombings, with economic losses estimated at $7.2 billion for the entire country. The recovery and reconstruction cost was projected at $11 billion "in the short and medium term."

Jaber expressed his hopes for more effective cooperation between various bodies and the Ministry of Finance, particularly in providing technical support for a number of projects recently launched by the ministry in the fields of digitization and automation, aiming to enhance data management and optimize its integration.