Prime Minister Nawaf Salam during a meeting with a delegation of mayors from southern Lebanese border villages on April 4, 2025. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — The Lebanese government is developing a plan for rebuilding the South's war-devastated villages in coordination with the World Bank, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced during a meeting with mayors from southern border towns.
Both during its war with Hezbollah as well as during the cease-fire that ostensibly ended hostilities, Israel leveled entire neighborhoods — and in some cases nearly entire villages — in southern Lebanon. By early November 2024, more than a month into the war and with three weeks still to go, more than 40,000 housing units in southern Lebanon had been destroyed.
During his meeting with the delegation of mayors, Salam said he is focused on helping residents "secure the necessary support from the Lebanese state, to help them stay in their villages and rebuild their destroyed homes, without any injustice to any of them," according to a report from the state-run National News Agency. Speaking ahead of the arrival of U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus to Beirut, the prime minister emphasized his government's efforts to "end the Israeli occupation of the South."
The reconstruction process — which Salam assured would be "fair" for villages and towns — will begin with the restoration of infrastructure such as roads, water, electricity, and telecommunications, Salam said, adding that a "plan is being developed with the World Bank."
According to Salam, three main issues arise with regard to addressing reconstruction in the South: "fairness in aid distribution, the necessity of ensuring stability, holding municipal elections, and the necessity of active participation."
Kfar Shuba mayor Kassem al-Qadri addressed the issue of delayed compensations during the meeting, saying, "The state's presence in our villages is still timid, as it has not yet been able to inspect all the damage and has not yet reached all villages."
"All the aid provided is food-related, while we also need electricity, water, and infrastructure," he said. He also told Salam of the need to appoint a person whose responsibility will be to coordinate on behalf of the border villages with ministries, and military and security commands.