Jaber announces $335 million for war-damaged infrastructure

Finance Minister Yassine Jaber announced Tuesday that the government will allocate $335 million to rehabilitate infrastructure damaged in areas affected by the recent war between Hezbollah and Israel.

The minister said that "a loan was signed with the World Bank and adopted by the Cabinet, under which about $335 million will be devoted to rehabilitating infrastructure damaged" by the fighting.

In an interview with al-Jadeed, Jaber stated that "around 500 buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs were cracked due to Israeli bombardments, and that the cost of their repair amounts to about $60 million." According to him, "the rehabilitation of these buildings has begun, and an Iraqi donation of $20 million has been allocated to them." He added that it was possible that "funds from the public treasury will be released in order to continue the reconstruction."

Several Lebanese regions, including southern Lebanon, Bekaa and the southern suburbs of Beirut, were subjected to intense Israeli bombardments during the two months of full-scale war, between September and November 2024. Reconstruction efforts are slow, due in part to the lack of foreign funding, as well as ongoing Israeli attacks on the south and the occupation of several points in that region.