People inspect the damage in the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Sour, southern Lebanon, on June 2, 2026. (Credit: Aziz Taher/Reuters)
SOUTH LEBANON — Administrative Development Minister Fadi Makki said during a visit to Sour that he briefed international partners, including the ambassadors of Canada and Belgium and Danish embassy representatives, on the scale of damage and challenges facing the south.
Makki was accompanied by a diplomatic delegation that included the Belgian Ambassador to Lebanon Arnout Pauwels, the Canadian Ambassador Gregory Galligan, representatives of the Danish embassy, MP Halima Kaakour, and the head of Électricité du Liban, Kamal Hayek, along with a technical team.
"The visit provided an opportunity to brief international partners, particularly the ambassadors of Canada and Belgium, and representatives of the Danish embassy, ... on the scale of damage and challenges in the south, helping strengthen partnerships and attract international support", Makki said, according to a statement relayed by our correspondent.
Throughout the war between Hezbollah and Israel, which resumed on March 2 and subsided in mid-June, the Israeli army completely destroyed many villages in south Lebanon, and caused significant damage in other areas, including the city of Sour.
The minister began his tour in the city of Sour, at the Benoit Barakat army barracks, where he met with the commander of the army’s South Litani sector, Brigadier General Nicolas Tabet. This was followed by a field visit to assess the extent of the damage and evaluate needs and priorities on the ground.
He then visited the Sour municipality, in the presence of Mayor Hassan Dbouk, among others. Discussions focused on the city’s situation and the challenges it faces in the post-conflict phase, as well as development and administrative needs to support recovery and reconstruction.
From there, Makki said that the presence of a technical team from OMSAR and Électricité du Liban (EDL) among the delegation "aims to assess damage and intervene where possible, particularly in electricity and digital services."
He also noted "plans to launch a platform linking the needs of affected areas with available expertise and resources to ensure organized and transparent support, alongside the development of the 'Dawlati' platform as a unified portal for citizens to access services, submit requests for aid and compensation, and track them easily."
He concluded by emphasizing that the priority is to return residents to their homes, restore state institutions, and bring life back to normal in affected areas.
Meanwhile, the mayor pointed out that with the new school year approaching, the priority is to provide adequate shelters for residents so that education can resume without disruption.
The minister and accompanying delegation then continued their tour to the cities of Nabatieh and Habboush to assess the damage there as well.
Economy Minister Amer Bisat paid a visit to Southern Lebanon on Friday and Saturday, during which he stressed that the government is seeking to accelerate reconstruction work, despite noting that progress on restoring electricity and energy is slow, as is the case with water and telecommunications.
In May, Finance Minister, Yassin Jaber, noted that this year's war between Israel and Hezbollah is expected to shrink Lebanon's economy by at least 7% this year and could cost the country an estimated $20 billion.
In infographics: How 4 months of Israeli attacks and war devastated Lebanon
