Government expands fortification effort to 89 communities on Lebanon border

The government announces that it is expanding its Shield of the North fortification program to communities located up to nine kilometers (5.6 miles) from the Lebanese border.

Under the expanded program, eligible homeowners will be able to receive grants of up to NIS 182,000 ($60,400) to build reinforced safe rooms to provide cover in the event of missile fire. Applications are expected to open on September 15.

More than 15,000 safe rooms are slated to be built across 89 communities. The plan also provides NIS 4.2 billion ($1.4 billion) for reinforcement work covering some 11,000 apartments in multi-unit buildings.

The expansion comes in addition to some 3,000 safe rooms being built within one kilometer of the border, more than half of which have been completed or are nearing completion, according to a joint statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, Defense Ministry and Home Front Command.

The program is expanding protection in the communities after years during which they were battered by missile and drone fire from the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon.