Lebanese official says Israeli airstrikes have caused $1.5 billion in damage

Israeli shelling of south Lebanon in seven months of cross-border hostilities with Hezbollah has caused more than $1.5 billion in damage, a Lebanese official says.

Lebanon’s Southern Council, an official body tasked with assessing the destruction, estimates that since October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah began attacking Israel following the Hamas assault launched from Gaza a day earlier, the cost of “damage to buildings and institutions stands at more than one billion dollars.”

Infrastructure, including water, electricity, roads and health services, has also suffered damage estimated at around an additional $500 million, according to the figures provided by council chief Hashem Haidar.

The Southern Council estimates that some 1,700 buildings have been completely destroyed, while around 14,000 have been damaged. Emergency personnel have reported huge damage and villages emptied of residents.