Israel Destroys 326 Heavy Equipment For South Lebanon Reconstruction

JAKARTA - The Israeli military destroyed 326 units of heavy equipment used for the rebuilding of the southern region of Lebanon.

The chairman of the South Lebanese State Council, Hashim Haidar, told RIA Novosti that of these, 32 units were vehicles belonging to the South Lebanese State Council.

Reported by ANTARA from Sputnik-OANA, Wednesday, November 19, all the damage has been documented and the Lebanese government is expected to allocate funds to compensate and purchase new equipment.

Since November 2024, more than 50 residential and non-inhabitable buildings in southern Lebanon and the West Beqaa region have been completely destroyed, while more than 189 other buildings require repairs.

Haidar estimates that the recovery cost for the southern region alone will reach 5 billion US dollars (approximately Rp83.6 trillion).

According to him, about $5 billion is needed to rebuild the southern region of Beirut and other affected areas of the Beqaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.

According to Haidar, this figure is a big burden that requires serious political decisions because it exceeds the country's financial capacity.

However, with limited resources, the government can still start urgent work, at least strengthening a number of buildings so that displaced residents can return to their homes.

The only source of reconstruction funding currently available is a USD 250 million World Bank loan (approximately IDR 4.18 trillion) allocated specifically for infrastructure projects.

Israeli drone attacks often target bulldozers and transport trucks working in the destroyed southern Lebanese cities.

In early October, Israeli aircraft attacked the main depot of Lebanese construction equipment and destroyed dozens of heavy equipment.

Israel confirmed the attack on the grounds that the equipment was used by the Lebanese group, Hezbollah, to rebuild its military infrastructure.

Lebanese authorities have repeatedly stated that Israel continues to systematically violate state sovereignty, even though a ceasefire agreement has been reached in November 2024.

The Israeli military still maintains its presence at five strategic points in southern Lebanon, including the northern part of Ghajar Village, which the Lebanese government considers a form of continued occupation and violation of the UN Security Council's Resolution 1701.

Israel claims its attacks in Lebanon targeted Hezbollah's assets and its military leaders.

Israel also stressed it would continue to carry out attacks to eliminate threats posed by the group.