The amount of damage caused by Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon after seven months of clashes with Hezbollah amounts to about 1.5 billion euros, a Lebanese official told AFP today.

Since the start of the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas on October 7, there have been almost daily exchanges of fire between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, which says it supports the Palestinian movement.

The Council of the South, an official institution responsible for recording the damage in southern Lebanon, estimates that by the beginning of May the damage to buildings and facilities exceeded “1 billion dollars” (approx. 930 million euros “, said Hashem Haidar.

Infrastructure damage amounts to $500 million (or €465 million), he added.

The South Council gathers information from “engineers, mayors, local elected officials who provide us with the data they have,” he explained.

Journalists cannot get close to the border zones because of the heavy shelling and because the main roads have been destroyed. Rescuers and ambulance crews speak of mass destruction in villages that have been deserted.

In its most recent report, the UN reported that more than 93,000 people in Lebanon have been displaced by the escalation of conflict.

Israel says it is hitting Hezbollah infrastructure and positions, but Lebanese authorities say thousands of homes have been completely or partially destroyed.

“The Council estimates there are 1,700 demolished homes” and more than 14,000 less damaged.

Crops have also been destroyed by the bombings. Lebanon even accuses Israel of using white phosphorus weapons, the use of which is prohibited against the civilian population. Authorities are waiting for a ceasefire to take a closer look at the damage, but it remains unclear how residents will be compensated in a country mired in an unprecedented economic crisis for five years.

After the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, the reconstruction was financed by the Gulf countries – mainly Qatar – and Iran.