Lebanon’s Minister of Agriculture, Abbas Al-Haj Hassan, announced that Egypt and other friendly nations will assist Lebanon in reconstructing its agricultural infrastructure and other economic sectors.
In an interview with Cairo-based news channel Al-Qahira today, Wednesday, Al-Haj Hassan highlighted the severe losses the Lebanese agricultural sector has faced since the ongoing war in Gaza began.
He pointed out that southern Lebanon’s agricultural output, including both plant and animal sectors, comprises nearly 20% of the national GDP.
The minister also accused Israel of aiming to destroy Lebanon’s national economy through its agricultural sector, emphasizing the urgent need to assess the damages once the Israeli hostilities cease.
He further revealed that 54 villages in southern Lebanon are being bombed daily with internationally banned white phosphorus, resulting in the burning of over 6,000 hectares and approximately 60,000 olive trees, some over 300 years old.
The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza, revealed that the ongoing crises in Lebanon throughout 2024 have left 3.7 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
This figure includes Lebanese citizens affected by the economic collapse, as well as Syrian and Palestinian refugees, and other migrants. Riza emphasized that the ongoing conflict has severely weakened the Lebanese state’s ability to address political, economic, and security challenges.
According to the UN Information Centre, Riza highlighted the urgent need for successful political and diplomatic efforts to ease tensions, noting that the situation in Lebanon has “deteriorated dramatically” in recent weeks.
He stressed the critical importance of de-escalation, particularly given the rising tensions over the past three weeks.
Riza pointed out that over the past ten months, nearly 200,000 people have been displaced due to cross-border clashes along the Blue Line, which separates Lebanon and Israel. Of these, more than 110,000 are within Lebanon.
