Beirut [Lebanon], November 6: Dozens of towns and villages in Lebanon have suffered severe levels of destruction as part of Israel's offensive against the Hezbollah militia, the state-run Lebanese news agency NNA reported on Tuesday, citing its own sources.
NNA reported that entire streets or neighbourhoods in 37 towns have been obliterated. The report stated that 40,000 houses and apartments have been destroyed, with the southern region of the country being particularly affected.
At least 29 villages have been "completely destroyed" by Israel, in a 120-kilometre strip across the south of the country from the Naqoura region in the west to Shebaa in the Hasbaya district in the east, Mohamed Chamseddine, research director at the Lebanese polling institute Information International, said in an interview with the Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat published on Tuesday.
The Israeli military emphasizes that it only targets buildings used by Hezbollah, the Shiite militia allied with Iran, as hideouts or weapons depots.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war last year, Hezbollah has regularly fired rockets from southern Lebanon into Israel, forcing tens of thousands of Israelis to leave their homes.
Since the start of October this year, Israel has been conducting a ground offensive in Lebanon against Hezbollah, with the aim of enabling Israeli citizens to return to their homes in the north of the country.
However, the humanitarian situation in Lebanon is worsening.
According to the United Nations, more than 800,000 people have been displaced within the country due to the attacks.
The observer mission, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in the south of the country has also reported severe destruction of the country's infrastructure.
Some roads have become impassable, according to a statement by the UN peacekeepers. Peacekeeping forces are clearing debris and repairing roads to ensure safe supply routes to their bases, they said.
Source: Qatar Tribune
