PM pledges reconstruction on visit to ruined Lebanese towns
- Last updated: February 8, 2026 | 11:22 ..
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam visited heavily damaged towns near the Israeli border on Saturday, pledging reconstruction.
It was his first trip to the southern border area since the army said it finished disarming Hizbollah there, in January.
Swathes of south Lebanon’s border areas remain in ruins and largely deserted more than a year after a US-brokered November 2024 ceasefire sought to end hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed group.
Lebanon’s government has committed to disarming Hizbollah, and the army last month said it had completed the first phase of its plan to do so, covering the area between the Litani River and the Israeli border about 30 kilometres further south.
Visiting Tayr Harfa, around three kilometres from the border, and nearby Yarine, Salam said frontier towns and villages had suffered “a true catastrophe.”
He vowed authorities would begin key projects including restoring roads, communications networks and water in the two towns.
Locals gathered on the rubble of buildings to greet Salam and the delegation of accompanying officials in nearby Dhayra, some waving Lebanese flags.
In a meeting in Bint Jbeil, further east, with officials including lawmakers from Hizbollah and its ally the Amal movement, Salam said authorities would “rehabilitate 32 kilometres of roads, reconnect the severed communications network, repair water infrastructure” and power lines in the district.
Last year, the World Bank announced it had approved $250 million to support Lebanon’s post-war reconstruction, after estimating that it would cost around $11 billion in total.
Salam said funds including from the World Bank would be used for the reconstruction and rehabilitation projects.
The second phase of the government’s disarmament plan for Hizbollah concerns the area between the Litani and the Awali rivers, around 40 kilometres south of Beirut.
Lebanese officials have accused Israel of seeking to prevent reconstruction in the heavily damaged south with repeated strikes on bulldozers, excavators and prefabricated houses.
Visiting French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Friday said the reform of Lebanon’s banking system needed to precede international funding for reconstruction efforts.
The French diplomat met Lebanon’s army chief Rodolphe Haykal on Saturday, the military said.
Barrot said that Lebanon’s recovery remains precarious despite positive signs following a ceasefire and government transition, and it stood ready to support the country’s reconstruction if it continues with reforms.
Barrot addressing reporters after meetings in Beirut with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and other top officials, said France was prepared to host a dedicated conference in Paris on reconstruction, but only if reforms continue, legislation is passed and decisions are implemented.
While Lebanon has adopted banking secrecy and bank resolution laws, it must still complete restructuring, reach an IMF agreement and pass a loss-sharing law, Barrot said. He also urged swift action on Hezbollah disarmament and national reconciliation.
Barrot said Lebanon had reached a crucial juncture in implementing the November 2024 truce with Israel, as well as restoring state authority over weapons and stabilising a shattered financial system.
France, the country’s former colonial power, plans to mobilise international backing for the Lebanese armed forces and internal security forces at a separate conference scheduled for March 5 in Paris.
“Lebanon must work to restore confidence - that of its citizens, businesses, depositors, and the diaspora,” Barrot said.
France’s immediate focus was ensuring respect for the ceasefire, which he emphasised “implies that Israel withdraws from Lebanese territory, in accordance with its commitments, and that civilians are protected from strikes,” alongside implementation by Lebanese authorities of an agreed-upon arms monopoly plan.
Agencies