Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, has said Israeli airstrikes have turned southern Lebanon into a "devastated agricultural area.”
“It is imperative to declare the southern region a disaster zone, especially since this issue will have long-term repercussions,” Mikati said at a cabinet session that he chaired at the Grand Serail.
"Eight hundred hectares have been completely damaged, 340,000 heads of livestock have died, and about 75% of farmers have lost their final source of income," he told the cabinet on Thursday.
"This problem will extend to the coming years."
Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan sounded the alarm last month, saying the Israeli strikes were preventing farmers in villages and towns near the border reaching their fields, affecting up to 30% of Lebanon's agricultural output.
Israel and Hezbollah have been trading fire across Israel's northern border since war erupted in Gaza, with Hezbollah firing rockets and Israel launching airstrikes and artillery shells.
The Israeli strikes have burned tens of thousands of olive trees and torched farmland across southern Lebanon, hurting herders and farmers already suffering from a deep economic crisis that has made it even more important for Lebanon to produce its own food.
“We raise our voice to the international community, condemning the aggressions and demanding the restraint of the enemy, the cessation of war and the establishment of peace,” said Mikati.
