JERUSALEM, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Israel allocated 1 billion shekels (about 246 million U.S. dollars) to rehabilitate northern roads near the Lebanese border, the country's Ministry of Transport and Road Safety said in a statement on Tuesday.
The roads sustained significant damage as a result of the passage of heavy Israeli military vehicles, including tanks and armored personnel carriers, during the ongoing fighting between Israel and the Lebanese military group Hezbollah.
"The infrastructure must be in good condition, and as much as it endangers human life, it must be repaired immediately," Israel's Minister of Transport Miri Regev was quoted as saying in the statement.
She therefore directed the National Transport Infrastructure Company to formulate a plan to restore the roads under the allocated budget.
The minister noted that if necessary, additional sums would be allocated for the restoration of the damaged roads beyond the announced budget. ■
