BEIRUT, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's war-linked environmental losses have topped 512 million U.S. dollars, with more than 7,000 hectares of forests and woodland burned in the south since 2023, Environment Minister Tamara El Zein said Wednesday.
Describing Israeli attacks as environmental crimes, El Zein said the environmental damage is part of the overall direct war damage that could reach 11 billion dollars, according to Lebanon's National News Agency.
The minister called for a comprehensive environmental rehabilitation plan, despite the government's financial constraints and the complex security situation on the ground.
The rehabilitation push comes amid ongoing Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon, despite a framework agreement recently reached between Israel and Lebanon to halt cross-border fighting. ■
