eats Infographic Attached are some key aspects of the losses resulting from the conflict that raged intensely two months ago when Israel intensified its attack on the Iranian-backed Lebanese group.
The dead and wounded
- The Lebanese Ministry of Health said that as of November 24, at least 3,768 people had been killed and 15,699 injured in Lebanon since October 2023. The majority of the human casualties occurred after Israel intensified its offensive in September.
- Hezbollah had announced the killing of about 500 of its fighters in hostilities up to the moment when Israel launched its attack in September, but it did not announce the human losses it incurred after that.
- The Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, which is closely linked to the military establishment, says that Hezbollah lost 2,450 personnel in total.
- Hezbollah attacks killed 45 civilians in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights.
Israeli authorities say that at least 73 Israeli soldiers were killed in northern Israel, the Golan Heights and in clashes in southern Lebanon.
Destruction
- A World Bank report said that the cost of damage to housing in Lebanon is estimated at about $2.8 billion, with more than 99,000 housing units partially or completely destroyed.
- The Beirut Cities Laboratory, affiliated with the American University, said that Israeli air strikes demolished at least 262 buildings in the southern suburbs of Beirut alone, a Hezbollah stronghold.
- The Israeli army also caused widespread damage to villages and towns in the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon, two regions where Hezbollah has significant influence.
- According to estimates in the World Bank report, the damage to agriculture amounts to about $124 million, and the total losses exceed $1.1 billion due to harvest losses resulting from the destruction of crops and livestock and the displacement of farmers.
- Israeli authorities estimate the damage to property in Israel at at least $273 million, with thousands of homes, farms, and institutions damaged or destroyed.
- The greatest amount of damage in Israel occurred in the areas adjacent to the Lebanese border, which were bombed by Hezbollah missiles.
- Israeli authorities say that about 55,000 acres of forests, nature reserves, parks and open lands in northern Israel and the Golan Heights have been burned by fires since the beginning of the war.
Displacement
- The International Organization for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said that more than 886,000 people were displaced inside Lebanon as of November 18. UNHCR data showed that more than 540,000 people have fled from Lebanon to Syria since the start of the war.
- In Israel, about 60,000 people evacuated their homes in the north.
Economic impact
- In a report issued on November 14, the World Bank provided a preliminary estimate of the damage and losses inflicted on Lebanon at approximately $8.5 billion.
- Lebanon’s real GDP is expected to contract by about 5.7 percent in 2024, compared to pre-conflict growth estimates of 0.9 percent.
- The agricultural sector incurred losses exceeding $1.1 billion during the past twelve months due to the destruction of crops and livestock and the displacement of farmers, especially in the southern regions. The World Bank said that the tourism and hospitality sectors, the main contributors to the Lebanese economy, were the most affected, with losses amounting to $1.1 billion.
- In Israel, the conflict with Hezbollah exacerbated the economic impact of the war in the Gaza Strip, putting pressure on public finances.
- The budget deficit rose to about eight percent of GDP, prompting the three major credit rating agencies to downgrade Israel’s rating this year.
- The conflict also led to increased disruptions in supply chains until inflation rose to 3.5 percent, exceeding the central bank’s target range of one to three percent.
- As a result, the central bank maintained high interest rates to curb inflation, so mortgage rates remained high and pressures on families increased.
