Lebanon Says More Than Fifth of Population Displaced From Israel-Hezbollah Conflict
- Tourism, agriculture facing near-total shutdown, minister says
- More than a fifth of the population displaced, government says
Internally displaced families take shelter at a nightclub in Beirut.
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Lebanon’s economy minister said the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has already cost his country $20 billion, a figure he expects to keep rising.
The estimate, which includes both direct and indirect costs, “can really triple or quadruple” if Israel widens its strikes to infrastructure such as airports and major roads, Amin Salam said in an interview in Washington on Thursday. Lebanon’s gross domestic product was around $18 billion in 2023, according to the World Bank.