The war between Israel and armed group Hezbollah is expected to wipe 9% off Lebanon's national wealth as measured by GDP, the United Nations said on Wednesday, with the scale of hostilities and the economic fallout set to surpass the last war in 2006.
Government revenue is expected to fall by 9% and total investment by more than 6% through both 2025 and 2026 © Mena Today
The war between Israel and armed group Hezbollah is expected to wipe 9% off Lebanon's national wealth as measured by GDP, the United Nations said on Wednesday, with the scale of hostilities and the economic fallout set to surpass the last war in 2006.
The U.N. Development Programme's rapid appraisal of the conflict's impact on Lebanon's gross domestic product was released a day ahead of a summit hosted by France to help drum up international support for Lebanon.
UNDP said it expected the conflict to last until the end of 2024, leading to a 30% jump in the government's financing needs in a country in dire straits even before violence began.
"GDP is projected to decline by 9.2% compared to a no-war scenario, indicating a significant decline in economic activity as a direct consequence of the conflict (around 2 billion dollars)," the report said.
UNDP said that even if the war ended in 2024, the consequences would persist for years, with GDP likely to contract by 2.28% in 2025 and 2.43% in 2026.
Lebanon was already suffering a four-year-old economic downturn and a political crisis when Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel last year in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas.
UNDP said the damage to physical infrastructure, housing and productive capacities like factories would likely be close to that estimated for the 2006 war, which was between $2.5 billion and $3.6 billion. But it warned of larger overall damage to Lebanon.
"The scale of the military engagement, the geopolitical context, the humanitarian impact and the economic fallout in 2024 are expected to be much greater than in 2006," it said.
UNDP's report said the closure of border crossings critical for trade would bring a 21% drop in trade activities, and that it expected job losses in the tourism, agriculture and construction sectors.
Government revenue is expected to fall by 9% and total investment by more than 6% through both 2025 and 2026.
As a result, increased international assistance will be essential for sustainable recovery in Lebanon, UNDP said - not only to address the spike in humanitarian needs but to stem the long-term social and economic consequences of the conflict.
Lebanon's minister in charge of its crisis response told Reuters that the country needed $250 million a month to help more than 1.2 million people displaced by Israeli strikes.
By Maya Gebeily and Michelle Nichols
Lebanon's caretaker prime minister pleaded in Paris on Thursday for support for his nation's army which would help secure any ceasefire, but a low-level U.S. presence at the conference in France and a looming U.S. election dimmed prospects for a swift halt to fighting.
French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting a high-profile international conference in Paris this Thursday aimed at gathering financial support for Lebanon.
An Israeli strike on Wednesday night destroyed an office used by the pro-Iran Al-Mayadeen broadcaster, a Lebanese security source told Reuters.
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