Israel's bombardment of Lebanon has caused $1.5bn in damage, official says

Israeli bombardment of south Lebanon in seven months of cross-border hostilities with Hezbollah has caused more than $1.5bn in damage, a Lebanese official said on Wednesday.

Lebanon's Southern Council, an official body tasked with assessing the destruction, has estimated that since 8 October, the cost of "damage to buildings and institutions stands at more than one billion dollars".

Infrastructure, including water, electricity, roads and health services has also suffered damage estimated at around an additional $500m, according to the figures provided by council chief Hashem Haidar.