Lebanon has snapped up a USD 250 mn financing package from the World Bank (WB) to support the country’s reconstruction efforts after Israel’s attacks in 2023-24, according to a statement. The loan — part of a larger USD 1 bn scalable package — falls under the Lebanon Emergency Assistance Project framework (pdf) and is set to focus on damaged infrastructure identified in the WB’s Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA) (pdf).

Financing priorities: The program will focus on “immediate response” activities, such as rubble removal and recycling, and support the “rapid repair and recovery of essential services” and reconstruction of critical infrastructure across several sectors.

Lebanon’s transport sector sustained some USD 198 mn in damages during the conflict, including some USD 110 mn in damages to the country’s roads. Around 930 km of roads were impacted — 216 km fully destroyed and 714 km partially damaged, along with 40 m of tunnels and six bridges. Some USD 172 mn of transport sector losses were also recorded during the conflict.

The sector’s recovery will likely require around USD 302 mn, with a focus on rebuilding roads, bridges, and tunnels across the country. Some USD 76 mn in investments are needed in the immediate term, with USD 151 mn and USD 75 mn required for short-term and medium-term recovery, respectively, according to the RDNA.

IN CONTEXT- Lebanon’s road network — spanning 21.7k km — is a key form of transport in Lebanon, leaving the logistics sector dependent on it for transportation of goods and services.

Retail, warehousing, and trade took a hit too: Retail, warehouses, and trade assets were severely hit during the conflict, sustaining about USD 261 mn in damages and USD 900 mn in losses.

About the RDNA: The RDNA is an impact assessment commissioned by the Lebanese government and conducted by the WB to measure the size of the damage inflicted on Lebanon from October 2023 until December 2024 during active conflict with Israel.

A pebble in the pond: Surveying 10 sectors, the assessment found that the conflict damaged assets worth USD 6.8 bn and caused economic losses of USD 7.2 bn, with the damages to critical infrastructure and buildings necessary for economic recovery estimated at USD 1.1 bn. Reversing the damage and supporting recovery would ultimately require about USD 11 bn of investments, the RDNA found.

MORE FROM WB

Syria has secured a USD 147 bn grant from the World Bank (WB) to rehabilitate its beleaguered electricity systems, according to a statement. The funding — which comes as part of the Syrian Electricity Emergency Project (SEEP) — will go towards repairing and upgrading transmission lines and substations, as well as building institutional capacity for managing the infrastructure.

REMEMBER- Saudi Arabia and Qatar cleared all of Syria’s debts — c.15.5 mn worth — to the WB back in May 2025, marking Syria’s return to the international financial market and enabling Syria to be qualified once again for WB loans after over a 14-year hiatus.

The financing is set to focus on infrastructure servicing regional interconnections, with an unidentified portion earmarked to repair two damaged 400kV lines that connect Syria with Jordan and Turkey.

REFRESHER- The neighbors have been helping out: Turkey, Iraq, and Qatar stepped up their efforts over the past few months to support Syrian electricity generation, pledging a mix of energy exports to the country. Turkey is set to provide Syria with electricity exports of up to 1 GW and annual gas exports of c.2 bn cbm of gas, enough to generate 1.3 GW of electricity. Qatar also pledged 2 mn cubic meters of natural gas per day to generate 400 MW of electricity, whereas Iraq said it was working toward resuming oil exports through the Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline.

Improving electricity services for areas hosting the biggest number of refugees and internally displaced people is also on top of the agenda, with a focus on providing spare parts and maintenance tools to repair damaged high-voltage substations that serve these identified areas.

Who’s doing what: The Public Establishment for Transmission and Distribution of Electricity (PETDE) will be executing the project, and an unnamed international consulting company will be brought in as a project management advisor. WB will bring a third party to supervise the project’s funds and ensure social and environmental standards.

What they said: “Rehabilitating the electricity sector has emerged as a critical, no-regret investment that can improve the living conditions of the Syrian people, support the return of refugees and the internally displaced, enable resumption of other services such as water services and healthcare for the population and help kickstart economic recovery,” Director of WB’s Middle East Division Jean-Christophe Carret said.

ICYMI- Both the EU and the US have lifted their far-reaching sanctions on Syria recently, including a US waiver for sanctions under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, paving the way for foreign private investment into the nation after over a decade of civil war.

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