Israel Announces Mega-Plan to Develop Northern Communities Amid Hezbollah Threats

(Central News Agency, Jerusalem, June 2, Combined Foreign Reports) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced today that the government will allocate 13 billion shekels (over $4.5 billion, or NT$141 billion) to protect and develop northern communities bordering Lebanon.

According to AFP, these northern communities along the Lebanese border have been subjected to heavy artillery fire from Iran-backed Hezbollah in recent weeks.

Netanyahu said: 'The government has made a significant decision today to strengthen security in the northern region. In addition to the 7 billion shekels previously invested, we will invest an additional 13 billion shekels, totaling 20 billion shekels for the development of northern communities.'

Netanyahu's office called the plan a 'mega-plan,' which includes three specific measures: adding 1,800 protective shelters in public places such as bus stops, shopping centers, and parks, and renovating about 500 existing shelters to defend against incoming rockets and drones.

Additionally, the government will provide subsidies to residents living within 9 kilometers of the Lebanese border to build safe rooms in their homes.

The third measure is to attract 100,000 new residents by improving healthcare, transportation, education, tourism infrastructure, and employment opportunities.

Netanyahu's announcement came after opposition figures criticized the government for long neglecting the areas along the Lebanese border.

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, and opposition leader Yair Lapid posted on social media platform X last night, noting that only three ministers attended a cabinet meeting to discuss the northern situation.

Eisenkot wrote: 'What the northern residents need are leaders who see them and protect them.' (Editor: Liu Wenyu) 1150603