BEIRUT, May 6 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli airstrike on water facilities in southern Lebanon has caused water supply disruptions in 40 towns and villages, the region's water authorities said Monday.

The South Lebanon Water Establishment said in a statement that the al-Tasseh Spring water project's facilities in Iqlim al-Tuffah had been severely damaged in the attack, including its "transformer, electrical rooms, pumps, a tank, and some pumping tubes."

The damage has led to the release of a strong unpleasant odor in the area, it noted, urging "everyone to avoid using the (facilities') water for drinking and cooking until laboratory tests confirm the safety of the water."

It also noted that the losses resulting from the airstrike are initially estimated at more than 600,000 U.S. dollars.

A media official at the establishment told Xinhua that the water supply to about 40 towns and villages in Iqlim al-Tuffah and Nabatieh came to a halt due to the damages.

The source added that the project pumps 25,000 cubic meters of water daily at its peak capacity in the winter and 15,000 cubic meters in the summer, and over 60,000 people benefit from its drinking water.

Lebanese military sources told Xinhua that during the attack, an Israeli airplane fired two air-to-surface missiles toward the project.

They said Israeli warplanes launched on Monday five raids on four towns and villages in southern Lebanon, while Israeli artillery fired about 45 shells toward 10 towns and villages in the border region of southern Lebanon, causing material damage.

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on Oct. 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack on Israel the day before. Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon. Enditem

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