BEIRUT, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Local officials and residents say Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon have destroyed hundreds of excavators and bulldozers used for civilian reconstruction, raising concerns over delays in rebuilding nearly a year after the end of border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

The residents said the Israeli attacks have hit workshops, highways, and machinery showrooms across towns, causing widespread losses for local contractors. Many of the targeted machines belonged to firms working on municipal projects such as debris removal, road repair, and water and sewage restoration.

"All we owned -- every machine and piece of equipment -- was destroyed in a single moment," said Ahmad Tabaja, whose excavator workshop in the southern town of Msayleh was leveled. "Dozens of bulldozers and excavators were reduced to blackened shells. These were civilian workshops, not military targets."

Lebanese military intelligence, Internal Security Forces, and municipal officials said Israel has repeatedly targeted excavation machinery and construction sites in southern Lebanon since the ceasefire. The Israeli army said it was targeting "Hezbollah infrastructure and engineering equipment used to rebuild terrorist facilities."

A survey by local municipalities and the Council of the South, which compensates war victims in the southern region, found about 400 excavators and bulldozers destroyed or damaged, paralyzing debris removal and infrastructure rehabilitation. Losses in Msayleh alone were estimated at 15 million U.S. dollars, with surrounding areas adding another 30 million dollars, according to a local researcher's report.

Authorities are considering urgent international assistance to replace the destroyed machinery, but import restrictions and Lebanon's financial crisis could delay recovery for months, a source in the Lebanese Contractors Syndicate said.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam instructed Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji to file an urgent complaint with the UN Security Council, calling the attacks "a blatant violation of UN Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire arrangements of last November."

Israel and Hezbollah were engaged in a 13-month cross-border conflict that followed the Gaza war, which began on Oct. 7, 2023. The fighting displaced tens of thousands in southern Lebanon and caused extensive damage to towns and infrastructure.

Despite a ceasefire reached in November 2024, Israeli forces have continued airstrikes across southern Lebanon, citing threats from Hezbollah. Israel also maintains military positions at five points along the border, even as a withdrawal is scheduled for Feb. 18.