Beirut, Aug 8 (IANS): Lebanon's tourism revenue loss exceeded 3 billion US dollars this summer due to the Hezbollah-Israel conflict, Jean Beyrouthy, head of the Federation of Tourism Syndicates, said Thursday.

"Over this summer ... the occupancy rate in hotels fell to less than 20 percent," Beyrouthy was quoted by local news website Elnashra as saying, Xinhua news agency reported.

Beyrouthy stressed the need for a special economic decision to save the tourism sector as the conflict is expected to continue for an unknown period.

He also called on Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati to "hold a meeting with the Supreme Council of Tourism to assess the tourism situation so that the sector can be exempted from fines."

Tensions are high in Lebanon following Israel's attack on Dahieh in Beirut's southern suburbs, which resulted in the death of a senior Hezbollah military commander, Fouad Shokor, and seven civilians. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has threatened a definite and painful response to the Israeli raid at the appropriate time and place.

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on Oct. 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets at Israel in solidarity with Hamas's attack on Israel the previous day. In response, Israel fired heavy artillery into southeastern Lebanon.