Jerusalem, Oct 25 : The Israeli government allocated $246 millionto rehabilitate northern roads near the Lebanese border which have sustained significant damage as a result of increased army activity amid the ongoing fighting with the Hezbollah, the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety said in a statement. The Ministry said in a statement that the roads sustained significant damage as a result of the passage of heavy Israeli military vehicles, including tanks and armored personnel carriers, Xinhua news agency reported. "The infrastructure must be in good condition, and as much as it endangers human life, it must be repaired immediately," Minister of Transport Miri Regev was quoted as saying in the statement. She therefore directed the National Transport Infrastructure Company to formulate a plan to restore the roads under the allocated budget. The Minister noted that if necessary, additional sums would be allocated for the restoration of the damaged roads beyond the announced budget. The escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli border began when Hezbollah fired multiple rockets on October 8 toward Israeli military sites in support of the Hamas's surprise attack on the Jewish nation on October 7. In response, the Israeli forces fired heavy artillery on southeastern Lebanon on the same day. The border tensions have displaced more than 19,000 people in Lebanon, and the numbers are expected to rise if there is an escalation in violence, according to the International Organization for Migration. /IANS