Lebanese authorities destroy opium fields

Security forces on Wednesday began destroying poppy fields in eastern Lebanon in a campaign aimed at stamping out drug production.

Voice of Lebanon radio said the destruction of the fields in the barren terrains of Hermel began in the morning and will continue until police eradicate remaining plantations in the area.

The Bekaa valley became notorious for its production of opium, the source of heroin, during the 1975-90 civil war but cultivation was largely eradicated by the government in the early 1990s.

However, the failure of alternative crops to generate income for farmers has led some to begin sowing poppies again in recent years.