Scale of Demolitions in Southern Lebanon
Towns and villages in southern Lebanon have been extensively levelled by Israeli demolitions, as revealed by satellite images and videos obtained by BBC Verify.
Analysis by BBC Verify identified more than 1,400 buildings destroyed since 2 March, based on verified visual evidence.
This figure represents only a portion of the total damage caused by Israeli air strikes and demolitions, due to limited ground access and available satellite imagery. The actual scale of destruction is likely significantly higher.
Israel's demolition campaign follows an order from Defence Minister Israel Katz on 22 March to "accelerate the destruction of Lebanese homes" near the Israeli border, modeled on tactics used in Gaza, as part of its operations against Hezbollah.
The systematic demolition of these towns and villages may constitute a war crime, according to international law experts consulted by BBC Verify.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that it operates in accordance with the Law of Armed Conflict and does not permit property destruction unless there is an imperative military necessity.
The IDF also asserted, without presenting evidence, that Hezbollah has embedded military infrastructure within civilian areas in the region.
Conflict Background and Military Operations
On 2 March, the Iranian-backed armed group Hezbollah launched rockets and drones into Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader at the start of the war involving Israel and the US.
The IDF responded with extensive strikes across Lebanon, targeting what it identified as Hezbollah infrastructure, and initiated a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.
An IDF spokesperson initially ordered Lebanese civilians living near the border to evacuate on 2 March. This evacuation order was subsequently expanded to include residents south of the Litani River, approximately 30km (20 miles) from the border, and later extended further to those south of the Zahrani River, 40km from the border.
On 16 March, the IDF announced the commencement of a ground operation against Hezbollah, a Shia Muslim political and military group, in southern Lebanon.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 1.2 million people have been displaced across Lebanon, including 820,000 from the south. Many have fled to northern areas or crossed into Syria.
The Lebanese health ministry reports over 2,000 fatalities since the conflict began. Israeli authorities reported 13 soldiers and two civilians killed by Hezbollah over the past six weeks.
Destruction of Border Towns and Villages
Lebanese hilltop border towns and villages have been heavily damaged. Previously known for their winding streets and stone buildings overlooking valleys, verified videos now show these areas covered in dust and debris from explosions.
Katz's plan for an Israeli-controlled "security zone" extending from the border to the Litani River would encompass about 10% of Lebanon's territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated this was intended to "thwart the threat of invasion."
Using verified footage and satellite imagery analysis, BBC Verify found evidence of controlled Israeli demolitions in at least seven border towns and villages.
The town of Taybeh, approximately 4km (2.4 miles) from the border, has experienced particularly intense demolitions. Eleven verified videos depict entire sections of the town being destroyed simultaneously.
Satellite image comparisons from 28 February and 11 April reveal that more than 400 buildings, including a mosque, have been levelled in Taybeh.
Other towns and villages such as Khiam, Qouzah, Deir Seryan, Markaba, and Aita al-Shaab have also been affected. Verified videos show coordinated explosions destroying multiple buildings.
In Aita al-Shaab alone, over 460 buildings have been demolished. Satellite imagery shows excavators and armoured vehicles operating in the village, according to Tony Reeves, founder of intelligence analysis firm MAIAR.
In the coastal town of Naqoura, Israeli demolitions have damaged the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Kandice Ardiel, a UNIFIL spokeswoman based at the headquarters, reported regular demolitions of several buildings at a time since early April.
Satellite image analysis indicates at least 100 buildings have been destroyed in Naqoura in recent weeks.
Ardiel described the destruction opposite the UNIFIL headquarters as "truly heartbreaking," emphasizing that these buildings represent a community, not merely structures.
Historical Context and Legal Perspectives
The deliberate demolition of structures is not a new tactic for the Israeli military. Similar strategies have been employed across Gaza during the war triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
Renad Mansour, Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, a UK-based think tank, stated:
"It's been clear since October 7 and since Israel and Hezbollah have gone to war that there has been a strategy for Israel to revise the balance of power in the region."
Multiple legal experts told BBC Verify that international humanitarian law strictly prohibits the destruction of property unless it is demanded by military necessity.
Professor Janina Dill, a global security and international law expert at Oxford University, explained:
"It certainly does not cover levelling entire villages as a predicate to long-term national security."
Yuval Shany, a legal expert from the Israel Democracy Institute think tank, noted that determining military significance requires case-by-case analysis:
"The capacity of some civilian buildings to be used for military activity does not justify a sweeping policy of creating buffer zones next to the border inside which all buildings are to be destroyed."
Professor Ben Saul, UN Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights, stated that Israel's extensive destruction of residential areas, particularly in southern Lebanon and parts of Beirut, appears to violate international humanitarian law.
Shia Muslim communities constitute the majority of the southern Lebanese population, with other groups, including Christians, also residing there.
Professor Saul added:
"In places the pattern of attacks appears aimed to 'cleanse' predominantly [Shia] villages and populations from the south, collectively punishing civilian populations within which Hezbollah fighters may be mingled."
The IDF responded:
"Any suggestion that the IDF is acting to 'cleanse' civilian populations, punish communities, or target civilians on the basis of religion or sect is categorically false.
Such warnings are not intended to permanently displace civilians or prevent their lawful return."
Legal and Ethical Considerations
Dr Lawrence Hill-Cawthorne, co-director of the Centre for International Law at the University of Bristol, emphasized the fundamental rule of law:
"Civilian objects must not be targeted.
It is not a permissible defence to claim that the total destruction of towns and villages in southern Lebanon is necessary for creating a buffer zone to hold back Hezbollah.
Even if Israel's war in Lebanon can be considered self-defence against attacks from Hezbollah, its conduct seems to go far beyond a limited war of self-defence against specific attacks."
Additional reporting by Paul Brown and Adam Durbin.
