In brief
As Israeli forces continue their campaign in southern Lebanon, recent verified satellite footage has uncovered over 1,400 destroyed buildings since early March. The demolitions, justified by military necessity claims from the Israeli government, have been scrutinized by international law experts, raising serious questions about potential war crimes and the impact on civilian populations. The widening conflict has led to significant displacement, with approximately 1.2 million people affected in the region.
Towns and villages in southern Lebanon are being levelled by Israeli demolitions, satellite images and videos obtained by BBC Verify reveal.
BBC Verify analysis found more than 1,400 buildings had been destroyed since 2 March based on verified visual evidence. This is just a snapshot of the overall damage caused by Israeli air strikes and demolitions, because of limited access on the ground and available satellite imagery. The true scale is likely to be much higher.
Israel's levelling of these structures comes after Defence Minister Israel Katz's order on 22 March to 'accelerate the destruction of Lebanese homes' near the Israeli border based on the 'model in Gaza' as part of its campaign against Hezbollah.
The systematic demolition of these towns and villages may amount to a war crime, international law experts told BBC Verify.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that it operates in accordance with the Law of Armed Conflict and does not allow the destruction of property unless there is an imperative military necessity.
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 with Israel and the US. The IDF responded with a wave of strikes across Lebanon, targeting what it said was Hezbollah infrastructure, and launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.
More than 1.2 million people are estimated to have been displaced across Lebanon, including 820,000 from the south, according to figures by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The Lebanese health ministry says more than 2,000 people have been killed since the war began.
The deliberate demolition of structures is not a new Israeli military tactic. It has been deployed across swathes of Gaza during the conflict that began on 7 October 2023. Renad Mansour, Deputy Director of Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, stated that there's been a strategy for Israel to revise the balance of power in the region.
Multiple legal experts indicated that the destruction of properties is strictly prohibited by international humanitarian law unless it is deemed necessary for military operations. They emphasize that while some civilian buildings may offer potential military significance, this does not justify widespread demolitions aimed at entirely removing populations.
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.
