Israeli-controlled demolitions have devastated towns and villages across southern Lebanon, with satellite imagery and verified videos indicating that more than 1,400 buildings have been destroyed since March 2, according to a BBC Verify investigation.
The destruction follows a sharp escalation in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah after the Iran-backed group launched rockets and drones into Israel on March 2.
Israel responded with air strikes, followed by a ground operation in southern Lebanon targeting what it said was Hezbollah infrastructure.
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BBC Verify said the documented destruction represents only a partial picture because of limited satellite coverage and restricted access on the ground. The actual scale of damage is likely to be significantly higher.
The demolitions intensified after Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered troops on March 22 to accelerate the destruction of Lebanese homes near the Israeli border using the model in Gaza. Israel has said the campaign is aimed at creating a security zone extending from the border to the Litani River, an area that would cover roughly 10% of Lebanese territory.
The Israel Defense Forces said its operations comply with international law and insisted that property is only destroyed when there is imperative military necessity.
It also accused Hezbollah of embedding military infrastructure within civilian areas, though it did not provide evidence.
Satellite analysis cited by BBC Verify found severe destruction in at least seven southern Lebanese towns and villages, including Taybeh, Khiam, Aita al-Shaab, Markaba, Qouzah, Deir Seryan and Naqoura.
In Taybeh, located around 4 km from the Israeli border, satellite images taken between Feb. 28 and April 11 showed more than 400 buildings, including a mosque, had been flattened. In Aita al-Shaab, more than 460 buildings were reportedly demolished.
The UN says more than 1.2 million people have been displaced across Lebanon, including around 8,20,000 from the south. Lebanon's health ministry estimates that more than 2,000 people have been killed since the conflict began, while Israel says Hezbollah attacks have killed 13 soldiers and two civilians.
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International law experts quoted by BBC Verify said the scale of destruction could amount to a war crime.
“It certainly does not cover levelling entire villages as a predicate to long-term national security,” said Janina Dill, professor of global security and international law at Oxford University.
Yuval Shany of the Israel Democracy Institute said the possibility that civilian buildings could be used for military purposes does not justify a sweeping policy of creating buffer zones next to the border inside which all buildings are to be destroyed.
Prof Ben Saul, UN Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights, said the destruction of residential areas in southern Lebanon appeared to violate international humanitarian law.
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