Israel flattening civilian buildings in southern Lebanon during truce, say commanders
Israel has continued to systematically flatten civilian buildings in southern Lebanon during the ceasefire, according to a report in Haaretz on Sunday.
A 10-day pause in hostilities in Lebanon began on Thursday last week.
But since then, Israeli army commanders have told Haaretz that systematic destruction of civilian buildings in southern villages was continuing to take place.
The commanders said civilian engineering tools had been brought into the area, including excavators, and were being operated by paid Israeli civilian contractors.
Some of these contractors were receiving a daily wage, while others were paid based on the scope of work and the number of buildings they destroyed.
One source told Reuters that some of the contractors had previously operated in the Gaza Strip.
In one village, a source said that around 20 excavators were currently operating simultaneously.
One source said that schools and civilian sites were being flattened as part of an Israeli policy to “clean up the area”. The method is modelled on Israeli activities in Gaza during the genocide which began in October 2023.
Civilian infrastructure is being destroyed south of the “yellow line” drawn up by Israel, which is located around 20km south of the Litani River. Israeli forces are prohibited from crossing the line as per the ceasefire agreement.
Sources told Haaretz that one of the goals of the destruction is to prevent Lebanese residents from returning to areas near the border with Israel.
They said that Israel’s military is assessing the scale of the destruction through digital tools, including statistical systems that track the number of buildings destroyed in each sector.
Demolitions 'modelled on Gaza'
Last month, Israel Katz, the Israeli defence minister, said: “All houses in villages near the border in Lebanon will be demolished in accordance with the Rafah and Beit Hanoun models in Gaza.”
He said at the time that after Israel’s offensive in Lebanon was over, the military would maintain security control “over the entire area up to the Litani”.
Israel has been pummelling Lebanon since US-Israeli strikes on Iran killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, prompting a cross-border rocket attack by Hezbollah in retaliation on 2 March.
Since 2 March, Israeli attacks have killed at least 2,294 people in Lebanon, including 100 rescue workers and healthcare personnel, and wounded 7,544, the Lebanese health ministry said.
About 1.2 million people have also been displaced nationwide.
Moments before the ceasefire began last week, Israel struck a residential complex in the southern city of Sour, killing 11 and wounding 35.
Tens of thousands of displaced people began returning home in the early hours of Friday.
During the war, Israel destroyed all bridges over the Litani, including the key Qasmiyeh bridge, severing the last link between the south and the rest of the country.
Last week, a makeshift passage was hastily set up after the ceasefire took effect in anticipation of a large number of people returning, to compensate for the destruction of Qasmiyeh bridge.
Haaretz reported last week that the Israeli military was establishing additional outposts in southern Lebanon.
Since a ceasefire was agreed in November 2024 during the previous war, Israel has maintained five outposts in Lebanon.
Israel violated the 2024 ceasefire agreement brokered under the Joe Biden administration more than 10,000 times in the span of a year, a United Nations assessment found.
This article was sourced from Middle East Eye.
Read Full Article on Middle East Eye →