Israel‘s education minister, Yoav Kisch, stated in early July that “Lebanon, as we know it, will not exist.”
This remark echoed the sentiments of far-right Israeli officials who have called for the dismantling of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
A year prior, Israeli ministers had backed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declared objective to “eradicate” Hamas in Gaza, following a deadly attack by the group on southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,139 individuals and the abduction of approximately 250 on October 7, 2023.
In the name of this objective, Israel has reportedly killed over 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza, displaced nearly the entire population of 2.3 million, obliterated civilian infrastructure, and created conditions conducive to widespread famine.
Since intensifying its military actions against Lebanon in late September, Israel has been employing similar strategies in southern Lebanon, as reported by civilians, analysts, and human rights organizations.
Amal Saad, a Hezbollah expert originally from south Lebanon, stated, “The situation in south Lebanon cannot be compared to that of Gaza, as Gaza is experiencing a historically unprecedented crisis that amounts to genocide.”
She further remarked to Al Jazeera, “While Israel appears to be employing tactics similar to those used in Gaza, the current situation in Lebanon is not yet characterized by ethnic cleansing or genocide.”
However, she cautioned, “It has the potential to escalate in that direction.”
kill zones
On September 23, Israel’s military chief, Daniel Hagari, urged residents of south Lebanon to evacuate areas associated with Hezbollah’s military activities, including locations used for weapon storage.
According to Ramzi Kaiss, a Lebanon researcher for Human Rights Watch, the lack of specific guidance on which villages to evacuate and which areas might be safe rendered these warnings largely ineffective.
Furthermore, he noted that the warnings imply that Israel is categorizing anyone who remains in their villages, whether by choice or necessity, as a military target—similar to its approach in Gaza, where the Israeli military deemed areas designated for evacuation by Palestinians as “kill zones.”
Individuals who remain in these areas frequently face gunfire or aerial bombardment.
“Providing a warning does not grant permission to regard everyone as a combatant,” Kaiss stated.
Al Jazeera interviewed four residents from southern Lebanon who reported that most villages and towns beyond Sidon—located approximately 44 km (27 miles) south of Beirut—are nearly deserted.
Since September 23, Israel has reportedly killed nearly 2,000 individuals before they could evacuate their homes, including over 100 children, along with numerous medical personnel and rescue workers.
Ahmed, a young man from a small village near Nabatiya in southern Lebanon, chose not to evacuate due to his commitment to caring for his grandmother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s.
In a conversation with Al Jazeera, he recounted an Israeli bomb striking a location near his residence.
“There’s a 50-50 chance that someone still here will survive,” he conveyed in a voice message.
“The Israelis disregard civilian status,” he continued. “They assume everyone is a combatant, and many homes around me have been destroyed by Israel, despite the fact that there were no weapons in them.
“I knew all the residents of those homes.”
Israel blurred the lines between civilian and military targets
According to the latest data from the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT), Israel has damaged or destroyed approximately 66 percent of all structures in Gaza.
This widespread destruction suggests that Israel has deliberately blurred the lines between civilian infrastructure, such as homes, medical facilities, and aid warehouses, and legitimate military targets.
Analysts and civilians have indicated to Al Jazeera that this strategy appears to be mirrored in Lebanon.
An elderly resident from a predominantly Christian village in southern Lebanon reported that Israeli forces bombed both his home and that of his neighbor on September 30.
This attack resulted in the deaths of his wife and children, including a newborn less than a week old.
He mentioned fleeing to Beirut but did not specify the timing of his departure, emphasizing that Israel is targeting everything and sometimes provides civilians with delayed warnings.
“They did not provide us with any warning before commencing airstrikes on our village,” he stated to Al Jazeera. “This is unjust. The warning from them arrived only afterwards.”
A recent video shared on social media depicts the border town of Yaroun, a largely Shia community, devastated by Israeli bombings over the past year.
The visuals are reminiscent of those from Gaza and heighten concerns that many more civilians may lose their lives, according to Kaiss from HRW.
“Based on our observations on the ground, there is a considerable risk that civilians in the region will encounter atrocities or be subjected to them,” he informed Al Jazeera.
Prolonged Displacement
As Israel conducts extensive bombings across Lebanon, residents are left anxious about the duration of their displacement—similar to the situation in Gaza, where Israel has largely evacuated the northern areas and continues to instruct those remaining to move south.
No one in Gaza is certain when or if they will be able to return to the north to rebuild their lives.
The prospect of prolonged, possibly permanent, displacement also troubles Jad Dilati, whose family fled from Nabatieh to Beirut as Israel intensified its military actions in Lebanon two weeks ago.
Structures and businesses that were integral to his daily life and childhood now lie in ruins, including the local vegetable market and barber shop.
He worries that his home could be next.
“They might target our house simply on a whim,” Dilati, 23, expressed to Al Jazeera. “I feel as though I will return to a town that is unrecognizable.”
Dilati considered the likelihood that he might not return to Nabatieh for an extended period, given the potential for the war to continue or for Israel to attempt to occupy southern regions again, similar to its actions from 1982 to 2000.
On October 8, a video shared on social media depicted Israeli soldiers hoisting their flag on Lebanese territory.
“This is the cost of living adjacent to an expansionist ethno-state,” Dilati remarked to Al Jazeera.
In spite of Israel’s invasion and the widespread devastation in southern Lebanon, Dilati remains hopeful about returning to Nabatieh to assist his community in rebuilding the homes and livelihoods that have been shattered by renewed Israeli aggression.
“We will reconstruct [Nabatieh] to make it even better than it was before. My parents work in Nabatieh. My sister attends school there. Everything I know, I learned in Nabatieh,” he expressed.
“I cannot fathom not being able to return. I understand what Palestinians have endured, and while it may be a possibility, I find it hard to imagine.
“I have faith that we will prevail [in the war], even if it requires time.”
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