More than 1.2 million people have been forced to flee their homes in southern Lebanon as Israel’s military campaign unfolded in phases, beginning with forced evacuation orders for over 100 villages near the border on 2 March. The orders quickly expanded, eventually covering roughly 14.3% of Lebanese territory, with the vast majority of displacement concentrated in the south.
Israeli airstrikes, totalling more than 3,688 between 2 March and 1 May according to the war monitor Acled, hit houses, valleys, cars and civilian infrastructure, including bridges across the Litani River. Human rights groups said targeting bridges could constitute a war crime due to their civilian status and role in supplying residents still trapped in the area. Hours before the 17 April ceasefire, Israel bombed the last bridge out of Tyre, forcing people to abandon cars and walk through the crater to leave.
After the ceasefire, Israel established the 'yellow line' along the border, an occupied zone comprising more than 50 villages and about 608 sq km, or approximately 6% of Lebanese territory. Despite the truce, Israeli strikes have continued, and Hezbollah has kept attacking Israeli soldiers, with analysts describing the situation as a lower-intensity war rather than a full cessation.
The pace of demolitions has increased as much of the south has been depopulated. Israeli forces, joined by civilian contractors using excavators, have flattened entire villages along the border, using explosive-laden vehicles and bulldozers. Videos of the destruction have been published by the Israeli military and journalists, including in Qantara, where buildings were systematically levelled.
Most displaced residents remain unable to return, particularly those from areas under the yellow line, which is now under Israeli occupation. The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, ordered the military to apply the 'Rafah and Beit Hanoun model' in southern Lebanon, continuing a policy of village demolitions that has left much of the region in ruins.
