The Israeli military has demolished entire villages in southern Lebanon, rigging homes with explosives and razing them to the ground in mass remote detonations. Videos reviewed by The Guardian showed destruction in the border villages of Taybeh, Naqoura and Deir Seryan, with Lebanese media reporting further demolitions elsewhere.
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, called for the destruction of “all houses” in border villages, citing a model used in Rafah and Beit Hanoun in Gaza, where 90% of homes were destroyed. The military said it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure embedded in civilian areas.
Rights groups have condemned the tactic, describing it as “domicide” – the systematic destruction of housing to render areas uninhabitable. Human Rights Watch researcher Ramzi Kaiss said the possibility that Hezbollah may use some civilian structures does not justify the wide-scale destruction of entire villages.
Residents expressed devastation. Ahmad Abu Taam, a shop owner from Taybeh, said seeing his town square blown up made him feel like a refugee with no home. “Everything is gone. Everything has been wiped out,” he said. Another resident, Ahmad Ibrahim, mourned the loss of his family’s home and the springtime memories his children will now miss.
Israel has stated it will occupy areas up to the Litani River and prevent displaced residents from returning until the safety of northern Israeli communities is guaranteed, raising fears of long-term displacement. The demolitions have prompted accusations of war crimes under laws prohibiting the deliberate destruction of civilian property except when necessary for lawful military reasons.
