Politics Israeli army destroys residential areas and villages in Lebanon

Following renewed Israeli attacks, the damage in Lebanon is massive. According to Lebanese security circles, the Israeli army almost completely destroyed several places in the south of the country. According to eyewitnesses, residential areas in the suburbs of the capital Beirut are in ruins. The attacks are aimed at the Shia militia Hezbollah, which has been firing rockets at Israel on a daily basis for over a year. But it is the civilian population that is suffering most from the war. The Lebanese army, which is actually neutral in the conflict, is also reporting losses.

Only parts of buildings remain

In the neighborhoods on the southern outskirts of Beirut, which are considered Hezbollah strongholds, only the remains of buildings are left, reported a dpa reporter. On Saturday, the Israeli military attacked the area again from the air after a break of several days. The buildings that had not yet been completely destroyed had suffered enormous damage and would either have to be demolished or renovated after the end of the war. At night, the once lively districts lay in complete darkness, without electricity or light.

Both the southern suburbs of Beirut known as Dahija and adjacent neighborhoods were densely populated residential areas with many restaurants and stores before the war began.

"Most of the areas have suffered massive damage," Samer, a resident of Shujefat on the southern outskirts of Beirut, told dpa. "If you're lucky, your home has only suffered massive damage and hasn't been completely destroyed," he said. After the renewed attacks, he came to inspect the damage to his house on Sunday. "It feels like the Israelis want to punish us for living in or near Hezbollah-controlled areas," he said. Most of the residents have already fled.

Security circles: Entire towns in the south blown up

In the south of Lebanon, the Israeli army has almost completely destroyed several towns, according to local security circles. The military had blown up the village of Ramja near Bint Dschubail in the border area, among others, according to information from Lebanese security circles. There was initially no official confirmation of this.

About a week ago, soldiers from the international UN mission had observed several Israeli units advancing from Israel across the demarcation line into Lebanon. A few days ago, a photo circulated on social media showing Israeli soldiers apparently posing in front of the village's community building.

Since the start of its ground offensive in southern Lebanon in September, Israel's army has generally not released details of troop movements or their strength. It called on the residents of the border area to flee at the beginning of the ground offensive. According to Israel, the aim of the operation is for Hezbollah to withdraw behind the Litani River as stipulated by a UN resolution and to destroy positions of the pro-Iranian militia near the border. This should enable around 60,000 Israeli citizens to return to their villages in the north of the country. They have had to flee the border area due to the daily attacks by Hezbollah since the beginning of the Gaza war.

Satellite photos show the extent of the destruction

A week ago, the Israeli army destroyed another village, as the "New York Times" reported after analyzing videos and satellite photos. According to the report, soldiers blew up large parts of the village of Mhaibib, which is also located in the border area. The village was home to a shrine to Benjamin, son of Jacob, who is revered as a prophet in Islam and is also mentioned in the Bible.

Israel's military announced that it had "dismantled" a network of tunnels used by the Hezbollah militia that led through the "core of a village" in Lebanon. The military also released a video showing the demolition of the village located on a hill.

According to Lebanese security sources, Jarun, Marun al-Ras and other villages in the border area were also largely destroyed. The village of Nabatija in the south-east, a commercial center of the region, is also said to have been partially destroyed.

Lebanese soldiers killed again

Lebanese soldiers are also repeatedly caught in the crossfire in southern Lebanon. According to the armed forces, three soldiers were killed in an attack. The Israeli military fired on an army vehicle near Ain Ebel, not far from the border with Israel, the military announced. The Israeli armed forces did not initially comment on the incident.

The Lebanese army is neutral in the conflict between Israel and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia. It is not Israel's declared enemy. Nevertheless, several soldiers have already been killed.

The war between Israel and Hezbollah began on October 8 last year with rocket attacks by the Lebanese militia in support of Hamas, which triggered the Gaza War with its terrorist attack on Israel the day before. Since then, Hezbollah and Israel's military have been engaged in heavy shelling, hundreds of people have been killed, thousands injured and hundreds of thousands displaced, most of them in Lebanon.

SDA