Amid ceasefire, Israeli forces ramp up destruction of homes in southern Lebanon

The terms of the ceasefire preserved Israel’s right to “take all necessary measures in self-defense, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks,” according to the U.S. State Department. With the deal expiring on May 17, the U.S. is expected to mediate a fresh round of talks between Israel and Lebanon on May 14 and 15, though it is not clear who will be involved in the negotiations or if they will definitely go ahead.

Asked to comment on Israel’s operations in southern Lebanon, the State Department referred NBC News to a statement announcing the expected talks.

Hezbollah, which has not been party to the negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, has vowed to act “in defense of Lebanon and its people,” and in response to Israel’s ceasefire violations and aggression against civilians.

Abbas Awada, the mayor of Khiam, a town that lies in the security zone, said the destruction in parts of southern Lebanon became “systematic” after the truce came into effect on April 16. He said Israel Defense Forces appeared to by trying to “destroy everything related to life.”

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has described plans to apply a Gaza model to southern Lebanon, comparing the Israeli military’s tactics to those used in parts of the Palestinian enclave that remain under Israeli control. Katz has also warned that residents of southern Lebanon would not be able to return to their homes until the safety of Israelis in northern Israel was guaranteed.

A major focus of Israeli activity has been the Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil, where then-leader Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah delivered a victory speech in 2000 as Israel ended 18 years of occupation.

From this day Bint Jbeil’s symbolism as a Hezbollah stronghold grew, and the town became an IDF target.

Images captured by European aeronautics and space company Airbus two days before the truce was announced showed significant damage in Bint Jbeil. Images captured 11 days later, on April 25, show a much larger proportion of the town lies in ruins.

In one video published online on April 18, buildings across Bint Jbeil burst into clouds of dust in what appear to be sweeping controlled demolitions. This was consistent with a report by the Lebanese National News agency from April 19 that Israeli forces had continued to destroy “remaining homes” in the town.

In mid-April, the Israel Defense Forces shared an aerial image appearing to show a debris-strewn stadium where Nasrallah delivered his famous address. The Hezbollah leader was killed by Israel in 2024 along with over 1,000 leaders and rank-and-file members.

Images shared on social media on April 22 show what appear to be Israeli soldiers putting up an Israeli flag in the destroyed facility.

Asked to comment on the imagery of destruction, the IDF said on May 1 that as part of the effort to remove the direct threat to residents of northern Israel and prevent the re-establishment of Hezbollah, its forces were operating against the group “in the area close to the border” with Israel. It also said Hezbollah was embedding military infrastructure and assets within the civilian population centers.

Meanwhile, in a statement published on Telegram on Tuesday, the IDF said it had struck more than 1,100 Hezbollah targets and killed more than 350 militants in southern Lebanon “in recent weeks” as part of what it said were “operations carried out within the framework of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”

The IDF had previously said it killed more than 200 Hezbollah members in Bint Jbeil alone in recent weeks, in addition to dismantling over “900 terror infrastructure sites” in the area.

While demolitions began before the April 16 ceasefire, really sweeping destruction kicked off after it was declared, Mohammad Bazzi, the mayor of Bint Jbeil, told NBC News. Around 1,500 residential buildings have been completely demolished, along with schools and mosques, he said.

“Israel wants to erase our identity and heritage so people are unable to come back,” Bazzi said.

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