Key facts
- Israeli artillery shelled the vicinity of al-Mansouri on August 8, 2026.
- Satellite images reveal extensive Israeli demolitions of over 1,400 buildings in southern Lebanon since March 2, 2026.
- International law experts suggest the systematic demolition of towns and villages may constitute a war crime.
- Over 1.2 million people are estimated to have been displaced across Lebanon.
- Amnesty International concluded that Israeli military actions violated international humanitarian law.
Israeli artillery shelled the vicinity of the Lebanese town of al-Mansouri early Saturday morning, according to the country's National News Agency. This incident occurs as the Israeli army continues to occupy land in southern Lebanon and regularly attacks villages, despite ongoing diplomatic talks between Lebanon and Israel.
Satellite images and videos obtained by BBC Verify reveal that towns and villages in southern Lebanon are being leveled by Israeli demolitions. BBC Verify analysis found that more than 1,400 buildings had been destroyed since March 2, 2026, based on verified visual evidence, though the true scale is likely higher due to limited access and imagery. Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered on March 22, 2026, to "accelerate the destruction of Lebanese homes" near the Israeli border, using the "model in Gaza" as part of its campaign against Hezbollah.
International law experts told BBC Verify that the systematic demolition of these towns and villages may amount to a war crime. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that it operates in accordance with the Law of Armed Conflict and does not allow the destruction of property unless there is an imperative military necessity, adding without evidence that Hezbollah has embedded military infrastructure within civilian areas.
On March 2, 2026, the Iranian-backed armed group Hezbollah launched rockets and drones into Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader. The IDF responded with a wave of strikes across Lebanon, targeting what it said was Hezbollah infrastructure, and launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon. An IDF spokesperson first ordered Lebanese civilians living close to the border to leave on March 2, 2026. Days later, the evacuation order was expanded to those living south of the Litani river, about 30km from the border, and then further widened to those living south of the Zahrani river, 40km from the border. On March 16, 2026, the IDF said its troops had begun a ground operation against Hezbollah in south Lebanon.
More than 1.2 million people are estimated to have been displaced across Lebanon, including 820,000 from the south, according to figures by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The Lebanese health ministry says more than 2,000 people have been killed since the war began, while Israeli authorities said 13 soldiers and two civilians have been killed by Hezbollah over the past six weeks.
Verified footage and analysis of satellite imagery by BBC Verify found evidence of controlled Israeli demolitions in at least seven border towns and villages. The town of Taybeh, about 4km from the border, has been subject to particularly intense demolitions, with over 400 buildings leveled. In the town of Khiam and the villages of Qouzah, Deir Seryan, Markaba, and Aita al-Shaab, over 460 buildings were demolished in Aita al-Shaab alone. Excavators and armored vehicles were also seen in satellite imagery of the village.
Amnesty International reported that the Israeli military extensively destroyed and damaged civilian structures and agricultural land in southern Lebanon between October 1, 2024, and January 26, 2025. This destruction was carried out with manually laid explosives and bulldozers both before and after a ceasefire that took effect on November 27, 2024, and without apparent "imperative military necessity." Amnesty International concluded that these actions violated applicable rules of international humanitarian law, particularly the prohibition of destruction of property and cultural property, and that any such destruction should be investigated as a war crime.
Visual evidence shows Israeli troops deliberately left a trail of destruction, affecting homes, mosques, cemeteries, roads, parks, and football pitches. In one village, satellite imagery showed the Star of David carved into the ground. Israeli soldiers filmed themselves engaging in this destruction, with residents expressing distress. Amnesty International’s Evidence Lab verified 77 videos and pictures published on social media by Israeli soldiers, activists, and the media between October 1, 2024, and January 26, 2025, and analyzed satellite imagery.