Key facts
- Firefighters and residents in southern Lebanon accuse the Israeli military of deliberately starting wildfires.
- Incendiary munitions, flares, and phosphorus shells are reportedly used to ignite blazes.
- Environmental groups view these fires as part of a pattern of attacks on Lebanon's natural environment.
- Significant areas of woodland, olive groves, and agricultural land have been burned.
- Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned Israel's actions as a violation of international law.
Firefighters and residents in southern Lebanon have accused the Israeli military of deliberately starting wildfires in the region, reportedly using incendiary munitions, flares, and phosphorus shells. Hussein Fakih, head of civil defence in the Nabatieh region, stated that Israeli forces dropped flares in a wooded area near Khiam, igniting fires, and that a drone strike forced firefighters to withdraw. Videos and testimony suggest incendiary bombs have been dropped daily since a ceasefire ended fighting between Hezbollah and Israel nearly two months ago. Environmental groups assert these fires are part of a pattern of 'ecocide' targeting Lebanon’s natural environment, degrading the ecosystem and impacting livelihoods. The conflict, which began on October 8, 2023, has seen Israel repeatedly target Lebanon’s woodlands. In Yaroun, residents found their ancestral olive and fruit groves, along with homes, set ablaze, with the mayor describing the actions as an attempt to make the land uninhabitable and erase history and culture. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned Israel's 'systematic destruction' in the south as a violation of international law.