Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has accused Israel of deliberately destroying homes and civilian infrastructure in southern Lebanon, calling the attacks, incursions, demolitions and systematic destruction a serious violation of international and international humanitarian law.
Salam rejected Israel’s claim that destroyed villages were military sites, saying that explanation could not justify destroying homes, displacing residents or preventing their return. His statement followed a visit to southern Lebanon by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, who said Israeli forces were destroying underground infrastructure and houses.
What the two sides said
Katz also said Israeli troops would not withdraw from occupied areas in Lebanon, Syria or Gaza. Israeli attacks wounded several people in southern Lebanon on the same day as the statements.
A US State Department official said Washington expected all parties to act consistently with the agreed framework and said Israel had clearly stated that it had no territorial ambitions in Lebanon.
Related coverage: What comes after UNIFIL in southern Lebanon?.
How the ceasefire weakened
The latest escalation follows a ceasefire that began on April 17 after US-mediated efforts to halt fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Israeli forces have continued attacks and remain in dozens of villages in southern Lebanon, with no timeline set for a full withdrawal.
On August 5, Israel struck Mansouri after accusing Hezbollah of a ceasefire violation that killed two Israeli soldiers near Majdal Zoun. Residents were ordered to evacuate the town, the first such order in weeks. A separate attack killed one person and wounded 11, and a strike the following day hit a home in Burj al-Shemali. Hezbollah did not claim the attack that killed the Israeli soldiers and has not publicly addressed it directly.
What the agreement requires
A framework agreement reached in Washington in June calls for Israeli forces to withdraw gradually from occupied Lebanese territory as the Lebanese army deploys to replace them, beginning with limited pilot zones. The arrangement is linked to Hezbollah’s disarmament.
More context: Israel sets Hamas disarmament condition for Gaza withdrawal.
Lebanon and Israel have held seven rounds of US-mediated talks—four in Washington and three in Rome—to implement the framework. Hezbollah is not party to those talks; Lebanese authorities say it has agreed to pull back south of the Litani River but will not disarm north of it.
Since March, Israeli strikes and ground operations have killed 4,333 people and displaced more than one million, roughly a fifth of Lebanon’s population, according to the supplied source material. The figures have continued to rise through the summer despite the ceasefire’s nominal start.
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