Unexploded munitions a lingering deadly threat of Israel's war on Lebanon

Experts return to southern areas already cleared of bombs from previous conflicts

Bomb removal experts work in an area in the south of Lebanon, under a joint army-NGO programme. Mohamad Zanaty / The National

Wearing cumbersome visors that extend below the chin and heavy red protective suits in the scorching summer heat, Hussein Jaafar and his team of munitions disposal experts carefully search a steep hillside near Ras El Ain in southern Lebanon.

Holding one arm behind the back, to avoid losing both in the event of an explosion, the team members carefully scan from side to side as they inch forward.

They are making sure the area considered “contaminated” is clear of unexploded munitions left over from Israel's heavy bombardment of southern Lebanon during its war on the country in pursuit of Hezbollah last year.

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Mr Jaafar, a site supervisor for non-governmental organisation DanChurchAid (DCA), which has teamed up with the army-run Lebanese Mine Action Centre (LMAC), explained the painstaking process to The National.

“First, he will do a visual inspection of the weeds, then he will cut them. Then he will do a visual inspection of the land, then he will start using the metal detector,” he said.

A man takes part in operations to clear south Lebanon from unexploded ordnance. Photo: Mohamad Zanaty / The National

After the explosives are detected, they start the complex and delicate process of removing them for disposal.

Mr Jaafar says he worked at this site with DCA more than 10 years ago to clear unexploded ordnance left behind from the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war and from conflicts before that – including the 1975-1990 Lebanese Civil War. Now he is back again.

The entire area has been cordoned off with red and white tape to keep away residents, whose homes are visible at the top of the slope. A long water pipe serving those nearby snakes along the sandy soil.

“Look here, there are many trees and plants that people would come to pick,” said a Lebanese army officer accompanying The National, pointing to shrubbery next to the tape.

The clearance operations are based on a variety of databases of suspected contaminated sites that draw from a number of sources including residents and Unifil, the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon.

Mike Bonke, DCA's Lebanon director, says the munitions clearance is “an ongoing process”.

“It's not just from the last few months of the escalation, it's from October 2023 up until now,” he said, referring to the start of the cross-border conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that led to an intense Israeli bombing campaign across the country, as well as a ground invasion, in September last year.

The scale of the bombing is clear from the damage to towns and villages across southern Lebanon, and Israel continues to carry out air strikes despite a ceasefire that went into effect in November, further complicating the process of decontaminating the area. While The National was in Ras Al Ain, there was a loud explosion from an air strike about two kilometres away, in a village the DCA had cleared only the previous week.

It is difficult to know just how many munitions Israel dropped, with the huge variety of explosives and weapons used making the task more difficult, Mr Bonke said. An estimated 10 to 15 per cent of the high-explosive munitions dropped by Israeli fighter jets did not explode.

Other explosives are from Hezbollah weapons storage depots that scattered across the surrounding civilian areas after the sites were bombed by Israel. Even though they were in storage, “you have to treat them as if they were armed and ready to explode”, Mr Bonke said.

A bomb removal expert searches for unexploded ordnance. Mohamad Zanaty / The National

The drive to clear Lebanon of mines and unexploded munitions could be set back by the possible withdrawal of Unifil, one of the main resources for tracking where the explosives fell. The force's mandate is up for renewal next month and, while Lebanon and Hezbollah have voiced strong support for its operations to continue, Israel and the US have criticised Unifil while stopping short of formally calling for its mission to be ended. Although a withdrawal is not expected, Israel and the US could push for Unifil's mandate to be changed.

The task is far from over. Before the Israel-Hezbollah war last year, much of the DCA's focus was on the Mount Lebanon region. They have been doing this for nearly 20 years. Knowing which civil war militia was active in each respective area can help; one example given by experts is that if it is a Druze area, it is likely to be French weaponry.

Organisations like DCA also rely on funding, the sources of which are not always stable.

Lebanon had hoped to be free of unexploded cluster munitions by 2028 and mines by 2030. The most recent war is likely to push back those deadlines, but the clearing teams are undeterred.

“Every time we remove a mine, a bomb or anything that could harm others we feel that we have saved the life of a person,” says Lina Shahine, a DCA team leader.

“Even animals, we feel that we have saved the life of a soul,” added Ms Shahine, who comes from a family with many members in the Lebanese Army.