Israeli forces have bombed villages in southern Lebanon, killing at least 10 people in two days and forcibly displacing residents as they press ahead with a Gaza-style campaign despite a ceasefire and direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials in Washington.
According to Lebanese state media, six people were killed on Friday and four on Saturday in a wave of Israeli attacks across the south. Hezbollah said that it responded by targeting Israeli soldiers, while clashes were also reported in areas along the border.
Ceasefire breaches have persisted, with Israel continuing a strategy of widespread demolition beyond a so-called yellow line, where it is seeking to occupy a buffer security zone.
The plan involves rendering more than 50 border villages effectively uninhabitable. The approach is similar to tactics used in Gaza, particularly in areas such as Rafah in the south, where large-scale destruction has prevented residents from returning home.
On Saturday, CNN analysis of satellite imagery revealed the extent of the devastation, with hundreds of buildings, most of them homes, having been flattened or severely damaged. Images captured after the April 16 ceasefire announcement show demolitions continuing, with excavators and Israeli armoured vehicles operating in affected areas.
UN agencies agree that dozens of villages have been heavily damaged or partially destroyed, but no exact figures have been published yet.
Rights groups have warned that Israel’s operations in Lebanon reflect behaviour seen in Gaza, including heavy strikes on civilian infrastructure, pressure on healthcare systems, and the targeting of journalists, alongside what they describe as psychological warfare.
Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed to destroy all homes in villages near the border, in line with what he called “the Rafah and Beit Hanoun model.”
Israel and Hezbollah agreed to the pause after fighting a war for more than a year following Hamas’s attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. Fighting resumed on March 2 this year after Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel. The Tehran-backed group stated that it was responding to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and more than a year of ceasefire breaches by Israel.
Israel retaliated with force that was described as “disproportionate” by EU and western officials, and civilians in Lebanon have paid the heaviest price. At least 2,500 people, including more than 170 children, have been killed since then, according to Lebanese authorities.
