Shafaq News<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s ongoing military campaign in Lebanon, the
\nmost dangerous escalation since the 1982 invasion, is reshaping the country\u2019s
\nsouthern geography and threatening to trigger long-term demographic and
\npolitical consequences. Field estimates and statements from Israeli officials
\nindicate that, if the conflict were to stop at its current stage, nearly 10% of
\nLebanese territory could remain under direct or indirect Israeli control.<\/p>\n
The war has already displaced more than 1.2 million
\nLebanese, according to the Ministry of Social Affairs, particularly following
\nthe escalation linked to the US-Israeli confrontation with Iran that began on
\nFebruary 28. The figure represents nearly one-fifth of Lebanon\u2019s population.
\nThe Health Ministry data also indicate that approximately 13,000 people have
\nbeen killed or wounded since the conflict intensified on March 2. <\/p>\n
While Lebanon has experienced repeated waves of According to field data and publicly available Israeli officials, including Defense Minister The destruction on the ground extends beyond Contrary to common perceptions, southern Lebanon is The Israeli military has consistently framed its The senior UN humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon, An Israeli airstrike, for example, killed at least UN experts noted that many strikes hit densely Suha, a 30-year-old resident of Hasbaya, a \u201cEvery night I spend in Hasbaya, I hear explosions Although Hasbaya avoided the level of destruction The WHO representative in Lebanon, Dr. Abdinasir Amnesty International noted the Israeli military Between March 2 and May 21, Israeli attacks have HRW documented that the Israeli strikes on at least Ahmad Haidar, a Lebanese civil defense activist, \u201cIsrael has killed people from every sect and Field reports further indicate that several The April 8 campaign, Operation Eternal Darkness, The conflict\u2019s implications extend beyond Lebanon Netanyahu previously announced plans for what he Military estimates suggest Israel currently Israeli strategic planning increasingly seeks to Legally, the developments raise questions over As fighting continues without a clear political
\ndisplacement during previous Israeli invasions and wars in 1978, 1982, 1996,
\n2006, and 2024, the current campaign differs in both scale and method. Entire
\nvillages<\/a> and towns in southern Lebanon have been systematically destroyed,
\nraising concerns that Israel is applying in Lebanon a model similar to the one
\nused in Gaza.<\/p>\n
\nmilitary assessments, Israeli forces<\/a> currently exercise direct occupation or
\neffective fire control over around 60 villages and towns across southern
\nLebanon. The areas, estimated at more than 400 square kilometers, include
\nlocations where residents can no longer safely return due to continuous
\nairstrikes and artillery fire.<\/p>\n
\nIsrael Katz, have openly discussed plans<\/a> for a buffer zone extending between
\nseven and 15 kilometers inside Lebanese territory. Finance Minister Bezalel
\nSmotrich recently argued that the Litani River should become the effective
\ndividing line of the conflict zone, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir
\nwent further by publicly speaking about potential Israeli settlement plans
\ninside Lebanese territory.<\/p>\n
\nmilitary targets. Entire villages, including Mhaibib, Aita Al-Shaab, Kfarkela,
\nYaroun, Maroun Al-Ras, and Odaisseh, have reportedly been leveled. Other towns
\nsuch as Khiam, Mais Al-Jabal, Blida, Houla, and Dhayra suffered near-total
\ndevastation. Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the UN human rights officer have
\nincreasingly classified such operations as potential war crimes, citing forced
\ndisplacement and widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure.<\/p>\n
\nnot exclusively Shiite. Although Shiites form the majority population in many
\nsouthern districts, the region also includes Sunni Muslims, Druze communities,
\nand Christian villages representing multiple denominations. The scale of
\ndisplacement and destruction risks undermining Lebanon\u2019s delicate sectarian and
\ncommunal balance.<\/p>\n
\noperations in Lebanon as targeting Hezbollah infrastructure and personnel.
\nHowever, UN humanitarian officials and field documentation indicate the impact
\nhas extended well beyond Hezbollah-affiliated areas and communities.<\/p>\n
\nImran Riza, confirmed after a field visit to Beirut’s southern suburbs that airstrikes
\nand demolitions were causing casualties among women, men, and children, as well
\nas displaced families, including Syrian and Palestinian refugees and
\nBangladeshi migrants.<\/p>\n
\n23 people in the village of Aalmat, north of Beirut, and far from the areas in
\nsouthern and eastern Lebanon where Hezbollah maintains a major presence.<\/p>\n
\npopulated residential neighborhoods and commercial areas in central Beirut, in
\nviolation of the principles of distinction and proportionality under
\ninternational humanitarian law.<\/p>\n
\npredominantly Druze town in southern Lebanon, described the psychological
\nstrain of living near the conflict zone.<\/p>\n
\nand airstrikes hitting nearby villages,\u201d she told Shafaq News, requesting
\npartial anonymity. \u201cSometimes I can see the flashes from the strikes with my
\nown eyes. On one hand, you feel relatively safe, but on the other hand, your
\npeople are being killed and losing their livelihoods.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nseen elsewhere in the south, nearby roads, valleys, and commercial areas have
\nrepeatedly come under attack, forcing residents to alter travel routes and
\ndaily routines.<\/p>\n
\nAbubakar, also confirmed that health facilities had been directly attacked,
\nwith five hospitals forced to evacuate within a single month, and that attacks
\non medical workers, ambulances, and civil defense centers had accelerated the
\nerosion of Lebanon’s healthcare sector.<\/p>\n
\nalleged \u2014without providing evidence\u2014 that ambulances and healthcare sites were
\nbeing used for military activities.<\/p>\n
\nkilled 116 healthcare workers and injured 263 others across Lebanon, the Health
\nMinistry reported. The strikes have affected 147 healthcare facilities during
\nthe same period, including 16 hospitals and 31 healthcare centers. The
\nministry’s overall toll since March 2 stands at 3,111 killed and 9,432 wounded.<\/p>\n
\nnine bridges along the Litani River between March 12 and April 8 significantly
\nlimited the ability of state institutions, humanitarian organizations,
\nhospitals, and healthcare facilities to deliver aid and provide medical care.<\/p>\n
\ntold Shafaq News that casualties and destruction have affected nearly all
\nLebanese communities.<\/p>\n
\ntargeted areas across the country,\u201d he said, adding that the destruction did
\nnot only hit Shiite villages, but also Sunni villages such as Marwahin, Yarine,
\nand Dhayra were devastated, while Beirut and its suburbs faced hundreds of
\nairstrikes that killed Sunnis, Shiites, and Christians alike.<\/p>\n
\nChristian-majority villages in southern Lebanon, including Rmeish, Ain Ebel,
\nDebel, Alma al-Shaab, and Qawzah, were exposed to incursions or bombardment.
\nSyrian and Palestinian refugees, as well as Lebanese citizens holding European
\nand American nationalities, have also been among the casualties.<\/p>\n
\ninsisted that every target hit belonged to Hezbollah. The operational reality
\nthat day told a different story. In the span of ten minutes, some 50 Israeli
\nfighter jets delivered around 160 munitions across at least five neighborhoods
\nin Beirut’s central and coastal areas, hitting busy commercial and residential
\ndistricts during rush hour and sending the city into widespread panic. By the
\ntime the smoke cleared, at least 360 people were dead and more than 1,000
\nwounded, the vast majority of them in areas where ordinary Lebanese had been
\ngoing about their daily lives.<\/p>\n
\nitself. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly linked
\nmilitary operations in Lebanon and southern Syria under a broader security doctrine
\naimed at preventing hostile armed groups from operating near Israel\u2019s northern
\nborders.<\/p>\n
\ndescribed as a \u201csecurity zone\u201d stretching from Ras Naqoura on Lebanon\u2019s
\nMediterranean coast to areas reaching the Yarmouk Basin and Mount Hermon in
\nSyrian territory. He also stressed that Israel would not allow Syria\u2019s border
\nregion to become \u201canother southern Lebanon,\u201d signaling support for expanded
\ndemilitarized zones inside Syria.<\/p>\n
\ncontrols roughly 1,200 square kilometers in southern Syria, including the
\noccupied Golan Heights, which Israel seized in 1967 and formally annexed in
\n1981. Since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad\u2019s government, Israeli forces have
\nreportedly expanded daily incursions across Quneitra, rural Damascus, and Daraa
\nprovinces, establishing fixed military positions and advancing to within
\napproximately 25 kilometers of Damascus near Qatana.<\/p>\n
\nconnect its operational belt in southern Lebanon with its expanding military
\npresence in southern Syria. Officials in Israel argue the policy is \u201cnecessary
\nto shield northern Israeli settlements and the occupied Golan<\/a> Heights from
\nfuture attacks.\u201d Critics, however, warn that the strategy risks creating a
\npermanent occupation reality across multiple fronts.<\/p>\n
\nIsrael\u2019s compliance with the 1949 Armistice Agreement with Lebanon, the 1974
\nDisengagement Agreement with Syria, and the UN-demarcated Blue Line. Diplomats
\nand regional observers believe the evolving military map could impose a new
\nnegotiating framework on both Beirut and Damascus while broader regional
\ntensions with Iran remain unresolved.<\/p>\n
\nsettlement, concerns are growing that temporary military arrangements could
\nharden into lasting territorial changes, fundamentally altering the strategic
\nlandscape of the Levant.<\/p>\n