IDF levels dozens of villages to create south Lebanon buffer zone

Satellite images show that 26 small towns and villages near the Israeli frontier have been partially or totally demolished, as the IDF works to establish a buffer zone in southern Lebanon.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon have demolished more than two dozen small towns and villages near the Israeli frontier, The New York Times reported on Sunday, in order to establish a buffer zone between the two countries.

Satellite imagery and verified videos indicate extensive destruction across southern Lebanon following Israel’s renewed ground offensive against Hezbollah, with entire villages near the border reduced to rubble.

The campaign began after fighting reignited in early March, when Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel in what it described as support for Iran. In response, Israel pushed into southern Lebanon and established a several-mile-deep buffer zone, which it says will remain in place until the threat from the Iran-backed group is neutralized.

Imagery reviewed by The New York Times shows at least 26 towns and villages along the border heavily damaged or flattened. Areas that previously contained homes, shops and public buildings now appear as broad stretches of gray debris.

One of the hardest-hit areas is the town of Bint Jbeil, a longtime Hezbollah stronghold located just miles from the Israeli border. Residents who fled describe widespread devastation, with streets leveled and buildings destroyed.

“I feel like I am going to break from anger and sadness,” said Nabil Sunbul, a displaced resident who fled to Beirut.

The Israeli government has said that its operations in Lebanon draw on tactics developed in Gaza, where large sections of urban areas were demolished during months of fighting. Defense Minister Israel Katz has said the approach is aimed at dismantling terrorist infrastructure embedded in civilian areas.

The Israeli military says it is targeting Hezbollah positions, weapons sites and infrastructure used for attacks. Since March, Hezbollah has launched thousands of rockets, drones and anti-tank missiles at Israel, and Israeli officials say the campaign is necessary to push the group away from the border.

Lebanese authorities report that more than 2,600 people, most of them terrorists, have been killed since the latest fighting began, while over one million residents have been displaced. Infrastructure including bridges, schools and medical facilities has also been damaged.

The Israeli military says its forces operate in accordance with international law and that demolitions are carried out only when structures are used for military purposes or deemed operationally necessary.

Comparisons of satellite images from early March and late April show entire neighborhoods transformed into rubble fields, particularly in Shiite-majority villages associated with Hezbollah.

Nearby Christian-majority areas appear to have suffered less damage, according to the imagery.

For displaced residents, the destruction has left uncertainty about whether they will be able to return. Many now rely on fragmented information from neighbors and satellite images to understand what remains of their homes.

“Our home was the fruit of our lives’ work,” said Fatima Abdallah, who fled from the border town of Houla and now lives in a temporary shelter in Beirut.

The fighting has continued despite a US-mediated ceasefire, which has been extended through mid-May. Israeli officials say operations will continue until Hezbollah’s military capabilities near the border are significantly reduced, while Hezbollah has vowed to keep up attacks as long as hostilities persist.