War in the Middle East
Israel’s army destroys neighborhoods and villages in Lebanon
Updated 10/20/2024 – 9:54 p.mReading time: 4 minutes
Israel’s military continues to attack Lebanon. Residential neighborhoods are in ruins. According to Lebanese information, places in the south are being blown up. Soldiers also repeatedly come under fire.
After renewed Israeli attacks, the damage in Lebanon is massive. According to Lebanese security circles, the Israeli army almost completely destroyed several places in the south of the country. According to eyewitnesses, residential areas in the suburbs of the capital Beirut are in ruins. The attacks are aimed at the Shiite militia Hezbollah, which has been firing rockets into Israel every day for over a year. But it is primarily the civilian population who suffers from the war. The Lebanese army, which is actually neutral in the conflict, is also reporting losses. The Israeli army, for its part, reported that five soldiers had been killed in a battle in southern Lebanon.
In the neighborhoods on the southern outskirts of Beirut that are considered Hezbollah strongholds, only remnants of buildings remain, a dpa reporter reported. On Saturday, the Israeli military attacked there again from the air after a break of several days. The buildings that were not yet completely destroyed would have suffered enormous damage and would have to be either demolished or renovated after the end of the war. At night, the once lively neighborhoods would be in complete darkness, without electricity or light.
Both the southern suburbs of Beirut, known as Dahija, and neighboring neighborhoods were densely populated residential areas with many restaurants and shops before the war began.
“Most areas have suffered massive damage,” said Samer, a resident of Shujefat on the southern edge of Beirut, to dpa. “If you’re lucky, your home has only suffered tremendous damage and hasn’t been completely destroyed,” he said. After the renewed attacks, he came on Sunday to inspect the damage to his house. “It feels like the Israelis want to punish us for living in or near Hezbollah-controlled areas,” he said. Most of the residents have already fled.
In the evening, the Israeli army set its sights on a new target in the suburbs, announcing attacks on locations that provide funding for Hezbollah. Shortly afterwards, according to Lebanese information, there were new attacks on Beirut’s suburbs. Israel’s top military officer, Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi, warned residents of Beirut and other areas of impending counterattacks.
According to security circles there, the Israeli army has almost completely destroyed several places in the south of Lebanon. The military blew up the town of Ramja near Bint Jubail in the border area, the dpa learned from Lebanese security circles. There was initially no official confirmation of this.
About a week ago, soldiers from the international UN mission observed several Israeli units advancing from Israel across the demarcation line into Lebanon. A few days ago, a photo circulated on social media showing Israeli soldiers apparently posing in front of the village’s municipal building.
Israel’s army has generally not released any details about troop movements or strengths since it began its ground offensive in southern Lebanon in September. She called on residents of the border area to flee at the beginning of the ground offensive. According to Israel, the aim of the operation is for Hezbollah to withdraw behind the Litani River as stipulated by a UN resolution and to destroy positions of the pro-Iranian militia near the border. This should enable around 60,000 Israeli citizens to return to their villages in the north of the country. They had to flee the border area because of Hezbollah’s daily attacks since the beginning of the Gaza war.
According to the Israeli army, during the day the Shiite militia fired 160 rockets at Israel by the afternoon alone. There were air alerts in many places in the north of the country until the evening. Sirens also wailed repeatedly in Haifa, the country’s largest port city. Initially, nothing was known about any major damage or casualties.
A week ago, the Israeli army destroyed another village, as the New York Times reported after analyzing videos and satellite photos. Soldiers blew up large parts of the village of Mhaibib, which is also in the border area. In the place there was a shrine of Benjamin, son of Jacob, who is revered as a prophet in Islam and who is also mentioned in the Bible.