Thursday, April 30th 2026
Israeli officers and soldiers have admitted to carrying out widespread destruction of buildings in villages in southern Lebanon, saying their mission goes beyond targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, Anadolu reports.
Since March 2, Israel has waged an offensive in Lebanon that has killed at least 2,534 people, wounded 7,863 and displaced more than 1.6 million – about a fifth of the population – according to official figures.
A 10-day ceasefire that began on April 17 was later extended to May 17, but Israel continues to violate it daily through airstrikes and house demolitions in southern Lebanon.
While the Israeli military has released footage of large-scale demolitions, claiming it is targeting “Hezbollah infrastructure,” soldiers quoted by Israeli newspaper Haaretz said the reality is different.
Citing unnamed soldiers on the ground, the paper reported Wednesday that “much of what they are doing now is not directly fighting Hezbollah, but systematic destruction of buildings in the villages of southern Lebanon.”
“The only mission is to continue the destruction. There is no other mission,” said one Israeli officer.
Another added that, contrary to the army’s claims, “it is not terrorist infrastructure; we are destroying everything”
According to the daily, the army refers to its plan to demolish “Shiite villages” in southern Lebanon as “Operation Silver Plow”.
“As part of this plan, each unit in the area is assigned a polygon that shows the section it is responsible for razing,” the newspaper said.
“At the end of each day, an assessment is made of what has been achieved and each commander must report how many houses has destroyed”, it is further said.
– Threats from Hezbollah drones
Haaretz said each unit is assigned bulldozers operated by civilian contractors, who must protect them.
“Soldiers and officers on the ground say the threat from drones is greatest when they are in open areas and when they are on the move,” she added.
“Problems arise when forces are in the open and cannot be properly protected. And most of the work is to demolish houses. in the Lebanese countryside, it takes place in open areas, leaving the soldiers vulnerable,” it added.
A soldier involved in the operations said: “We stand there, exposed, and guard the demolition of the houses while the drones are in the air.
“At the end of each day, there is a report of how many houses have been destroyed,” another officer said. civilians are paid based on how much they destroy.
“We are there to protect them, risking our lives,” said one soldier.
The report comes as Israel moves to expand buffer zones across its borders, similar to measures taken in Gaza and Syria.
In April, the Israeli military announced the establishment of the so-called “Yellow Line” south of the Litani River, a supposed border that defines the area that stretches to the border as a “security buffer zone”, in a move similar to the Gaza model.
According to Israel, the zone aims to prevent the return of displaced residents and target any armed activity, classifying it as a “war zone” not subject to ceasefire agreements. This step suggests an attempt to embed a new reality on the ground, justifying in advance future attacks in this area.
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Source: prizrenpost
Etiketa: Brief
