Deep in southern Lebanon.. Systematic destruction and an Israeli base far from the border

According to the newspaper Haaretz, the Israeli army has occupied 600 square kilometers of Lebanese territory, with the area undergoing extensive changes, including a military base located far from the Israeli border, dozens of kilometers of roads, and the erasure of entire villages.

An investigation by Channel 12, based on satellite imagery, revealed systematic and widespread destruction of villages in southern Lebanon, affecting approximately 18,000 buildings across 19 villages that were examined.

An analysis of images captured by Planet Labs, conducted by the Geographic Information Systems Center at Hebrew University, showed that 74 percent of all buildings in the surveyed villages were destroyed.

In 18 of the 19 villages, the destruction rate exceeded 50 percent, while more than 80 percent of buildings were destroyed in 10 villages. The destruction reached 99 percent or more in the villages of Maroun al-Ras, Mahibib, Marwahine, Blida, and Adaisseh.

The analysis defined a building as “destroyed” if it sustained at least 30 percent damage, noting that the scale of destruction increased as villages approached the Israeli border.

The investigation concluded that a significant portion of the destruction occurred during the current Israeli military campaign against Hezbollah, while other damages date back to clashes in 2024.

Last week, Defense Minister Israel Katz acknowledged the destruction of all buildings in 24 Lebanese villages, stating, “We destroyed between 15,000 and 20,000 homes... and the 24 villages were completely destroyed.”