Homes and buildings destroyed by explosives and bulldozers

More than 10,000 structures heavily damaged or destroyed, even after ceasefire declared

‘Israeli troops deliberately left a trail of devastation as they moved through the region’ – Erika Guevara Rosas 

The Israeli military’s extensive and deliberate destruction of civilian property and agricultural land across southern Lebanon must be investigated as war crimes, Amnesty International said in a new briefing.

The 47-page briefing ‘Nowhere To Return: Israel’s Extensive Destruction of Southern Lebanon’, documents how Israeli forces used manually-laid explosives and bulldozers to devastate civilian structures including homes, mosques, cemeteries, roads, parks and soccer pitches, across 24 municipalities.

The briefing, which includes images, analyses the period from the start of Israel’s ground invasion into Lebanon on 1 October 2024 until 26 January 2025 and reveals that more than 10,000 structures were heavily damaged or destroyed during that time. Much of the destruction took place after 27 November 2024, after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect.

The destruction was carried out by the Israeli military after it had secured control of the areas, meaning outside of combat action. In such a context, international humanitarian law prohibits the destruction of civilian property unless required by imperative military necessity. Amnesty’s investigation found that in many cases the extensive destruction of civilian structures was carried out by the Israeli military in apparent absence of imperative military necessity and in violation of international humanitarian law.

Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, said:

“The Israeli military’s destruction of civilian homes, property and land in southern Lebanon rendered entire areas uninhabitable and ruined countless lives.

“The evidence we have analysed clearly shows that Israeli troops deliberately left a trail of devastation as they moved through the region. Their blatant disregard for the communities they have destroyed is abhorrent.

“Where these acts of destruction were committed intentionally or recklessly, they must be investigated as war crimes.”

Amnesty’s Crisis Evidence Lab used a wealth of visual evidence – including 77 verified videos and photographs, and satellite imagery – to investigate the damage and quantify the buildings heavily damaged or destroyed. The evidence included videos showing Israeli soldiers manually laying explosives inside homes, ripping up roads and football pitches, and bulldozing parks and religious sites. In some videos, soldiers filmed themselves celebrating the destruction by singing and cheering.

The Crisis Evidence Lab also gathered statements shared by the Israeli military and Hezbollah on their official channels, and analysed news reports and data collected by other organisations to develop a timeline and conduct a contextual analysis. Amnesty also interviewed 11 residents of southern Lebanon’s border villages.

The Israeli military stated that some destruction of civilian structures was intended to prevent future attacks, and that some of the structures had previously been used by Hezbollah fighters, stored weapons, or stood above tunnels. However, in Amnesty’s view, extensive destruction of civilian property in order to prevent an opposing party from launching attacks in the future does not meet the imperative military necessity standard under international humanitarian law. The previous use of a civilian building by a party to the conflict does not automatically render it a military objective.

Amnesty sent questions regarding the destruction to the Israeli authorities on 27 June; at the time of publication, no response had been received.

Vast destruction

When the Israeli military began its ground invasion in Lebanon on 1 October 2024, it stated it was “conducting localised, limited, targeted raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure”. Yet Amnesty’s analysis reveals vast destruction across almost the entire 120km-long southern border with Israel.

Satellite imagery shows the municipalities of Yarin, Dhayra and Boustane in Tyre district were most affected, with more than 70 per cent of their buildings destroyed in the analysed time frame. Seven other municipalities had more than half of their structures destroyed.

While Amnesty is unable to assess if each and every one of the more than 10,000 structures was damaged or destroyed unlawfully, the organisation conducted a detailed analysis of the damage and destruction Israeli forces inflicted on five villages: Kfar Kila, Maroun el Ras, Odeisseh, Aita Ash-Shaab and Dhayra. 

Kfar Kila

More than 1,300 structures and 133 acres of orchards were heavily damaged or destroyed in Kfar Kila between 26 September 2024 and 27 January 2025, according to satellite imagery (https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/24289196/). Most of the structures within 500 metres of the border have been heavily damaged or destroyed.

On 28 October, the Israeli military published a compilation of videos filmed in the town, including demolitions through manually laid explosives showing soldiers at ease and in apparent control of the area. This was followed by a video on 14 November showing evidence of tunnels and weapons allegedly found, with an accompanying infographic of the town “depicting the locations of Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure”.

Visual analysis of the infographic and a comparison with ground footage and satellite imagery clearly show the destruction of civilian structures went far beyond the buildings alleged to have housed Hezbollah infrastructure. Amnesty’s analysis shows that the Israeli military had at least partial control of the area by the 28 October, as evidenced by journalists visiting the town. The destruction continued after the ceasefire went into effect on the 27 November 2024.

Amnesty also documented the destruction of a soccer field in early November 2024. As they were destroying the field with an excavator, the Israeli military also carved a Star of David, a Jewish symbol, into a parking area, in further evidence of the unnecessary nature of the destruction.

Zeinab*, who left Kfar Kila in late 2023 following Israeli air strikes, returned in November 2024 for the first time since fleeing. She said:

“I can’t describe the massive destruction, the total devastation… I couldn’t find my house, or any houses. I found rubble, destruction, and rocks on the ground.”

Maroun el Ras

In total, 700 structures were destroyed or heavily damaged in Maroun el Ras between 29 September 2024 and 30 January 2025. The Israeli military continued to destroy parts of Maroun el Ras into late January 2025, two months after a ceasefire agreement went into effect (see image https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/24289309/).

Among the structures unlawfully destroyed was the “Iranian garden”, which included a soccer field and a playground. One video published on social media on 8 October 2024 showed soldiers raising the Israeli flag on the garden’s ruins. Videos published in the following days showed a bulldozer running over the garden’s vegetation and lighting poles, and an excavator destroying a statue.

Odeisseh

More than 580 structures were heavily damaged or destroyed between 26 September 2024 and 27 January 2025, including a mosque and a cemetery. The Israeli military continued to destroy parts of Odeisseh into mid-January 2025, while it was in full control of the area.

Eight videos were published on social media on 27 November showing the demolition of dozens of buildings through manually laid explosives, including the Baalbaki family home. Satellite imagery shows that the house was destroyed between 21 and 23 October, along with a dozen other structures and more than five acres of surrounding orchards (see image https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/24289258/).

Aita Ash-Shaab

The Israeli military destroyed 1,000 buildings between 26 September 2024 and 30 January 2025, many of them through manually laid explosives and bulldozers (see image https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/24272053/).

Vast areas of the village appear to have been razed between 13 and 25 October, including four mosques. One video, published on a soldier’s private social media account on 23 October 2024, showed troops jumping and singing “may your village burn” in Hebrew as excavators tore down buildings.

On 29 October, the Israeli military published a map of Aita Ash-Shaab that showed several sites it referred to as “terrorist locations” marked by red dots, without specifying what each dot meant. The destruction extended far beyond the red dots marked on the map. The demolitions continued in waves, with the latest destruction happening between 14 and 18 January 2025, during the agreed ceasefire period.

Hajj Muhammad Srour, Aita Ash-Shaab’s mayor, said:

“The destruction today is indescribable and unparalleled…You feel that there is no purpose for it other than creating great damage, like someone trying to wreak havoc… We lost all civilian property, [which] consists of homes, agricultural land, people’s livelihoods, shops, restaurants...

The public squares, the places where people would meet in front of shops in every neighbourhood, the football playground for the kids and youth… They’re all gone.”

Dhayra

Between 4 October 2024 and 30 January 2025, 264 buildings – or 71 per cent of all the municipality’s structures – were destroyed. Almost 45 acres of agricultural land was also razed. Israeli forces continued to destroy parts of Dhayra into mid-January 2025 (see image: https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/24289449/).

On 13 October 2024, an Israeli journalist published a video showing the use of manually laid explosives to destroy the Ahel El-Quran mosque on the outskirts of the town of Dhayra. Satellite imagery confirmed that the mosque and several structures nearby were destroyed between 11 and 13 October. 

The homes of Adiba Finsh, 66, and her six sons were destroyed. She told Amnesty:

“Israel blew it up. All of it. And they filmed the explosion. Even the houses …they made a video of themselves counting from five to one, and when the explosion happened, they shouted: ‘Wow! Yay!’. I watch this video every day. And each time, I tell the man ‘yaying’: ‘Yes, what an accomplishment’.”

Reparations and justice

Erika Guevara Rosas added:

“Given the scale of destruction carried out by the Israeli military, many residents of southern Lebanon have nothing to return to.

“The Israeli authorities must provide prompt, full and adequate reparations to all victims of violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes, both individuals and entire communities. These reparations must extend to the families of those harmed by Israel’s unlawful conduct.”

Lebanon’s government should immediately explore all possible legal routes, including establishing a domestic reparation mechanism and demanding reparation from parties to the conflict. The Government should also reconsider providing the International Criminal Court with jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute crimes under the Rome Statute committed on Lebanese territory.

All states should immediately suspend all arms transfers and other forms of military assistance to Israel due to the significant risk that these weapons could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international law.

*Names have been changed