Few parts Southern Lebanon remains unaffected by the war.
Entire villages have been deserted since Israel issued a mass evacuation warning for almost all of its southern region. Israeli airstrikes destroyed houses, severed bridges and destroyed parts of the city. Israeli ground forces have advanced deeper into southern Lebanon, clashing with Hezbollah militants in rugged hilly terrain.
The war has brought extreme uncertainty to the south, a Shiite Muslim region that Hezbollah has controlled for decades.
This week, Israeli officials laid out their most explicit plan to seize southern Lebanon from the border to the Litani River after the ground invasion ends. This is equivalent to approximately 10% of the entire country. Israeli officials have said they aim to establish a “security zone” to prevent the territory from being used to attack Israel.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that hundreds of thousands of Lebanese refugees who fled to the south will not be allowed to return home “until the safety and security of the people of northern Israel are guaranteed.”
The Lebanese government condemned Israel’s military operation and appealed to the international community to intervene. Last week, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of the risk of Israel annexing territory south of the Litani River.
border village destroyed
Katz reiterated Tuesday that Israel’s plans in southern Lebanon include demolishing entire Lebanese villages on the border.
Many of Lebanon’s border towns were devastated by fighting in 2024. At least six villages suffered widespread destruction in the war. Israeli air strikes continued even after the ceasefire, making it virtually impossible for residents to rebuild the village.
“I had nothing to go back to,” said Allah Suleiman, 40, who fled his home in Kfar Qilah, a village on the Israeli border, after the last war ended in 2024. “Even when people tried to build prefabricated homes, they were targeted by strikes. That meant we had no hope of coming back.”
After the latest war broke out last month after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in solidarity with Tehran, Israel appeared to accelerate the destruction of border cities.
A video seen by The New York Times shows several large, simultaneous explosions on March 17 in Aita al-Shaab, about a mile from the border. Satellite images seen by The Times later that day confirmed damage to the area. The town has already suffered major damage in 2024.
According to Mr. Katz, destroying communities along the border is part of the Israeli military’s deliberate strategy. Mr. Katz said the practice of leveling houses in southern Lebanon “follows the Rafah and Beit Hanoun models in Gaza.” There, Israel used bulldozers and controlled demolition to destroy entire neighborhoods.
bombing bridge
In March, Israeli forces demolished most of the key bridges across the Litani River in an effort to prevent Hezbollah from moving reinforcements and combat equipment into southern Lebanon. The waterway, whose furthest point is 20 miles from the Israeli border, has long been the dividing line between southern Lebanon and the rest of the country.
Most of the Litani River is located at the foot of the valley, so the bridge is very important. It is needed to help civilians still living in the south leave, as well as to get medical supplies, food and other necessities to those who remain.
Israel has blown up a major bridge linking northern and southern Lebanon, forcing civilian traffic to a few small intersections. If Israel were to target that crossing, southern Lebanon would be almost completely cut off from the north.
Israeli officials have not made clear whether the troops will reach the river itself or only control it from afar, and how long they plan to stay there.
Footage taken by Reuters and seen by the Times showed several fiery explosions at a large bridge in Qasmiye, southern Lebanon. Clouds of black smoke can be seen rising into the air along with debris.
ground attack
After a previous war between Hezbollah and Israel ended with a ceasefire agreement in late 2024, Israeli forces seized five outposts near the Lebanese border.
Since the start of the new war, Israel has sent at least 5,000 ground troops, according to two Israeli officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. This is because they do not have the authority to talk to the media.
Satellite images analyzed by the Times showed Israeli vehicles deployed at new military positions in four Lebanese villages near the Israeli border. As of late March, the vehicles were not visible much deeper than the Lebanese territory previously reached by Israeli forces during the 2024 ground invasion.
Images from the border town of Khiam show devastated areas and destroyed buildings throughout the town.
Jeremy Binnie, a Middle East defense expert at London-based defense intelligence firm Janes, said the images showed a mix of Merkava tanks and armored personnel carriers.
News of the destruction of Khiam caused alarm among the population, and when war broke out, almost everyone fled.
“After the last war, we rebuilt our homes. We said it was over. And now everything is being destroyed again,” said Ali Akkar, 78, a refugee at his home in Khiam. “In the last war we had hope of returning to our homeland, but now there is nothing.”
Satellite images seen by The Times also suggest an Israeli military presence at a hospital near Meiss al-Jabal, a town near the Israel-Lebanon border. Satellite images showed what appeared to be armored vehicles in various locations around the hospital complex.
Although it was possible to access satellite imagery in southern Lebanon, after March 18 clouds obscured visibility in many areas, making it more difficult to independently confirm the up-to-date positions of Israeli forces in Lebanon.
targeting infrastructure
Israeli airstrikes also hit homes, gas stations, currency exchange centers and other civilian infrastructure that the Israeli military says are being used by Hezbollah.
Israel attacked at least four gas stations operated by Al-Amana Petroleum Company, a major fuel distributor that was sanctioned by the United States in March for alleged links to Hezbollah. Israeli officials said the station was “critical economic infrastructure” for the group.
Video taken by Agence France-Presse shows damage to a gas station between the cities of Naqoura and Tyre in southwestern Lebanon. A sign hangs on a partially damaged roof, and a large crater is visible on the pavement.
Israeli officials say that while the gas stations help fund Hezbollah, they have also benefited many Lebanese people. Sometimes they sell fuel at subsidized prices, becoming a lifeline for the poor as fuel costs rise due to the war in Iran.
This devastation tormented southern residents who fled and watched from afar as their cities and towns were destroyed.
“The risks of this war are much higher than the last one because there is a lot more destruction and fighting,” said Huda Rajab, 28, a refugee from his home outside Khyam. “Now we are asking: Will we ever be able to return home? And even if we could, will we have anything to go back to?”
