While Israel’s public narrative on its war in Lebanon centers around the idea of defending northern Israel from Hezbollah rocket fire, commanders on the ground have told Israeli media that in practice the sole objective is to destroy Shi’ite villages in the occupied southern part of Lebanon.
“The only mission is to continue the destruction,” one commander told Haaretz, adding “this is not about terrorist infrastructure, we are destroying everything.” Another commander, however, denied that there was an explicit order to destroy everything, insisting the massive destruction was an “operational need.”
Reports are that in excess of 40,000 homes inside Lebanon have been partially or totally destroyed by Israel since the March invasion, and that number continues to rise in the far south of the country, where Shi’ite villages in particular seem to be the primary targets.
Smoke rises from a village in southern Lebanon as the Israeli army operates in it as seen from the Israeli side of the border, April 23, 2026 REUTERS/Gil Eliyahu
That is not to say, however, that only Shi’ites are being impacted by the invasion, or the destruction. The Christian town of Debel, for instance, has had two high-profile incidents in recent weeks, with IDF personnel on video destroying the solar panels that power their water supply, and a photograph of a soldier smashing a statue of Jesus.
Soldiers reported that the IDF had hired private contractors to carry out the destruction of the villages, with the soldiers primarily there to defend them while they do so. One suggested the companies are paid based on the number of homes destroyed.
The legality of the so-called buffer zone itself has been debated, with international law saying relatively little about the “legal gray zone.” The extent to which this zone has already morphed into Israel plainly engaged in forcible population transfers and erasure of entire municipalities, however, make the claims of a buffer dubious at best, and also make it apparent international law is being flouting on a number of fronts.
