Full Breakdown
Israeli Demolitions Continue in Southern Lebanon Amid Ceasefire
4/25/2026, 3:32:59 AM
Demolitions After Ceasefire
A 10-day ceasefire began on 16 April 2026 after Israel and Hezbollah agreed to pause fighting. Within days Israeli bulldozers, jackhammers and tanks entered villages Beit Lif, Khiam, Qouzah, Adaisseh and Al-Mansouri, flattening houses. Defense Minister Israel Katz called the work “clearing the area of terrorist infrastructure,” citing the “Rafah and Beit Hanoun model.”
Scale of Damage
The National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS) reports 17 756 homes destroyed and 32 668 damaged during the 46-day fighting before the truce, plus 428 destroyed and 50 damaged in the first three days of the ceasefire. A CNRS estimate puts total damage at over 50 000 units in roughly 45 days. Casualty figures range from 2 300 to 2 454 killed, with 7 658 wounded. The UN estimates more than 1.2 million displaced, while other sources cite up to 1.3 million.
Residents on the Ground
Hassan Sweidan watches Beit Lif’s demolition from a hill, calling the village “reduced to piles of concrete.” Businessman Hassan Rammal, 62, returned to Adaisseh to find his home and a multi-storey building reduced to rubble. In Qouzah, engineer Joe Elias and his wife Diana saw their house flattened after the IDF said anti-tank missiles were launched from the property. UNIFIL’s Tilak Pokharel confirmed peacekeepers observed demolitions since the truce.
Official Positions and Criticism
Israel’s military says demolished structures housed Hezbollah operatives and weapons, calling the destruction of houses in Lebanese border villages “essential to neutralize terrorist outposts.” Defense Minister Katz said the zone is “empty of citizens” and will stay “cleared of terrorists’ infrastructure.” Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said halting demolitions will be raised at Washington talks, while Prime Minister Nawaf Salam denounced the targeting of journalists as “war crimes.” Human-rights groups call the demolitions war crimes, and Hezbollah warned it will not accept a ceasefire without Israeli withdrawal.
Conflicting Figures
Sources disagree on casualty totals, housing-unit counts and displacement figures, reflecting limited access and rapid destruction. UNIFIL cannot conduct a detailed survey, and both Israeli and Lebanese officials have provided incomplete data.
Verbatim Quotes
- “we are removing the threat just as we did in Gaza,” — Israel Katz, Defense Minister
- “As Lebanese officials scramble to keep the ceasefire in place, President Joseph Aoun said in a statement that “halting Israel’s demolition operations in southern villages and towns” is something Lebanese ambassadors in the United States will raise with their Israeli counterparts during ceasefire talks on Thursday.” — Joseph Aoun, President
- “I felt like someone stripped my soul and life of my memories,” — Hassan Rammal, businessman
- “have observed demolitions taking place in several areas” — Tilak Pokharel, UNIFIL spokesperson
Outlook
The upcoming ambassador-level talks in Washington will consider extending the ceasefire, pulling Israeli forces from the forward-defense line, and launching reconstruction plans. Lebanese officials seek a permanent truce; Israeli officials stress security concerns tied to Hezbollah’s border presence.
