BEIRUT, (PIC)
Lebanon’s National Council for Scientific Research has recorded damage to and destruction of more than 62,000 housing units as a result of Israeli operations during six weeks of war with Hezbollah, a Lebanese official said on Wednesday.
During a press conference presenting a report on the “environmental impact of Israeli aggression” on Lebanon, the Secretary-General of the council, Shadi Abdullah, said that the 45-day war resulted in the complete destruction of 21,700 housing units, while another 40,500 units sustained varying levels of damage.
Despite a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel taking effect late Thursday night into Friday, Lebanese authorities and eyewitnesses reported that Israeli forces continued demolition and explosion operations in southern Lebanon while also preventing residents of several border villages from returning to their homes.
According to available data, the war, which began on March 2, resulted in the deaths of more than 2,400 people and the displacement of over one million residents from their homes.
Images from Agence France-Presse showed widespread destruction in two border villages in southern Lebanon, coinciding with bulldozers and military vehicles demolishing buildings in one of the villages.
The report indicated that 428 housing units were destroyed and 50 others damaged within just three days of the ceasefire coming into effect.
Washington is expected to host a meeting on Thursday between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors, following what was described as the first meeting between the two countries in decades, which was followed by the ceasefire announcement.
In this context, a Lebanese official source said the country will request a one-month extension of the truce and a halt to demolition and destruction operations in affected areas.
Hezbollah and Israel had previously fought a war that lasted more than a year, ending in November 2024 with a ceasefire. However, Israeli strikes continued, particularly in the south, with Israeli forces remaining stationed on five strategic highlands.
Lebanon’s Minister of Environment, Tamara El Zein, said that the Israeli aggression between 2023 and 2025 caused widespread destruction, noting that more than 220,000 housing units were affected, along with damage to infrastructure, religious sites, agricultural land, and the environment. She described the situation as “urban and environmental devastation” across several areas of southern Lebanon.
