Displacement and Devastation: Southern Lebanon Suffers the Consequences of Israeli Shelling

17-11-2023

Perla Khaled

Middle East and Human Rights Researcher 

Global Human Rights Defence

Persistent Israeli shelling in southern Lebanon has profoundly altered the daily lives of civilians, leading to widespread displacement and evoking memories of the Israel-Hezbollah war of 2006.

Since October 8, over 25,500 individuals have been internally displaced in Lebanon, prompting the closure of schools due to lethal cross-border attacks and the recurrent deployment of white phosphorus bombs by the Israeli army. [1] Data from the International Organisation for Migration (“the IOM”) revealed that 42.3% of these individuals sought refuge with host families elsewhere in the country, 18.2% moved to a second house they own, and 3.1% relocated to designated emergency shelters. [2] Similarly, 36.4% of internally displaced people have rented apartments in a different city further away from the border. [3]

However, amidst a four-year-long economic crisis that has forced more than 80% of the population into poverty, [4] some people have become too poor to be displaced. In Dahayrah, 2,000 residents have been forced to flee, while 25 individuals remain stranded due to the lack of transportation or the need to safeguard their livestock. [5] Isolated from outside assistance, these individuals have relied on their crops for survival. Moreover, one resident was hospitalised due to white phosphorus inhalation but was compelled to return home as relocating further north was financially unfeasible. [6]

Access to water has also become a challenge for residents in south Lebanon due to the targeting of critical civilian infrastructure, including water stations, which has forced residents to purchase water from tanker owners. [7] One resident reported that the price of a 20-barrel water transfer has surged from 800,000 LBP to more than three million LBP, which equals to around 200 USD, exacerbating the financial burden on the community. [8]

Israeli shelling has further devastated the agricultural sector, inflicting a severe blow to food sovereignty. Approximately 40,000 olive trees have been burned and hundreds of square kilometres of land incinerated in south Lebanon. [9] Fires emanating from phosphorus bombs are significantly challenging to put out as they light up at several points simultaneously. This already-existing challenge has been further aggravated after long months of summer drought and the inability of civil defence firefighters to reach burning areas due to incessant bombardments. [10]

The Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture has reported over 130 fires in the region, resulting in the destruction of centuries-old olive trees and decimating the season’s harvest. [11] Olive cultivation covers more than 20% of Lebanese farmland and serves as a source of income for over 110,000 farmers, amounting to 7% of agricultural GDP, according to the United Nations. [12] Furthermore, olive trees take time to grow, and fields could take years to be productive again, which could culminate in a loss of around 20 million dollars. [13]

“Traditionally, people meet around olive trees, harvest their crops, press their oil together… It’s a whole part of their lives that is lost,” says Hicham Younès, president of Green Southerners. [14]

The environment has also suffered profound repercussions from fires and white phosphorus smoke, with their absorption into the soil and water potentially leading to long-term consequences. Numerous species in southern Lebanon, including migratory birds that traverse the Lebanese sky during this period, have been adversely affected. [15]

The Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon have not only inflicted present devastation but have also rekindled memories of the 2006 war. For the inhabitants, the fear of being trapped under the rubble and the persistent presence of warplanes circling above has become a distressing reality, disproportionately affecting people who are too vulnerable to flee to safety. 

Sources and further reading:

[1] International Organization for Migration (IOM), ‘Displacement Tracking Matrix - Mobility Snapshot - Round 9’ (02 November 2023) <Mobility Snapshot - Round 9 - 02-11-2023 | Displacement Tracking Matrix> accessed 17 November 2023.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] European Commission, ‘Lebanon: €60 million in humanitarian aid for the most vulnerable’ (30 March 2023) <Lebanon: €60 million in humanitarian aid for the most vulnerable> accessed 17 November 2023.

[5] The New Arab, ‘Too poor to be displaced: Lebanese families stuck in the middle of Hezbollah-Israeli fighting’  (27 October 2023) <Too poor to run: Lebanese stuck in middle of border clashes> accessed 17 November 2023.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Al Modon, ‘أسعار المياه في جنوب لبنان "تدولرت" وتضاعفت: إسرائيل السبب!’   

(12 November 2023) <أسعار المياه في جنوب لبنان "تدولرت" وتضاعفت: إسرائيل السبب!> accessed 17 November 2023.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Reuters, ‘Lebanon says fires destroy 40,000 olive trees, blames Israeli shelling’  (02 November 2023) <Lebanon says fires destroy 40,000 olive trees, blames Israeli shelling | Reuters> accessed 17 November 2023.

[10] L’Orient-Le Jour, ‘Plus de 4,5 millions de mètres carrés de forêts perdus au Liban-Sud suite aux bombardements israéliens’  (07 November 2023) <Plus de 4,5 millions de mètres carrés de forêts perdus au Liban-Sud suite aux bombardements israéliens - L'Orient-Le Jour> accessed 17 November 2023.

[11] Reuters, ‘Lebanon says fires destroy 40,000 olive trees, blames Israeli shelling’  (02 November 2023) <Lebanon says fires destroy 40,000 olive trees, blames Israeli shelling | Reuters> accessed 17 November 2023.

[12] Ibid.

[13] L’Orient-Le Jour, ‘Plus de 4,5 millions de mètres carrés de forêts perdus au Liban-Sud suite aux bombardements israéliens’  (07 November 2023) <Plus de 4,5 millions de mètres carrés de forêts perdus au Liban-Sud suite aux bombardements israéliens - L'Orient-Le Jour> accessed 17 November 2023.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Ibid.