Israel levels thousands of Lebanese homes to create a southern border buffer

Since a truce began in April, Israeli forces have destroyed or damaged more than 10,000 homes across dozens of villages in southern Lebanon.

The military is implementing a "Rubble Doctrine" to systematically flatten border towns, aiming to prevent Hezbollah from ever returning to the area. Lebanese officials report that Israel now controls 68 southern villages and is using controlled demolitions to erase entire neighborhoods.

While the IDF claims these operations are necessary to secure northern Israel from cross-border raids, critics argue the scale of destruction effectively creates an uninhabitable "no-man's land." Negotiators are currently meeting to extend the current 45-day pause in major hostilities while determining the permanent status of the border zone.