Life-saving aid can be deadly
The tensions between Israel and Lebanon trace back to the 1940s. The State of Israel was established in 1948, at which time its military exercised a mass exodus of Palestinians known as the Nakba.
The Palestinian refugee crisis rippled through the region, particularly in its closest neighbors, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon lived in refugee camps under the administration of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), a recently outlawed organization in Israel.
Palestinians continued political organization in resistance to colonial activities in their native home, merging with larger movements of Arab nationalism and the wider attempts at the Pan-Arab movement.
In the decades following the establishment of permanent refugee status in Lebanon, the plight of the Palestinians began to influence Lebanon's politics. It became one of the initial points during the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990).
Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon began during the 1982 Lebanon War as they sought to expand the Israeli state, while simultaneously putting pressure on the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Lebanon.
Hezbollah, Lebanon’s most famous militant group, emerged in the 1980s, largely in response to the political climate following Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon.
Following a series of military incursions, Israel began occupying a significant portion of southern Lebanon. In conjunction with their allies, namely the South Lebanon Army, a Lebanese Christian militia, Israel sought to establish a "security" or "buffer" zone that would be entirely under Israeli control.
Years of resistance from Hezbollah and popular support resulted in the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the area in 2000.
Numerous clashes between Israel and Hezbollah continued, culminating in the 2006 Lebanon War, a 34-day conflict. In efforts to garner momentum for a prisoner exchange between the countries, Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and left several others dead.
Marking Israel’s third official invasion of Lebanon, the southern region was once again subjected to ground invasion. Over 1,000 Lebanese civilians and 165 Israeli people were killed.
While the prisoner exchange did occur as part of the eventual ceasefire agreement, destruction to civilian infrastructure and the displacement of over one million civilians left Lebanon in shambles.
Following the beginning of Israel’s devastating war on Gaza, sparked by Hamas’ October 7 attack, Hezbollah began launching attacks on Israel in response to the violence in Gaza.
Israel launched its most recent ground operation in Lebanon on September 30, 2024, after the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike.
Evacuation orders were first issued to Lebanon’s southern regions, but since that time, many other regions were also issued evacuation orders. Airstrikes have hit many residential buildings across the country, including in the capital of Beirut.
Amid the current escalation of violence in Lebanon, communities have been left devastated. The long-standing tensions between Lebanon’s Hezbollah forces and Israel have exploded with extensive shelling, constant missile strikes, and ground incursions along the Lebanese-Israeli border.
Lebanese civilians face devastating losses and limited means of escape. Entire areas along Lebanon’s southern border have been subjected to severe damage. Residential buildings and civilian infrastructure have faced partial or complete destruction.
In major towns such as Marjayoun and Tyre, several destroyed main roads and bridges have left entire communities abandoned. Fleeing has become particularly difficult with infrastructural damage, as well as the delivery of aid.
Over one million people have fled southern Lebanon amid the recent escalation of violence between Israel and Hezbollah forces. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened the Lebanese people to act against their government before Lebanon "falls into the abyss of a prolonged war that will bring destruction and suffering, similar to what we are witnessing in Gaza."
Israel’s war on Gaza has led to the death of over 44,000 Palestinians, with thousands more buried under the rubble. Without the help of international organizations and the blocking of aid, the entire population of Northern Gaza is, according to the United Nations, at risk of death.
Over 90% of the Gazan population is displaced. No humanitarian aid has entered northern Gaza since October 2024, with very limited aid entering the southern regions. The tragedy of what is happening in Gaza is, what UN Secretary-General António Guterres has stated, “widespread devastation and deprivation.”
Humanitarian organizations and the international community were shocked by Netanyahu’s threats of repeating the devastation of Gaza in Lebanon, arguing that the destruction of Gaza shouldn’t be happening there or anywhere. The threat of more violence leaves communities in fear.
While Israel claims it is exercising specific political targets, communities across Lebanon consider the airstrikes to be indiscriminate. In Lebanon, entire villages have been completely destroyed. Others have been evacuated. Homes, neighborhoods, and generations of life have been wiped out.
In October 2024, Israel issued an evacuation order for the entire eastern city of Baalbek, a city of 100,000 people. Airstrikes continued outside the evacuation zone in areas like Bekaa Valley.
By early October, Israeli airstrikes hit the proximity of 20 hospitals, none of which were covered by evacuation orders. In one of these airstrikes, 18 people were killed just 70 meters (230 feet) from a hospital south of Beirut.
On November 1, 2024, airstrikes killed 52 people across the areas of Bekaa Valley, Younine, and Amhaz, as well as a dozen other villages. Nearly 100 people were left wounded.
The airstrikes and violence are certainly intended to weaken Hezbollah’s armed capacities, but they are also intended to dull support for Hezbollah and to further existing internal division.
Lebanese hospitals report that among the thousands of dead and injured, the largest affected groups have been children, closely followed by women. UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell, claims that since October 4, 2024, at least one child has been killed on a daily basis.
The ongoing violence is triggering a refugee crisis in neighboring countries. Over 28,000 have fled to Iraq, and nearly 500,000 to Syria, merging with ongoing crises in those respective countries.
With ceasefire deals on pause, the end of the war is unclear and continues to leave Lebanese citizens and residents in fear of what’s to come.
Sources: (iDMC) (Al Jazeera) (AP News) (The Guardian) (The Washington Post) (CNN) (BBC) (AP News) (INSS) (MERIP) (Council on Foreign Relations)
See also: How international law fails to protect civilian life
Destruction in Lebanon amid escalating violence with Israel
Mounting deaths and destruction paint a horrific landscape
LIFESTYLE Israel
Israel's recent escalation of violence in Lebanon has led to extensive destruction. Infrastructure, farms, and historical and natural sites, particularly near the border with Israel, have been affected. Over 1.2 million people have been displaced in Lebanon. More than 3,000 civilians have been killed throughout the country, with over 13,000 reported injuries. International parties call for an immediate de-escalation as the war rages on and threatens to spread throughout the region.
What does this level of destruction look like in Lebanon? Click the gallery to find out.