Politics Security circles: Israeli army destroys village in Lebanon

According to local security sources, the Israeli army has almost completely destroyed several villages in southern Lebanon. The German Press Agency was told by Lebanese security sources that the military had blown up the village of Ramja near Bint Dschubail in the border region. There was initially no official confirmation of this.

About a week ago, soldiers from the international UN mission had observed several Israeli units advancing from Israel across the demarcation line into Lebanon. A few days ago, a photo circulated on social media showing Israeli soldiers apparently posing in front of the village's community building.

Since the start of its ground offensive in Lebanon in September, Israel's army has generally not released any details about troop movements or their strength. According to Israel, the aim of the operation is to destroy positions of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia near the border. This should enable the inhabitants of northern Israel to return to their villages. They had fled the border area due to the ongoing daily attacks by Hezbollah since the start of the Gaza war just over a year ago.

Satellite photos show the extent of the destruction

A week earlier, the Israeli army had destroyed another village, as the "New York Times" reported after analyzing videos and satellite photos. According to the report, soldiers blew up large parts of the village of Mhaibib, which is also located in the border area. The village was last home to a shrine to Benjamin, son of Jacob, who is revered as a prophet in Islam and is also mentioned in the Bible.

Israel's military announced that it had "dismantled" a network of tunnels used by the Hibsollah militia that led through the "core of a village" in Lebanon. The military also released a video showing the demolition of the village located on a hill.

According to Lebanese security sources, Jarun, Marun al-Ras and other villages in the border area were also largely destroyed. The village of Nabatija in the south-east, a commercial center of the region, is also said to have been partially destroyed. At the beginning of its ground offensive, the Israeli military called on the inhabitants of the Lebanese border region to flee.