Israel wiped out 60 villages in southern Lebanon

Israel is threatening to turn its occupation of southern Lebanon into a permanent military presence while pursuing the so-called “Gaza model.” RT correspondent Steve Sweeney reports from Beirut on the destruction of entire villages, mass displacement and efforts to secure an Israeli withdrawal.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared over the weekend that troops would not withdraw from areas they currently control and warned that the military could advance further towards Nabatieh and the Litani River if Hezbollah launches additional attacks on Israel.

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Katz claimed that more than 60 villages and 23,000 homes had been destroyed across an Israeli-controlled area of approximately 700 square km in southern Lebanon and that around 200,000 residents had been displaced.

Fighting in Lebanon has subsided since a US-brokered ceasefire took effect in June, although Israeli strikes and demolitions have continued in the south. The UN estimated that approximately 330,000 people remained displaced as of late September 2026.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also insisted that the IDF would remain in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed.

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Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has accused the Jewish state of violating the June agreement through continued attacks and demolitions.

He has also warned that the occupation itself is preventing the Lebanese army from deploying along the internationally recognized border, as required under UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

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The latest escalation began in early March, after Hezbollah attacked Israel following the start of USA-Israeli strikes on Iran. Israel responded with a major air and ground campaign.

The June agreement envisages a gradual Israeli withdrawal alongside Lebanese army deployments and the removal of Hezbollah’s weapons and infrastructure from designated areas. However, its implementation has stalled.

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At least 4,389 people have been killed and 12,424 injured in Lebanon since March 2, 2026 according to recent Health Ministry figures.

A Lebanese military delegation is due to attend US-brokered talks in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday, where Beirut will seek an end to Israeli attacks and a timetable for withdrawal.

The question is whether these talks can deliver an end to occupation or whether Israel intends to make its presence in southern Lebanon a permanent reality, Sweeney said.

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In southern Lebanon, every morning begins with the same question: Is it safe enough to go to work? Ali, who runs a small construction company, checks the news before heading out.

Will his crew make it to the building site today – or will they have to stop everything and move the machinery out of the area? His wife and children are staying away, and each morning he calls to make sure they are safe.

Ali lives and works in Nabatieh, near the so-called Yellow Line, where Israeli forces remain in control of parts of southern Lebanon. Drones hover overhead and artillery fire can be heard in the surrounding area.

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Before the war, Ali and his crew built homes. Now, much of their work is clearing away what is left of them, as owners watch excavators tear down the ruins of houses they once lived in.

Yet some are determined to start again. One of Ali’s clients decides to resume construction on a building abandoned when the fighting began, hoping it will show others that ordinary life can still return.

Ali takes on the job, knowing that every day of work is a gamble: No one knows whether the building they are putting back together today will still be standing tomorrow.

RT. com / ABC Flash Point News 2026.