Invasion in 2023-2024/ Lebanon accuses Israel of committing "ecocide" in the country

2026-04-28 08:35:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Invasion in 2023-2024/ Lebanon accuses Israel of committing "ecocide"

Lebanon's environment minister has accused the Israeli military of committing an act of "ecocide" in a report detailing the damage caused to the country's natural resources during the 2023-2024 occupation.

Israeli military aggression reshaped both the physical and ecological landscape of southern Lebanon, according to the report, which does not take into account the impacts of Israel's recent attacks this spring.

Published amid a fragmented ceasefire, as refugees from Israel's recent occupation are returning to destroyed homes and communities, the 106-page report describes how southern Lebanon has suffered profound ecological disruption and loss of essential ecosystem services.

According to the report, attacks by Israeli forces:

- Damaged 5,000 hectares of forest land, including forests and pines, destroying habitats, disrupting the local climate, and causing soil erosion.

- Destroyed $118 million worth of physical agricultural assets, including crops, livestock facilities, forest resources, fisheries and aquaculture infrastructure.

- Caused a further $586 million in lost agricultural production as a result of crop failures and reduced yields.

- Destroyed 2,154 hectares of orchards, including 814 hectares of olive groves and 637 hectares of citrus plantations, and caused extensive damage to banana plantations.

- Soils contaminated with phosphorus concentrations up to 1,858 parts per million, with hotspots of contamination in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley in the east.

- Caused widespread episodes of air pollution that extended beyond the immediate impact areas and released particulate matter; sulfur and nitrogen oxides; and toxic compounds such as dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

- Within a few months of the start of the Gaza war in 2023, Israeli forces had destroyed an estimated 38-48% of the tree cover and agricultural land.

According to the new report, prepared by the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS-L) and covering the period between October 2023 and December 2024, southern Lebanon was similarly treated by the Israeli military.

“The environmental footprint of the war is evident in the destruction of forests and woodlands, many of which served as biodiversity hotspots and carbon sinks, as well as in the burning of agricultural lands, including high-value orchards and fields of major crops, damaging both livelihoods and national food security ,” the report said.

In total, the monetary cost to the country is estimated to be around $25 billion, including $6.8 billion in physical damage, $7.2 billion in economic losses, and $11 billion in recovery and reconstruction needs. /CNA