Children pick olives during the harvest season in Rmeish, in southern Lebanon, on Oct. 23, 2024, while smoke from a nearby bomb fills the sky. (Credit: Archive photo/Vincenzo Circosta/AFP)
The phosphorus bombs dropped by the Israeli air force in southern Lebanon since the start of the October 2023 conflict with Hezbollah left a stark trail in the sky: white plumes marking their descent, fires igniting fields and green spaces and severe burns inflicted on people. The bombs also raised concerns about the long-term environmental impact, particularly regarding the potential for high phosphorus concentrations in the soil and water.
However, a joint statement from Lebanon's ministries of Environment and Agriculture put many of these fears to rest on Monday, particularly regarding southern Lebanon's crucial olive crop.
"The first tests carried out on crops in southern Lebanon show that the fruits of olive trees are not affected by phosphorus," a joint statement from the two ministries read. The text specifies that "samples were taken from the crops in southern Lebanon, particularly olives, to address questions about a possible phosphorus impact, and the results showed they are safe for consumption."
The statement from the two ministries provides further information on the results of these first tests. "White phosphorus is an incendiary substance that poses a major fire risk for fields and green spaces it directly reaches," the statement read. However, "the deposits of this material in nature follow a biogeochemical cycle [the cyclical transport and transformation processes of an element or chemical compound between major natural reservoirs], which means that the consumption of crops that have survived these fires can be considered safe."
A long cycle
Jean Stephan, an ecologist and professor at the Lebanese University, is unsurprised by the initial findings. "The absorption of phosphorus, like any other mineral, is limited to what is necessary. "The absorption of phosphorus, like that of any other mineral, is limited to what is necessary, with the rest being eliminated by the human body, which means that the impact on human health is negligible," he explained.
"The same applies to the plant, which takes what it needs for its growth through the roots. Therefore, it does not concentrate more phosphorus than needed, neither in the olive nor in the oil."
According to Stéphan, the primary impact on vegetation occurred at the moment the phosphorus bombs struck. "The plants that died are those that could not withstand the high concentration of phosphorus in the air and soil," he said.
This, however, is not the case with the plants that survived. "These are no longer subjected to a critical and dangerous threshold of phosphorus concentration, neither in themselves nor in the surrounding soil," he concurred.
When asked to clarify the "biogeochemical cycle" referenced in the ministries' statement, Stéphan describes it as the natural phosphorus cycle. "The phosphorus released into the air will eventually, through a washing phenomenon [after rainfall], end up in the sea," he said. Once the mineral settles in marine sediments, it returns to terrestrial soil only after undergoing extensive transformations in the earth’s crust and soil over thousands of years — a process known as orogeny and pedogenesis. "Therefore, it is unthinkable to say that there will be detectable concentrations in a given location in the short term that will impact our lives and our consumption," he added.
Still, the ministries remain cautious. "As for the indirect impact of high phosphorus levels in the soil, it can be reflected in crop productivity on land with high concentrations, hence the need to assist farmers to guide them on how to rehabilitate the affected soil," the statement concluded.
Farmers 'relieved'
The ministries’ statement brought clear relief to farmers in the region, including Mohammad Kdouh, a farmer, beekeeper and breeder from Bint Jbeil.
"I often warned my colleagues at the beginning of the war against rumors that harm agriculture in southern Lebanon because the public is naturally drawn to rumors, and the truth becomes difficult to establish afterwards," Kdouh told L'Orient Le-Jour.
For months, Kdouh says, customers calling to inquire about his products would often joke, "With or without phosphorus?" The latest announcement is therefore "good news" for him, as he believes "it is necessary to base oneself on scientific information."
However, Kdouh acknowledges that the previous olive season is already lost — though not because of the war, which ended with a cease-fire on Nov. 27, 2024. "The season was lost for reasons related to the agricultural cycle," he explained, pointing out that the harvest period had already passed. Moreover, several farmers were unable to reach their orchards due to Israeli attacks in the region.
He also added that the prolonged drought, which persisted until February this year, will likely affect the next harvest.
"We have to wait about a month after the late February rains to see if some trees show signs of weakness due to the drought or if the long abandonment caused by the fighting has affected them," he estimated.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient Le-Jour.
