Olive groves set on fire by the Israeli army in Yaroun, in the Bint Jbeil district, on Aug. 3rd. (Credit: Photo shared with our correspondent in South Lebanon, Mountasser Abdallah)
BEIRUT — Following a weekend marked by a major wave of Israeli demolitions in southern Lebanon, the Israeli army set olive groves ablaze overnight from Sunday to Monday in Yaroun, in the Bint Jbeil district, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent Mountasser Abdallah. The flames, visible from several kilometers away, swept across vast areas of agricultural land.
As the fire continued to burn into Monday morning, Yaroun's mayor, Hafez Ghacham, said the blaze had devastated an area known for its rich biodiversity throughout the night. He estimated that nearly 1,200 dunams — about 120 hectares — of forest, centuries-old olive trees and fruit orchards had been destroyed.
In a statement, the mayor said the fire was part of Israel's ongoing campaign of destruction and land clearing, which it said had already affected homes, places of worship and private property in the village. It described the fires as an attack on the environment as well as on the area's heritage and culture, and called on the United Nations and the international community to respond to attacks targeting Yaroun and other parts of southern Lebanon.
The mayor also reaffirmed residents’ attachment to their land and their right to return and rebuild, despite the extensive damage to homes and farmland.
Meanwhile, after an Israeli drone dropped a stun grenade over Byout al-Siyad, in the Sour district, Israeli forces carried out large-scale demolition operations Monday morning between Taybeh and Qantara, in the Marjayoun district.
Night strikes on Ali Taher
Southern Lebanon also saw renewed military activity overnight, with a series of powerful explosions, airstrikes and fires reported in several border villages, according to our correspondent.
Israeli fighter jets flew over the region before firing two missiles at the strategic Ali Taher hills. The strike on the site, which hosts several military installations, has fueled speculation that Israel may be preparing a ground operation to seize control of the area.
The Israeli army also carried out three major explosions in Haddatha, in the Bint Jbeil district. Shortly afterward, two massive explosions were heard between Majdal Zoun and Mansouri, in the Sour district.
"The earth shook beneath our feet because of the force of the blast," said a resident of Sour, stating that fires broke out at the scene and thick columns of smoke rose over the area, "like after a nuclear explosion."
On the eve of the resumption of direct Lebanon-Israel negotiations in Rome, scheduled from Aug. 4 to 6 under U.S. mediation, the "Gathering of Southern Border Villages" called on Lebanese authorities to suspend the talks "as long as the Israeli enemy continues to level, demolish and destroy border villages day and night despite the cease-fire."
The statement also condemned what it described as "incomprehensible and reprehensible silence in the face of this destruction, at local, Arab and international levels." The gathering called on Lebanese "to stand in solidarity against this destruction operation" and "forcefully demand an end to the occupation."
Despite the cease-fire agreement reached after months of war between Hezbollah and Israel, Israeli forces continue demolishing infrastructure inside what Israel describes as a "buffer zone" encompassing around 60 occupied villages in southern Lebanon.
