Smoke rises following an Israeli strike near Mansouri, in southern Lebanon, on Aug. 24, 2026. (Photo shared by our correspondent in southern Lebanon, Muntasser Abdallah)
SOUTH LEBANON — Mansouri (Sour) has for some time now been the target of a "campaign of systematic destruction," according to the town’s mayor, Haidar Mdaihli, who fears an Israeli occupation of the town.
The town and its surrounding areas have been under constant attack from Israeli air strikes, artillery bombardments, and phosphorus shells.
Mdaihli reported having seen Israeli tanks moving from the Majdal Zoun area towards the southern sectors of Mansouri. He believes these movements could be a sign of an “attempted ground advance towards the town, as a prelude to further destruction and bombardment operations."
“One of the town’s neighborhoods was bombed today with white phosphorus, and a series of air strikes targeted a large number of houses, including villas and buildings constructed at great expense by emigrants originally from the town. Vast sections of these buildings have been razed to the ground,” he told our correspondent in southern Lebanon.
Mdaihli emphasized that Mansouri has now been deserted by its inhabitants. In his view, the only explanation for what is happening there is the “deliberate destruction of property belonging to residents and emigrants.”
“Nearly 850 homes have been destroyed or seriously damaged, and 4,500 residents of Mansouri remain displaced,” he lamented, questioning the prolonged silence surrounding the town’s plight.
He fears that these operations may constitute “a prelude to an occupation of the village, given its strategic position.” The village “offers a bird’s-eye view of the city of Sour and the coastline stretching as far as Adloun, south of Zahrani.”
Mdaihli claims to have contacted the commission responsible for the monitoring "mechanism," the Lebanese Army, and the parties concerned in order to “exert pressure to bring an end to the demolition operations.” These efforts “have not been successful,” despite Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s visit to the area, where he witnessed the extent of the damage.
Two killed in Dohat Kfar Roummane
The bodies of two men killed in an Israeli airstrike on Sunday in Dohat Kfar Roummane (Nabatieh), near Ali Taher, were found on Monday, according to the Health Ministry and reports from our correspondent in southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, Israel continued its systematic demolitions of homes and infrastructure in the occupied border area and destroyed roads north of Bint Jbeil using bulldozers.
The Health Ministry announced in a brief statement that the bodies of two young men killed by Israel were found in Dohat Roummane "after they had disappeared while in the area." The statement confirms that the two men, identified by our correspondent's sources as Hassan Shokr and Ahmad Roumani, had been "targeted" by the Israeli army. These are the first casualties from Israeli attacks since an explosion killed three people when a vehicle hit an explosive device in Mayfadoun, in the same area, on Aug. 19, and since deadly airstrikes targeted homes in Ansar and Deir Zahrani on Aug. 15, killing more than 10 people.
Israel's destruction campaigns intensify
Meanwhile, Israeli military sources told the Israeli media outlet The Jerusalem Post that occupying forces are "accelerating" demolitions in southern Lebanon "in accordance with directions given by Defense Minister Israel Katz." Indeed, Israel has carried out several demolitions in various localities, including Khiam (where it also set houses ablaze), Houla, Taybeh (Marjayoun), and Kfar Tibnit (Nabatieh).
In the central sector of Bint Jbeil district, there were reports of a military force advancing with bulldozers. The bulldozers were later seen tearing up roads between Haddatha and Haris, two villages bordering the "Yellow Line," which marks the buffer zone occupied by Israel. Overnight, demolitions had already taken place in Majdal Zoun (Sour), Taybeh, and Haddatha. Commenting on the ongoing destruction, sources at The Jerusalem Post said the army "is not only destroying Hezbollah's infrastructure, but also opening new access routes to facilitate entry to operational areas, improve troop security, and accelerate supplies to the front lines."
Israel also carried out airstrikes on Mansouri (Sour) and the outskirts of Wadi Slouki (Marjayoun).
The night had been marked by several Israeli attacks, including Israeli demolitions in Majdal Zoun (Sour), Taybeh (Marjayoun), and Haddatha (Bint Jbeil), where houses were also set on fire; airstrikes on Qousseir (Marjayoun); artillery fire on the outskirts of Srebbine and Braasheet (Bint Jbeil) and Mayfadoun (Nabatiyeh); and machine gun fire on Shihine (Sour). In the Nabatieh region, where Israeli forces have been focusing particularly on the strategic Ali Taher ridge, Israel bombed a house near the Dabshe hill and the village of Dohat Kfar Roummane, which was also targeted by artillery fire.
Reporting contributed by our correspondent in the South, Muntasser Abdallah.
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