UNIFIL Reports Widespread Destruction Across Southern Lebanon

(MENAFN) The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) says peacekeepers are continuing to document severe damage to civilian infrastructure throughout southern Lebanon, with some areas experiencing destruction on a scale that has erased entire communities.

UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel says peacekeepers have recorded extensive destruction stretching from Kafr Kila through Khiam and Naqoura. The observations include damage to residential areas as well as essential facilities and infrastructure.

Israel has carried out major attacks across Lebanon since March 2, saying its operations are directed at Hezbollah. The Lebanese group has also launched attacks against Israel, bringing an end to a ceasefire that had remained in place since November 2024.

“Homes and businesses, schools and hospitals and other critical infrastructure like roads, electricity and water networks” have been damaged or destroyed, Ardiel said.

“It’s hard to overstate the devastation that some communities have seen. Entire neighborhoods have been wiped out,” she added.

The UN official also raised concerns about the nature of some of the damage, saying peacekeepers have encountered situations where “the destruction appears to be systematic rather than selective.”

Ardiel stressed that the consequences extend well beyond the destruction of buildings and infrastructure. She said affected communities are also facing displacement, the loss of homes and sources of income, disrupted social connections and a growing sense of insecurity.

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