The Israeli military has demolished entire villages as part of its invasion of south Lebanon, rigging homes with explosives and razing them to the ground in massive remote detonations. Lebanese media has reported more mass detonations in other border villages, but satellite imagery was not readily available to verify these claims. “The possibility that Hezbollah may use some civilian structures in Lebanon’s border villages for military purposes does not justify the wide-scale destruction of entire villages along the border,” said Ramzi Kaiss, the Lebanon researcher for Human Rights Watch. He took a picture of Deir Seryan after its residents returned – string lights were hung over the town square, lighting up the town. Families from border villages are scattered across the world – in Australia, Africa, Europe – having searched for stability and livelihoods abroad.

Source: The Guardian April 12, 2026 05:30 UTC