I
ON OCTOBER 16TH,
ISRAELI FORCES RELEASED DRAMATIC FOOTAGE OF
THEIR UNITS DETONATING EXPLOSIVES IN MAHAI,
A SMALL VILLAGE IN SOUTHERN LEBANON,
FATIMA
ZAINAB JABBER
ARE SISTERS FROM
HABIB WHO EVACUATED AT THE START OF THE WAR.
THEY LEARNED OF THEIR HOMETOWN'S DESTRUCTION ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
AN ID F SPOKESPERSON TOLD NBC NEWS THAT THE GOAL OF THE INVASION HAS BEEN
TO DISMANTLE HEZBOLLAH'S MILITARY CAPABILITIES AND ADDRESS
THE THREAT HEZBOLLAH POSES TO ISRAELI CITIZENS.
THEY'VE CLAIMED TO HAVE LIMITED GOALS FOR THE INVASION OF SOUTHERN LEBANON.
BUT AN NBC NEWS INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT WHEREVER ISRAELI TROOPS HAVE TREAD,
THEY'VE LEFT BEHIND MASSIVE DESTRUCTION AND DESOLATION.
THE IDF OCCUPIED TOWNS LIKE
MOHIB AND DEMOLISHED THEM
CREATING AN UNINHABITABLE ZONE ALONG LEBANON'S BORDER WITH ISRAEL
IN MAH.
THE ID F SAYS THEY WERE DESTROYING UNDERGROUND TUNNELS ONCE USED BY
HEZBOLLAH.
THIS IS WHAT MY HABEB LOOKED LIKE BEFORE
IT WAS HOME TO ABOUT 250 RESIDENTS AND WAS THE SITE
OF AN ANCIENT SHRINE THAT DREW RELIGIOUS PILGRIMS AND VISITORS.
HEZBOLLAH BEGAN FIRING MISSILES INTO ISRAEL A DAY
AFTER HAMAS ATTACKED ISRAEL ON OCTOBER 7TH 2023.
THE
JABBER SISTERS ARE AMONG 1.4 MILLION LEBANESE DISPLACED FROM THEIR HOMES
IN THE EXCHANGE OF FIRE OVER THE COURSE OF THE FOLLOWING YEAR
ON SEPTEMBER 30TH 2024 THE ID F ANNOUNCED
IT WOULD ESCALATE THE CONFLICT BY INVADING SOUTHERN LEBANON
AT THE TIME IT WAS DESTROYED BY HABIB LOCATED JUST
A FEW MILES FROM THE BORDER WITH ISRAEL WAS EMPTY.
THE TOWN WAS ONE OF DOZENS THAT ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES ORDERED
TO FULLY EVACUATE AS IT INVADED SOUTHERN LEBANON THROUGHOUT OCTOBER.
THE IDF CAPTURED AND OCCUPIED
MOHEBI ENABLING AN IDF COMBAT ENGINEERING UNIT TO PLANT EXPLOSIVES IN THE TOWN.
IN THIS VIDEO,
ISRAELI SOLDIERS CAN BE SEEN WATCHING AND
CELEBRATING THE DEMOLITION FROM A SAFE DISTANCE
SATELLITE IMAGERY FROM BEFORE AND AFTER THE DETONATION
SHOWS LITTLE REMAINS OF THE VILLAGE OF MOHIB.
THE 2000 YEAR OLD SHRINE TO THE PROPHET BENJAMIN IN THE TOWN WAS ALSO DESTROYED.
NO
RESEARCHERS FROM CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
AND THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON ARE USING SATELLITE
RADAR DATA TO DETECT DAMAGED BUILDINGS IN
LEBANON TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF THE CONFLICT
SINCE THE START OF THE CONFLICT.
THEY'VE IDENTIFIED OVER 12,000 DESTROYED OR DAMAGED BUILDINGS.
NBC NEWS ANALYZED THIS DATA ALONG WITH DATA ON ID F TROOP MOVEMENTS
AND FOUND THAT IN THE AREA THE ID F CAPTURED ALONG THE BORDER,
MORE THAN 5600 BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.
42% OF ALL BUILDINGS IN THIS AREA
IN MANY VILLAGES, THE DESTRUCTION IS TOTAL,
86% OF THE BUILDINGS IN MAHE
HAVE BEEN DEMOLISHED.
YOU
SATELLITE IMAGES OF SOUTHERN LEBANESE TOWNS GIVE A FULLER PICTURE
OF HOW THE ID F HAS MADE THEM UNINHABITABLE.
THIS OCTOBER 5TH SATELLITE IMAGE OF YAROUN SHOWS ARMORED VEHICLE
TRACKS CROSSING THE BORDER FROM ISRAEL AND ENTERING THE TOWN.
HERE YOU CAN SEE THOSE ID F VEHICLES ADJACENT TO A RAISED SECTION OF THE TOWN
AND HERE THERE ARE VISIBLE SIGNS OF BULLDOZING
BY THE END OF THE MONTH.
SATELLITE RADAR DATA SHOWS 62% OF THE TOWN
ONCE HOME TO 2000 PEOPLE HAS BEEN DESTROYED.
NBC.
VERIFIED VIDEOS POSTED TO SOCIAL MEDIA OF ID F DEMOLITIONS IN
NEARLY EVERY TOWN THE ID F OCCUPIED IN SOUTHERN LEBANON.
THESE VIDEOS SHOW THE DESTRUCTION OF MOSQUES,
LARGE GROUPINGS OF HOMES
AND ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOODS.
THIS DEMOLITION TOOK PLACE IN A BORDER VILLAGE CALLED RAMYA.
BY EARLY NOVEMBER, 67% OF RAMUS
BUILDINGS HAD BEEN DESTROYED.
INFLUENTIAL MEMBERS OF THE ISRAELI MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT HAVE ADVOCATED
FOR CREATING A DEPOPULATED BUFFER ZONE IN SOUTHERN LEBANON.
BUT THE ID F HASN'T SAID THIS WAS THE GOAL OF THEIR INVASION OF LEBANON
IN THIS HOUSE. A
STORAGE
VEST
HELMETS.
YOU
SEE THE HAND GRENADE HERE
IN A STATEMENT TO NBC NEWS,
AN ID F SPOKESPERSON SAID IT DOESN'T
AIM TO CAUSE EXCESSIVE DAMAGE TO CIVILIAN INFRASTRUCTURE
BUT HEZBOLLAH EMBEDS MILITARY ASSETS IN AND
BENEATH CIVILIAN AREAS AND CULTURAL SITES.
EXPLOSIVE
RPGS HERE.
NOW RESIDENTS LIKE THE JABBER SISTERS HAVE
LEARNED THERE'S NOTHING LEFT TO RETURN TO
AND I
THOUGHT
AN, AND I
THOUGHT.