Gaza Genocide · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
French-Lebanese Businessman Sues Israeli Army Over Uprooting 600 Olive Trees In Zibd
French-Lebanese businessman files France war-crimes suit accusing Israeli army of uprooting 600 olive trees. Trees reportedly 200–500 years old on family land in southern Lebanon.
11 outlets told this the same way.
2 of 4 outlets skipped it: more than 6,000 French citizens serve in the Israeli military..
The National was read line by line by the Watchdog: 2.8. See the score →
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Olive trees lawsuit filed
A French-Lebanese businessman filed a lawsuit in France accusing the Israeli army of uprooting 600 ancient olive trees from his family’s land in southern Lebanon, according to his lawyers to AFP on Wednesday. The businessman said some of the trees were around 500 years old and that his family had cultivated the land for 250 years in the town of Zibd, eastern Sidon, his birthplace in southern Lebanon.
The civil lawsuit described charges of theft, destruction, and property damage as war crimes, and it said the trees were uprooted from their roots. The lawsuit also said the businessman is “not a member of Hezbollah and is not sympathetic to it,” and it added that “there is no evidence indicating that Hezbollah used the house or agricultural fields as military equipment.”
Airstrike and alleged control
The businessman told the court that his family home was completely destroyed in an Israeli air strike hours before a ceasefire was announced in southern Lebanon in April 2026. The lawsuit said the Israeli army gained “complete control of the area” after weeks, before uprooting the olive trees, following the signing of a framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel at the end of June.
The complaint asserted that “the destruction and uprooting of olive trees is evidence of the war crimes committed by Israel in southern Lebanon,” citing in particular a report by Amnesty International. The Israeli army told AFP in August that it was “aware of the potential environmental impact of its operations in the region” and that it takes “precautionary measures to limit harm to civilians and the environment.”
French justice and accountability
Lawyers Vincent Bringuart, William Bordon, and Nicolas Busan said the case fits into a broader context of ethnic cleansing and the destruction of several villages in southern Lebanon, and they said their client expects the French judiciary “to do everything in its power to identify the responsible parties and prosecute them.” The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office received another complaint from lawyers William Bourdon and Nicolas Busin, who said the complainant’s house and olive trees in southern Lebanon were destroyed by Israel during its war with Hezbollah.
Mr Busin told a Beirut conference that the complaint was filed so the justice system could “establish the full truth and deliver justice for the war crimes committed against him,” and he said the complainant’s family had “the complete absence of any military objective.” The National reported that Lebanon is not party to the Rome Statute and has yet to accept the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, while it said Article 13 of the Israel-Lebanon framework agreement commits both sides “to take good-faith measures” including “the cessation of all hostile or adverse actions in international political or legal forums.”