Israeli Officials Order Demolition of Lebanese Homes, HRW Warns of War Crimes

Lebanon is being pulled into a wider regional escalation that Human Rights Watch describes as involving expanded Israeli ground operations in southern Lebanon and signals of forced relocation, home destruction, and air strikes that could target civilians.

“(Beirut) – Human Rights Watch today said that Israeli forces have expanded ground operations in southern Lebanon after signaling an intention to forcibly relocate residents, destroy civilian homes, and carry out air strikes that could target civilians”

Human Rights Watch

In a statement dated March 22, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered to “speed up the demolition of Lebanese homes in border villages to thwart threats against Israeli towns – following the Beit Hanoun and Rafah pattern in the Gaza Strip,” according to Human Rights Watch.

Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch also says that on March 16, 2026, Katz stated that “hundreds of thousands of Shiite residents in southern Lebanon will not return to their homes south of the Litani River until the security and safety of the northern Israel population is guaranteed.”

The same Human Rights Watch account says that evacuation orders issued by the Israeli army to residents of Beirut's southern suburb between March 11 and 15 stated that the Israeli army “will not hesitate to strike anyone near Hezbollah elements or their facilities or combat means.”

Human Rights Watch frames these actions as involving “Forced displacement, wanton destruction, and deliberate attacks against civilians” that “constitute war crimes.”

It adds that “Since the latest escalation in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah on March 2, Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,029 people in Lebanon,” including “118 children and 40 medical workers,” “as of March 22, according to Lebanon's Public Health Ministry.”

Human Rights Watch says the fighting has been accompanied by sustained rocket fire from Hezbollah and continued Israeli strikes across Lebanon.

It reports that “In recent days, Hezbollah has fired an average of about 150 rockets per day, according to the Israeli army,” and it adds that Hezbollah’s attacks have “injured at least 15 people in Israel, according to Israeli media reports.”

Le Figaro

The same report ties the casualty figures to a specific timeline, stating that “Since the latest escalation in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah on March 2, Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,029 people in Lebanon,” and that the count includes “118 children and 40 medical workers.”

Human Rights Watch also says that evacuation orders were issued for broad areas of southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburb, with the Israeli army issuing evacuation orders for “all residents of southern Lebanon south of the Litani River and all residents of Beirut's southern suburb” on March 4 and 5.

It further states that “Since March 12, the Israeli army has expanded the evacuation areas,” ordering residents of southern Lebanon to move out of areas south of the Zahrani River, “about 15 kilometers north of the Litani,” and “40 kilometers north of Lebanon's southern border with Israel.”

The report emphasizes that “More than a million people have been displaced in Lebanon so far,” and it links the displacement to concerns about forced displacement and the targeting of Shiite residents.

Human Rights Watch details how evacuation orders were issued in Beirut’s southern suburb and how it says Israeli statements and demolition directives raise legal concerns.

“The Arab World in the Era of Coups d'État The second half of the 20th century marks the era of coups d'État in the Arab world”

Les clés du Moyen-Orient

It says that “Between March 11 and 15, the Arabic-speaking Israeli army spokesperson issued at least five evacuation orders, nearly identical in content, to residents of seven neighborhoods in Beirut's southern suburb,” after first issuing a comprehensive evacuation order for all areas of Beirut’s southern suburb on March 5.

The report says the orders told residents to “'evacuate immediately'” and to “'not return to these neighborhoods until further notice.'”

It adds that the orders also stated that the Israeli army “'will not hesitate to attack anyone located near Hezbollah elements or their facilities or combat means.'”

Human Rights Watch contrasts these with earlier orders that it says stated, for example, that “'anyone located near Hezbollah elements or their facilities or combat means would be in danger.'”

The report also highlights the March 5 video statement by Betzalel Smotrich, saying he released a video statement “standing on the Israeli-Lebanese border” in which he said that “the southern suburb of Beirut will soon look very much like Khan Younis in Gaza.”

Beyond the immediate security crisis, UNESCO-linked reporting in Lebanon focuses on how escalating conflict disrupts schooling and increases the risk of permanent dropout.

A UNESCO rapid overview described by Naharnet says the regional emergency affects “over 100 million children,” and it reports that “In Lebanon, 1,156 public schools are designated as collective shelters, with 570 schools closed or in conflict areas, affecting 241,671 students.”

UNESCO

The same account says that “Psychosocial distress has reached critical levels, affecting both learners and teachers,” and it warns that “Learning loss is deepening at an unprecedented scale, while the risk of permanent dropout is rapidly increasing.”

It also states that “As of April, the report said,” and it frames Lebanon as an example of how “acute crises rapidly overwhelm already fragile systems.”

Naharnet’s account says that “In Lebanon, 55% of shelter centers are public schools,” and it links the disruption to the broader regional pattern of closures, remote learning shifts, and reduced access.

In a separate UNESCO report focused on Syrian refugees in Lebanon, UNESCO describes how “Asma Al Ahmad fled the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic and sought refuge in Lebanon, in the Bekaa region,” and says she was “deprived of education for two years” while living in a refugee camp in Saadnayel.

Lebanon’s situation is also discussed through the lens of regional spillover and the risk of further escalation, with multiple sources tying Lebanon to broader dynamics involving Iran, Israel, and Gulf states.

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UNESCO

Le Figaro reports that “Israel also struck Lebanon this morning,” and it says Lebanon’s response through its prime minister was that it “will not agree to be drawn into the conflict.”

Al-Khaleej

The same Le Figaro account describes fears that “the Gulf states face the fear of a regionalization of the conflict,” and it quotes a diplomatic source saying that “Iran would retaliate and the crisis would spread across the region, with the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz and proxy actions.”

It also says that weakening Iran could “risk awakening other conflicts that it might be tempted to reactivate, through the armed groups it supports in the region, including the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon.”

Human Rights Watch, meanwhile, warns about the international dimension of the conflict, saying that “Countries that continue to supply Israel with weapons and military aid risk complicity in the serious violations being carried out by the Israeli government in Lebanon.”

Finally, Les clés du Moyen-Orient frames Lebanon’s political history as an exception to the “era of coups d'État in the Arab world,” describing Lebanon as the “Switzerland of the Middle East” and saying it “stands as an exception for reasons entirely different,” before asserting that the generation of leaders was “toppled by the coups of the Lebanese Civil War.”