Lebanese firefighters accuse Israel of intentionally causing fires during strikes - report

Lebanese firefighters and environmental groups allege that Israel is intentionally igniting fires in southern Lebanon, contributing to widespread woodland destruction. Hussein Fakih, head of civil defense in the Nabatiya region, told The Guardian that "most of our missions are now related to fires," with "enormous areas of woodland that have burned." He estimated that in areas near the frontline, "around 30-40% of the land has been affected by fires."

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Most of our missions are now related to fires. There are enormous areas of woodland that have burned, I don’t have the exact figures, but in the areas close to the [frontline], around 30-40% of the land has been affected by fires.

Fakih further accused Israeli drones of targeting firefighters and dropping incendiary materials, including white phosphorus shells and illumination flares, specifically to start fires. Samir Hardan, another civil defense chief, reported that Israeli drones initiated two fires within three days. Firefighting operations require coordination with the Lebanese Army, which then relays requests to a deconfliction group that includes the IDF.

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They started doing this right after the ceasefire, and there have been incendiary bombs every day. Small drones come out and drop incendiary materials, [white] phosphorus shells are fired at the woodlands, in addition to illumination flares that they drop during the daytime so the vegetation catches fire.

Hisham Younes, founder of the Lebanese conservation group Green Southerners, condemned the alleged Israeli actions as "a pattern of destruction that progressively erodes the ability of ecosystems to function, regenerate and sustain life." He emphasized the ecological importance of the long-established woodlands, dominated by stone pine and oak, which also serve as a critical passage for migratory birds. Younes stated that environmental destruction in the region is inseparable from the broader territorial transformation, impacting livelihoods and people's ability to remain on their land.

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a pattern of destruction that progressively erodes the ability of ecosystems to function, regenerate and sustain life. When those cascading effects also undermine livelihoods and people’s ability to return to and remain on their land, environmental destruction becomes inseparable from the wider transformation of the territory itself.

The IDF, in response to The Guardian's inquiries, asserted that all strikes on Lebanon are "conducted while taking precautionary measures to mitigate harm to civilians and the environment."

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all strikes on Lebanon were conducted while taking precautionary measures to mitigate harm to civilians and the environment.