Drone footage shows the Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil reduced to a white wasteland after Israel’s ground push in southern Lebanon. Defense minister Israel Katz said the operation mirrors the tactics used in Gaza, where entire streets and neighborhoods were razed. Satellite images verified by The New York Times confirm demolition across at least two dozen border villages recently.

Since the March flare‑up, Israel has created a several‑mile‑deep buffer zone, citing the need to neutralize Hezbollah positions. Lebanon’s health ministry records more than 2,600 deaths, including journalists and medics, and over a million displaced. Videos show excavators tearing down solar panels and homes, while Amnesty International notes similar controlled‑demolition methods to those employed in Gaza again in Israel's campaign this year.

Human‑rights lawyers argue that destroying civilian infrastructure without clear military justification breaches international law, a point echoed by Israel’s own statement that only structures used by Hezbollah may be razed. Residents like bakery worker Nabil Sunbul and mother Fatima Abdallah now live in tents in Beirut, underscoring how the demolition strategy has turned thriving Shiite villages into uninhabitable ash fields.