People search for survivors in the aftermath of an Israeli strike, which Lebanese officials say came without warning, killing at least 10 and wounding dozens more, in the Haret Saida area near Sidon on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had struck more than 100 sites across the country in the previous 24 hours, including here in the southern coastal city of Sidon, where attacks had been rare. (Diego Ibarra Sanchez/The New York Times)
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Nearly a quarter of buildings in 25 municipalities near Lebanon’s border with Israel have been damaged or destroyed as of Saturday, according to The Washington Post’s satellite data analysis.
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The report highlights the extensive impact of Israel’s military operations targeting Hezbollah.
Since Israel’s ground invasion began on Oct. 2, at least 5,868 structures have been damaged, nearly half of those in Ayta al-Shab and Kfar Kila, the two hardest-hit areas.
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Destruction has escalated rapidly, doubling about every two weeks, while Israeli officials signal a possible move toward negotiations.
The Post’s findings are based on Sentinel-1 satellite data analyzed by Corey Scher of CUNY Graduate Center and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University.
The analysis also revealed at least nine religious sites damaged or destroyed by Israeli forces.
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Israel’s Defense Forces responded that its operations are “limited, targeted raids” based on intelligence and aim to protect Israeli civilians by neutralizing Hezbollah threats embedded in the area.
The IDF reported uncovering Hezbollah’s attack infrastructure, which it claims includes tunnels and weapons caches within civilian areas.
According to Nicholas Blanford, a Beirut-based Hezbollah expert, the damage pattern suggests a systematic Israeli effort to clear border communities, which Hezbollah could use for cross-border incursions.
Read more at The Washington Post.