Lebanon vows to complain to UN about Israel burning 462 hectares of southern farms, forests

By Naim Berjawi

BEIRUT (AA) – After Israeli phosphorus shells burned 462 hectares (1,143 acres) of agricultural and forestland in southern Lebanon, Beirut will file official complaints to UN officials about Israel’s “scorched earth” policy, said a Lebanese Cabinet minister on Sunday.

"462 hectares were burned by enemy Israeli phosphorus shells in the border towns of southern Lebanon," Environment Minister Nasser Yassin said on X.

“Those shells ignited over 100 fires, spreading across extensive forested areas with high environmental significance, agricultural lands, and tens of thousands of olive trees,” he added.

“Lebanon will submit a documented complaint to the United Nations and the UN Security Council against the Israeli enemy's policy of scorched earth and the use of phosphorus,” he stressed.

On Wednesday, Agriculture Minister Abbas El-Hajj Hassan told Anadolu that “according to preliminary assessments, at least 40,000 olive trees have been completely destroyed due to Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon.”

Since Oct. 8 the Israeli-Lebanese border has seen intermittent exchanges of fire between the Israeli army and Hezbollah and Palestinian factions. This exchange of fire is considered the deadliest since Hezbollah and Israel fought a full-scale war in 2006.

The border tension comes as Israel widened air and ground operations in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Israeli border towns on Oct. 7.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala