Lebanon’s firefighters are reportedly struggling to contain fires that have spread across vast swathes of southern Lebanon following Israeli bombardments, as environmentalists and firefighters estimate that around 30–40 per cent of agricultural and forested land has been affected, accusing Israel of targeting the country’s natural environment.
In recent weeks, extensive woodland, olive groves, and agricultural areas have been engulfed by flames across the south, caused by flares and other munitions dropped on Lebanon by the Israeli military, to which the Israeli response is yet to come.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces dropped flares over a wooded area outside Khiam, according to Hussein Fakih, head of civil defence in the Nabatieh region. The resulting fire prompted firefighters to intervene, but a drone strike close to the team forced them to withdraw.
“Most of our missions are now related to fires,” Fakih said, describing the scale of the destruction as enormous. He said between 30 and 40 per cent of land in areas close to the frontline had been affected by fires.
In Kfarchouba, a drone allegedly dropped a munition into woodland, igniting a fire that firefighters battled overnight. After the flames had been extinguished, another drone reportedly started a second blaze days later. Firefighters also faced restrictions on where they could operate because their movements had to be coordinated through the Lebanese army and a deconfliction mechanism involving Israel.
Environmentalists say the destruction is part of a broader and longstanding pattern. Hisham Younes, founder of the Lebanese conservation group Green Southerners, described the attacks as “ecocide”, warning that repeated fires are eroding ecosystems and threatening biodiversity.
The affected woodlands include mature stone-pine and oak forests that provide important habitats and serve as resting and migration routes for birds. Their destruction could therefore have consequences extending well beyond the immediate loss of vegetation.
For residents, the damage is also deeply personal. In the border village of Yaroun, displaced residents returning on 1 August found olive and fruit groves, alongside homes, burned. Mayor Hafez Ghasham said many of the ancient olive trees had been inherited through generations and were both a source of income and a repository of family memory.
“They are erasing our entire history, our entire culture, all our memories,” he said.
The fires come amid a wider pattern of environmental damage in southern Lebanon since fighting began in October 2023, raising fears that the landscape and communities of the region may face lasting consequences.