Questions are escalating about Israeli credibility in light of the rapid field developments in southern Lebanon, where Tel Aviv promotes itself as a guarantor of stability and prosperity for Middle Eastern societies. However, documented reports and images from the field reveal the falsity of these claims, with severe damage recorded to Christian and Islamic religious and historical sites alike.
In the town of Shamaa, in the Tyre district, occupation army bulldozers demolished the historic 'Shimon HaTzadik' shrine on April 13. The occupation did not stop at the bulldozing operation but followed it with a subsequent airstrike that completely destroyed the site, despite its great historical symbolism for the Christian presence in the southern region.
Geographic investigations and satellite image matching conducted by media sources confirmed that the targeted shrine had undergone previous restoration operations after being partially damaged in earlier confrontations. This systematic targeting indicates a desire to obliterate the cultural and religious landmarks that characterize the social fabric in the Lebanese border villages.
In another incident that sparked widespread anger, activists and journalists circulated a photo documenting an Israeli soldier using an axe to smash a statue of Christ in one of the southern towns. This photo, published on April 19, reflects hostile behavior that goes beyond the declared military objectives of Israeli ground operations.
Visual analyses and spatial comparisons indicated that the incident of smashing the statue occurred inside a house in the Christian town of Debel, located about four kilometers from the border. Israeli forces have been present in this geographical area since early March, placing direct responsibility on the field military leadership.
International circles reacted to these violations, forcing the Israeli army to open a superficial internal investigation that ended with lenient disciplinary measures. Only two soldiers were suspended from work for one month without being discharged, which observers considered an attempt to absorb anger without real accountability for desecrating religious symbols.
Within the context of Israeli justifications, the occupation army claimed in late March that Hezbollah elements were using a church in the town of Khiam for military purposes. The occupation published a video claiming to document armed activities inside the church, in an attempt to legitimize targeting civilian and religious objects in the area.
However, scrutiny of the landmarks visible in the video and comparing them with the reality on the ground showed that the location is the Mar Elias Church in Khiam. The occupation authorities have repeated these accusations since the end of last year, having previously claimed the existence of tunnels and weapons in the vicinity of the church without providing conclusive and independent evidence to prove the validity of these claims.
These practices put Israel in direct confrontation with international humanitarian law, which emphasizes the need to protect civilian objects of a religious and cultural nature. Articles 52 and 53 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions prohibit attacking places of worship or using them in the war effort, considering them a red line that must not be crossed.
Furthermore, the 1954 Hague Convention obliges conflicting parties to protect cultural property, while the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court goes even further. The Statute classifies intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to religious purposes as a war crime, unless those buildings have been converted into actual and proven military objectives.
International humanitarian law stipulates the protection of civilian objects of a religious and cultural nature, and prohibits targeting or damaging them unless they are used for legitimate military purposes.
شارك برأيك
Occupation violations in southern Lebanon target Christian holy sites and belie the narrative of protecting minorities