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Recent Israeli aircraft sprayed what was described as a non-toxic substance across agricultural land along the South Lebanese border, triggering UN intervention and fears of chemical contamination in a war-damaged landscape. Initial laboratory analysis identified the substance as the herbicide glyphosate, which the World Health Organization says increases cancer risk. Laboratory results also said glyphosate could damage vegetation cover, with direct repercussions for agricultural production, soil fertility, and ecological balance.
The Lebanese ministry said the spraying was neither accidental nor harmless. A human rights group condemned the incident as a war crime. Another statement said the deliberate targeting of civilian farmland violates international humanitarian law, including the prohibition on attacking or destroying objects indispensable to civilian survival, and that large-scale destruction of private property without specific military necessity amounts to a war crime that undermines food security and basic livelihoods.
A mayor from one affected border village, an agricultural engineer, warned that the concentration of sprayed herbicides poses a serious threat to farmland. According to analyses by the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with laboratories, the herbicide contained glyphosate at concentrations far exceeding permissible limits. It was described as a universal herbicide that kills weeds but, when applied in high concentrations, can lead to the death of crops, shrubs, fruit trees, and forest trees, turning land into a semblance of desert.
The warnings were framed amid evidence of long-term environmental damage. Since late 2023, thousands of hectares of forest and agricultural land were reportedly destroyed by bombardment and white phosphorus use, with independent reports estimating tens of thousands of olive trees lost and soil contamination threatening food security. Southern Lebanon’s agricultural sectors—olives, tobacco, thyme, and vegetables—already devastated by war, were described as facing potential long-lasting chemical damage.
Statements also said spraying along the Blue Line, including the Aida al-Shab area and nearby villages, will have long-term impacts on soil and vegetation, with effects felt for many years. The expected manifestations mentioned were yellowing leaves, tree dieback, and tree death. It was also stated that destruction of bees and broader ecosystem impacts would follow.
Speakers emphasized that the stakes are not only environmental, but whether people can return, farm, and live on the land again. It was noted that since October 2023, Israel repeatedly used white phosphorus in southern Lebanon, described as burning crops, contaminating soil, and persisting long after impact, with examples cited of burned olive groves and agricultural zones rendered unusable. A ceasefire since November 2024 was referenced alongside reports that President Joseph Allen condemned the spraying as part of ongoing repeated Israeli aggressions.
A call was made for the international community and UN organizations to take responsibility for practices targeting agricultural land and civilian livelihoods. Critics in Beirut also linked the situation to US-backed plans near the Lebanese-Israeli border, warning that destruction of civilian buildings and agricultural land could be tied to depopulation of border settlements, describing it as “Gaza 2.0” and a blueprint for permanent displacement.