Israel has launched a military operation codenamed Operation Silver Plow — a systematic campaign to demolish homes in the front line villages of southern Lebanon. Israeli Channel 12 reported the operation targets more than 20 villages near the border, with the IDF deploying heavy engineering equipment to destroy civilian structures using explosives and controlled detonations. The Israeli army has stated it does not intend to allow Lebanese residents to return to the area until what it describes as security conditions are met for communities in northern Israel.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz publicly named the operation during a visit to troops on the front line. “We have decided that we are not leaving the north again,” Katz said. “The goal is to disarm Hezbollah and evacuate all Lebanese residents south of the Litani — they will not return as long as the safety of our residents is not guaranteed. All the houses are being removed. We saw in Gaza how this works.” The framing explicitly models the campaign on Israel’s approach in Beit Hanoun and Rafah in Gaza, where entire neighbourhoods were razed. Netanyahu and Katz had previously ordered “the acceleration of the demolition of Lebanese houses in the border villages” as far back as March 22.

Confirmed demolitions are already documented in multiple villages. Reuters independently geolocated and verified a controlled explosion in Taybeh by matching road layouts, nearby buildings, a cemetery and vegetation to blast footage. Near-total destruction has been confirmed in Deir Siryan and Naqoura via satellite imagery. Israeli forces briefly withdrew from Deir Siryan and Qantara in recent days following the demolition operations, in what analysts assess as a tactical repositioning — consolidating forward positions rather than full withdrawal.

President Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon on Thursday, set to begin at 5 p.m. ET. The question is what that ceasefire actually covers. An Israeli security official confirmed to Reuters that Israel has no plans to withdraw its military from southern Lebanon during the ceasefire period. The demolition operation is ongoing. “Israel has no plans to withdraw its military from southern Lebanon during the announced 10-day ceasefire,” the official confirmed. Israeli forces remain active across multiple sectors of southern Lebanon, with operations near Bint Jbeil continuing even as diplomatic talks between Israeli and Lebanese envoys were being held in Washington.

For the more than one million Lebanese displaced since March — and particularly the roughly 1,400 residents of Deir Siryan alone who evacuated during the early phase of the offensive — the ceasefire offers no guarantee of return. The village mokhtar, Ali Ibrahim, reported hearing fresh explosions as recently as Sunday and Monday before the Israeli withdrawal from Deir Siryan — indicating demolitions were continuing right up to the pullback.

Human Rights Watch stated directly that the campaign raises serious concerns under international humanitarian law. “Forcible displacement, wanton destruction and attacks deliberately targeting civilians are war crimes,” HRW said in a statement. The organisation warned that countries continuing to provide Israel with arms and military aid risk complicity in serious violations in Lebanon. HRW called on states to condition further military support on compliance with international law.

Lebanese journalist Lylla Younes described to Democracy Now what she witnessed: “What the world should know is that we will return to these villages, and when we do, we’ll return to rubble.” The Lebanon death toll from the conflict that resumed in March has passed 2,000, with more than one million people displaced. The destruction of the border zone — villages that had been inhabited for generations — is reshaping the physical landscape of southern Lebanon in ways that will outlast any ceasefire.

Sources

• Anadolu Agency — Israeli Army Carries Out Demolition in Southern Lebanon Town Despite Ceasefire (April 16, 2026)
• Middle East Monitor — Israel Launches Operation Silver Plow to Demolish Homes in Southern Lebanon (April 15, 2026)
• Israel National News — Minister Katz Announces Operation Silver Plow in Lebanon
• The Defense News — Israeli Forces Withdraw from Deir Siryan and Qantara After Demolitions (April 16, 2026)
• Human Rights Watch — Israeli Officials Signal Stepped-Up Atrocities in Lebanon (March 23, 2026)
• Prism News — Israel Demolishes Entire Lebanese Villages in Border Offensive (April 2026)