Israeli forces carried out large-scale operations in southern Lebanon overnight, dropping white phosphorus shells on several towns in the Bint Jbeil district and sparking fires in heritage olive and pine groves, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported Monday.
The NNA confirmed that phosphorus munitions were used in the towns of Yaroun, Arnoun, and Bint Jbeil itself, igniting widespread fires across agricultural land that local officials described as irreplaceable. White phosphorus, which burns on contact with skin and is extremely difficult to extinguish, is internationally banned for use in civilian areas under the Geneva Conventions.
The Sunday Guardian reported that the Israeli military carried out large-scale operations in the Bint Jbeil district, specifically targeting heritage olive groves in Yaroun alongside broader bombing campaigns. Middle East Eye also confirmed that phosphorus bombs were dropped, resulting in large fires in the areas’ olive and pine groves.
The attacks come despite a renewed ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon brokered by the United States in June. The ceasefire had been intended to end hostilities that flared up in March 2026 when Hezbollah launched strikes on Israel, triggering a full Israeli ground invasion of southern Lebanon.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly documented Israel’s use of white phosphorus in populated areas of southern Lebanon, calling it a violation of international humanitarian law. The substance creates temperatures exceeding 800 degrees Celsius and leaves behind toxic residue that contaminates soil and water sources for years.
The phosphorus attacks coincide with a broader escalation across the Middle East, as the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran enters its fifth month. The conflict has displaced thousands of civilians in Lebanon and devastated agricultural infrastructure in the country’s south, where farming communities have lived under periodic bombardment for months.
Lebanese officials have called on the international community to intervene and enforce the ceasefire, warning that continued phosphorus attacks on civilian areas risk destabilizing an already fragile truce. The United Nations has previously called for investigations into Israel’s use of incendiary weapons in the region.
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