A war on reconstruction: Israel's new frontline in south Lebanon

Under the pretext that Hezbollah is attempting to rebuild its capabilities, Israel is carrying out a new military campaign in southern Lebanon, killing workers on construction sites, destroying machinery, and threatening engineers advocating for reconstruction.

The strategy appears aimed at pressuring the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah by preventing the return of civilians to the south and attempting to turn the Shia community against Hezbollah.

The escalation ramped up on 2 October, when an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon killed two engineers linked to a US-sanctioned company with alleged Hezbollah links.

In the following week, Israel carried out deadly attacks in Deir Aames and near Yater, killing two more people, including an operator on a bulldozer. On the night between 10 and 11 October, a massive strike hit a construction site near Msayleh, destroying hundreds of vehicles and killing one person.

The campaign further escalated on 12 October, when engineer and activist Tarek Mazraani, a founder of the association Assembly of Residents of Southern Border Localities, was publicly threatened in an audio broadcast by an Israeli drone for advocating reconstruction in border areas.

On Saturday, an Israeli drone fired three missiles at an excavator, killing its operator between the Sour and Bint Jbeil districts.

These repeated strikes reveal a broader strategy. By systematically destroying entire neighbourhoods and targeting construction efforts, Israel is making reconstruction virtually impossible, effectively holding southern Lebanon hostage and preventing more than 80,000 residents from rebuilding their communities.

Despite a US and France-brokered ceasefire in November last year, Israel continues to carry out near-daily strikes and occupy five strategic points along the border, citing self-defence and targeting alleged Hezbollah-linked sites.

Lebanese officials, however, condemn the attacks as hitting civilian infrastructure and breaching the ceasefire, while the UN has verified 108 civilian casualties in Lebanon since the truce was agreed.

Amnesty International reported in August that between 1 October 2024 and 26 January 2025, the Israeli army destroyed over 10,000 civilian structures and agricultural land across 26 southern Lebanese municipalities, leaving many villages uninhabitable and raising concerns of potential war crimes.

But now, Israel seems to be taking its offensive against Lebanon to a new level, targeting construction sites and workers to draw a red line around reconstruction in order to put pressure on Hezbollah to disarm, maintain control over the south, and gain leverage in talks with Lebanese authorities.

“In doing so, Israel has created a virtual security zone that limits Hezbollah’s freedom of movement,” Michael Young, a senior editor at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Centre, told The New Arab.

”It also hopes to create conditions in which displaced residents, unable to return or rebuild, will eventually exert increasing pressure on Hezbollah.”

In this sense, Israel is seeking to undermine the ability of the Shia community and Hezbollah to independently rebuild southern Lebanon without foreign or state assistance, according to Imad Salamey, professor of political science and international affairs at the Lebanese American University.

“Israel aims to make Hezbollah’s continued refusal to disarm increasingly costly for the Shia population, thereby eroding local support for the movement,” he told TNA.

“Additionally, these strikes slow down the return of displaced residents to the south, maintaining a state of instability and dependency that weakens Hezbollah’s social base and disrupts its efforts to restore normal life in its constituencies.”

Meanwhile, within Lebanon, the efforts of the government to rebuild areas devastated by war are limited. The country is still suffering an economic crisis, and potential foreign aid from countries like the United States and Saudi Arabia is tied to economic reforms and Hezbollah’s disarmament, which the group has rejected.

“Even if Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and President Joseph Aoun are committed to their reform projects, including Hezbollah disarmament and economic reforms, they are blocked by internal resistance and Hezbollah’s reluctance to disarm,” David Wood, a senior analyst for Lebanon at the International Crisis Group (ICG), told TNA.

“On top of that, Israel is making it very difficult for the Lebanese government to attract aid to rebuild these communities, as foreign donors don't want to contribute millions of dollars to reconstruction projects if Israel is just going to knock them down the next day.”

Delays in reconstruction and Israel’s targeting of construction sites are also fuelling tensions within Lebanon’s domestic politics. Hezbollah, along with its key ally Amal, has been criticising the Lebanese government for not doing enough for reconstruction, which the World Bank estimates will cost $11 billion.

Parliament Speaker and Amal leader Nabih Berri said in a recent interview that Israel’s recent attacks on construction equipment in the south were a clear message that “reconstruction is not allowed”. Berri also urged the government to turn its attention to the south and include reconstruction funds in next year’s budget.

Young said that Hezbollah and Amal blame the government for everything, with Berri stepping in as a self-serving mediator when Shia pressure rises, while Hezbollah deflects criticism from itself and the Shia parties.

“Both also want access to state funds they can distribute in the south as patronage, boosting their influence before next year’s elections,” he said.

The disruption of reconstruction efforts in southern Lebanon may also have the objective of weakening Hezbollah’s ties to its base.

“Prolonged destruction and economic paralysis risk alienating the Shia population, fostering resentment toward Hezbollah’s armed presence and Amal’s perceived inefficacy,” Salamey said.

“Israel’s strategy thus indirectly seeks to fracture the traditional unity between Hezbollah, Amal, and their Shia base, compelling these groups to choose between sustaining their armed posture and addressing growing popular demands for security, stability, and reconstruction.”

However, this strategy could backfire, Wood warns, strengthening Hezbollah’s long-standing claim that the Lebanese state alone cannot protect the country, and that Hezbollah’s weapons can provide that protection.

Moreover, if Israel prevents Shia residents from returning to their villages, new armed groups may emerge, according to Wood.

“Even if Hezbollah disarms, if Israel doesn't allow people to rebuild their communities in the places that they are from, then there is a very strong chance that people will form their own groups or find their own ways to strike back at Israel. It’s an incredibly dangerous policy that risks long-term instability in southern Lebanon,” he said.

Israel, for its part, may see reconstruction in southern Lebanon as feasible only within the framework of a wider deal.

Salamey explained that Israel seeks to advance a version of the plan as outlined by the US in August to turn southern Lebanon into a trade and development zone, linking investment to Hezbollah’s disarmament.

“In other words, rebuilding is being tied to political and security concessions that align with Israel’s long-term strategic goals,” he said.

While the announcement of a proposed economic zone in southern Lebanon was met with scepticism, President Aoun last week called for negotiations with Israel to resolve outstanding issues, noting that the recent war had produced no positive outcomes.

The appeal came after a US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, marking a historically significant opening for dialogue, although the format of the talks, direct or indirect, remains unclear.

Young believes the Israelis want new border security arrangements, likely including a clear agreement and an early warning system to monitor activity on the Lebanese side.

“This would give them a way to anticipate threats and prevent surprise attacks through a mechanism that allows Israel to closely observe the border area,” he said.

Dario Sabaghi is a freelance journalist interested in human rights 

Follow him on X: @DarioSabaghi