Israel committed war crimes in south Lebanon by targeting civilian machinery, HRW says

Israeli forces have committed war crimes in southern Lebanon by deliberately targeting civilian construction equipment and facilities essential for post-war recovery, a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) has found.

Israeli strikes carried out between August and October 2025 killed three civilians and wounded 11 others, while systematically destroying machinery needed to rebuild communities devastated by Israel's war on Lebanon, the rights group said on Monday.

The attacks have obstructed reconstruction efforts in southern Lebanon, where around 10,000 homes were damaged or destroyed during the fighting, leaving an estimated 64,000 people displaced and unable to return, the group said.

Israeli strikes hit sites housing construction equipment in Deir Siryan, Msayleh and Ansariyeh, as well as a cement and asphalt factory in Sinay. In total, at least 360 heavy machines, including bulldozers and excavators, were destroyed.

HRW estimated the financial damage at millions of dollars, including around $1.4 million in Deir Siryan, $3.6 million in Ansariyeh, $4.7 million in Msayleh, and approximately $10 million in losses at the Sinay factory.

Investigators also documented remnants of US-manufactured munitions at two of the strike locations, including components of Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kits.

The United States has supplied Israel with billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment since October 2023, including JDAMs, which convert unguided bombs into precision-guided weapons.

Israel has repeatedly justified its continued bombardment of southern Lebanon by claiming it is targeting Hezbollah fighters or infrastructure allegedly involved in rebuilding the group’s military capabilities.

The Lebanese army, the Lebanese government and UNIFIL peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have all said they found no evidence that Hezbollah was rebuilding military infrastructure in the area.

Human Rights Watch said its researchers had found no military objectives near the attacked sites and no evidence that the destroyed equipment or facilities were being used for military purposes.

"Based on the evidence Human Rights Watch gathered, the possible contribution that the targeted machinery and sites may have made to Hezbollah’s military capability is too vague or tenuous to render them lawful military targets," the organisation said.

Under the laws of war, HRW added, "the mere possibility that equipment could be used in an undefined future military role, such as building fortifications, does not constitute a legitimate military objective".

Ramzi Kaiss, Human Rights Watch's Lebanon researcher, called on international governments to "immediately suspend arms transfers to Israel and impose targeted sanctions on officials credibly implicated in ongoing grave crimes".

Israel's military operations in Lebanon have continued despite a ceasefire announced in November 2024. Since then, Israeli forces have carried out repeated air strikes, targeted UNIFIL peacekeepers and maintained control over five points inside Lebanese territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant are both subject to arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice brought by South Africa.