Israeli Military Claims Destruction of 70 Military Structures, Damage to Southern Lebanon Monastery Sparks Controversy

BEIRUT (CNA) — Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon resulted in at least seven deaths and multiple injuries. Additionally, the Israeli military's use of machinery to demolish parts of a Catholic monastery in a border village has drawn criticism for allegedly "deliberately" targeting a place of worship.

According to reports from the Associated Press and AFP, the Israeli military today issued a new round of evacuation warnings for nine villages in southern Lebanon.

A statement issued by the Israeli military indicated that they attacked dozens of Hezbollah targets today, noting that approximately 70 military structures and 50 Hezbollah infrastructure strongholds were dismantled in multiple areas.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) also reported that Israeli airstrikes in various locations in southern Lebanon caused multiple fatalities.

Separately, in the border village of Yaroun, Israeli bulldozers demolished parts of a monastery belonging to the Salvatorian Sisters, a Greek Catholic order. The damaged monastery was uninhabited at the time due due to recent conflicts.

The Israeli military stated that a building within the religious compound was damaged during troops' operations to dismantle what they called “terrorist infrastructure.”

Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesperson, posted on social media platform X that an investigation showed “a house within the religious compound was damaged during the operation to destroy terrorist infrastructure.” He added, “There were no clear signs at the scene indicating the building was a religious facility.”

He said, “When the troops became aware of clear religious markings on another building within the compound, they immediately took action to prevent further damage to the compound.”

Adraee also pointed out that Israeli forces operated in the area because Hezbollah had repeatedly fired rockets into Israeli territory from within that compound.

L'Oeuvre d'Orient, a French Catholic charity that partners with the order, stated that Israeli forces “destroyed” the monastery.

Their statement noted: “L'Oeuvre d'Orient strongly condemns the deliberate destruction of religious sites, as well as the systematic demolition of civilian homes in southern Lebanon to prevent residents from returning.”

A few days prior, two Israeli soldiers were detained for 30 days by the military for desecrating a statue of Jesus in the Christian village of Debl in southern Lebanon.

Since Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel from March 2 in solidarity with its ally Iran, drawing Lebanon into the Middle East war, Israeli airstrikes have killed over 2,600 people in Lebanon and displaced more than a million.

Despite a ceasefire agreement taking effect on April 17, exchanges of fire between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah continue. (Compiled by Tsai Chia-min) 1150503

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