The United States has expressed concern over the destruction of villages in Lebanon following the emergence of footage showing Israeli forces apparently blowing up a historic town in the south of the country. The video released by the Israeli military depicted multiple blasts near numerous buildings in the town of Mhaibib in the Nabatiyeh governate, located approximately 2 kilometers from the border with Israel.
One of the videos also showed the shrine of Prophet Benjamin, a site of religious, historic, and touristic significance believed to be over 2,000 years old, enveloped in smoke. The current state of the shrine could not be verified.
State Department spokesperson Matt Miller emphasized the U.S.'s stance on the matter, stating, “We do not want to see entire villages destroyed. We don’t want to see civilian homes destroyed. We don’t want to see civilian buildings destroyed.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that the video showcased the dismantling of a Hezbollah terrorist tunnel network and mentioned targeting multiple Hezbollah sites in the Nabatiyeh area to disrupt what they alleged was underground infrastructure utilized by the Lebanese militant group’s elite Radwan Forces.
Subsequently, the IDF confirmed striking several towns in southern Lebanon, including Mhaibib. However, in response to an inquiry, the IDF stated that the video did not depict Mhaibib but did not provide evidence or specify the actual town shown.
The mayor of a neighboring village informed the Associated Press that families had evacuated the village in response to the situation.
