"Yellow line" in southern Lebanon

Wijk bij Duurstede, 27 april 2026

The Israeli army has again banned the Lebanese civilian population from entering certain areas in the south of their own country.

The order comes in the middle of the ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
The army lists a list of +/- 55 villages in southern Lebanon that together form a border in the country: a so-called yellow line, behind which the inhabitants are no longer allowed to enter. This area is occupied by Israel. The army says that it is not allowed to enter the area. The area covers about 6% of Lebanon and is used by the Israeli army as a buffer zone against threats.

The villages within that area are systematically destroyed by the Israeli army, even now that the ceasefire is in force. This mainly concerns the destruction of civilian infrastructure such as homes, places of worship, schools and public buildings. This is done in the same way as in Gaza and the same heavy excavators are also used in Lebanon. By destroying the villages, the army prevents residents of the areas from returning home. They speak of a "scorched earth technique", with which Israel also makes it impossible for the civilian population to live there in the long term.

In addition to the villages in southern Lebanon, Israel is also destroying infrastructure and agricultural land.  Israel sprays the soil in the border areas of Lebanon with chemical pesticides.
This agricultural poison is bad for the environment and public health and causes vegetation to die. The farmers in the area are affected by this: because their land becomes unusable for a longer period of time, they have lost their source of income. This puts food security in Lebanon at risk.

It is not the first time that the Israeli army orders Lebanese to forcibly leave areas. Often the warnings were a harbinger of new attacks on the country. Israel and Lebanon agreed on a ten-day truce last Thursday, but despite that agreement, the Israeli army continues to occupy areas and villages.
Since the beginning of March, Israel has been carrying out attacks on southern Lebanon and the Lebanese capital Beirut because Hezbollah is said to be hiding there. That terrorist organization has also carried out attacks on Israel the other way around. Many civilians fell victim to heavy bombing by the Israeli army.
More than a million people have been displaced in Lebanon.

                                             "Yellow line" according to Israeli army
                                             Established by  the Israeli army as a forbidden area for Lebanese civilians

The specific, complete list of these 55 villages is not immediately displayed in the public sources as a numbered list from 1 to 55. However, from reports about the destruction and evacuation, the following villages are often mentioned as part of this border region. Here are some of the villages that have been affected: Aalma ash-Shaab, Naqoura, Marwahin, Al Mansouri, Zibqin, Yater, Bint Jbeil, MarjeYoun, Chaqra, Tibnin, Haris, Srebbine, Majdal Zoun, Kafra, Seddiqin and many other places not mentioned.

These villages are located in the districts of Bint Jbeil, Marjeyoun and Tyre. According to recent reports, a large part of these locations have been destroyed or evacuated.

The above text comes from various sources.