Lebanese schools razed by Israeli forces in south amid conflict

Lebanon's education minister Rima Karami said Israeli troops looted and destroyed three schools in the south, using explosives to reduce them to "piles of ash." The attacks raise the total number of demolished schools to at least 20, with more than 100 others damaged, according to UNESCO. Roughly half a million Lebanese children are now out of school, and UN agencies warn that prolonged disruption will harm their development.

The destruction occurs amid a full‑scale war that began in March 2024 after cross‑border clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, following the Gaza conflict. Israeli forces claim they are targeting Hezbollah and deny demolishing a Christian monastery and school in the village of Yaroun, but reports from the Vatican news agency and local sources describe significant damage to the Christian school and nuns' convent. The conflict has killed at least 4,324 people, injured 12,223 and displaced over one million, including 250 child fatalities. A US‑mediated framework agreement signed on 26 June sets a phased Israeli withdrawal linked to Hezbollah disarmament, but no timetable has been established. UNDP estimates more than 11,000 buildings in southern Lebanon have been destroyed since the fighting intensified.