Lebanon’s olive harvest crippled by Israeli occupation, fears of cluster munitions

What happened

Al Jazeera Lebanon reports that farmers in southern Lebanon’s border areas, including the village of Majdel Selm, are facing severe obstacles this olive harvest season due to Israeli occupation and restrictions. Access to farmland near the border requires permits coordinated between the Lebanese Army and a US-Israel-Lebanon tripartite mechanism established after the June Tripartite Framework Agreement.

Outside Brief is treating this as a source-led account. Any disputed responsibility, casualty figure, battlefield claim or single-source assertion should be treated as unconfirmed/hearsay unless confirmed by another reliable source or a named official. The article highlights that Israeli military activity, including bulldozing, bombing, and use of white phosphorus, has damaged or destroyed thousands of hectares of farmland since October 2023. Olive trees have been burned or uprooted, and ongoing occupation covers nearly 630 square kilometers, limiting farmer access and damaging agricultural infrastructure.

Farmers interviewed by Al Jazeera describe working under constant surveillance and threat from Israeli drones and warplanes. An olive grower recounted an Israeli shell landing near him hours before the interview, with drone flights overhead adding psychological strain. Farmers have a narrow two-week window to harvest, with neglected land overgrown and potentially littered with unexploded ordnance from previous strikes, including cluster bombs.

Known from the source

• Lebanese farmers in southern border villages such as Majdel Selm require permits coordinated by the Lebanese Army and a tripartite peace mechanism to access their farmland.
• Israeli military actions since October 2023 include demolition, bombing, and use of white phosphorus, resulting in destruction of over 16,000 hectares of Lebanese farmland.
• Approximately 630 square kilometers of southern Lebanon remains under Israeli occupation as of the report.
• Farmers describe working under threat from Israeli drones and warplanes, with limited windows to harvest olives.
• At least three people have reportedly died from explosions in southern farmland during harvest season, according to Al Jazeera sources.

What remains unclear

Multiple deaths have been reported from explosions in southern farmland during the harvest period, including a retired soldier, an engineer, and a police officer, attributed by sources to Israeli artillery and ordnance. These incidents underline the ongoing danger posed by remnants of past conflicts, notably cluster munitions dropped by Israel during the 2006 war and subsequent hostilities.

What remains unclear: Confirm whether the central claim is corroborated; until then treat it as unconfirmed/hearsay. Casualty details and confirmed causes of deaths in southern Lebanon during the olive harvest. Independent verification of Israeli military tactics and specific attacks cited in the region since October 2023. Details and confirmation on the operation and authority of the permit coordination mechanism established by the Tripartite Framework Agreement.

Evidence note

This story contains report-led claims. The article keeps those claims attributed and treats them as unconfirmed/hearsay unless independently corroborated.

Original source: Al Jazeera Lebanon. Open the source.