Amnesty International stated on Tuesday that the extensive destruction of civilian property in South Lebanon by the Israeli army, including crimes that occurred after a ceasefire with Lebanon had been reached, should be investigated as a war crime.

"Where these acts of destruction were committed intentionally or recklessly, they must be investigated as war crimes," Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns.

The November 27 truce formally ended more than a year of confrontation on the Lebanon-occupied Palestine border, culminating in two months of open war during which "Israel" deployed ground troops and unleashed a wide-scale aggression across Lebanon.

Under the deal, Hezbollah was to pull its fighters back from the border while the Lebanese army deployed in the south and dismantled the group’s infrastructure. "Israel", for its part, was obligated to fully withdraw its troops, yet it has refused to leave several border areas it considers strategic, maintaining a military presence and continuing strikes inside Lebanon.

However, even after the ceasefire, Israeli forces embarked on widespread destruction across Lebanon, flattening homes, mosques, cemeteries, roads, and entire neighborhoods, razing civilian life in blatant defiance of the agreement.

Deliberate destruction of civilian property, agricultural land across South Lebanon may be war crimes

"The Israeli military's extensive and deliberate destruction of civilian property and agricultural land across southern Lebanon must be investigated as war crimes," Amnesty said in its statement.

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The rights group's Erika Guevara Rosas stated in the announcement that the destruction had made entire areas uninhabitable and had ruined countless lives, while "Israel" claims that its military action exclusively targeted Hezbollah sites and operatives, and as it continues to carry out strikes in Lebanon despite the ceasefire.

“The evidence we have analysed clearly shows that Israeli troops deliberately left a trail of devastation as they moved through the region. Their blatant disregard for the communities they have destroyed is abhorrent," said Rosas.

'Israel' continuously violates the ceasefire in Lebanon

Hezbollah has adhered to the ceasefire agreement; however, "Israel" continues to violate the agreement, refusing to withdraw its troops from seven points it deems "strategic", in addition to near-daily bombings of South Lebanon, and occasionally the Bekaa region and Beirut's southern suburb.

The group said its analysis, which covered the period from October 1 of last year, around the start of "Israel's" ground offensive, until late January of this year, showed that more than 10,000 structures were heavily damaged or destroyed during that time.

It noted that much of the destruction occurred after November 27, when the truce took effect, adding that Israeli forces utilized manually laid explosives and bulldozers to devastate civilian structures, such as homes, mosques, cemeteries, roads, parks, and soccer pitches across 24 municipalities.

The rights group said it used verified videos, photographs, and satellite imagery to investigate the destruction, noting that in some videos, soldiers filmed themselves celebrating the destruction by singing and cheering. It added that much of the destruction was carried out in an apparent absence of any imperative military necessity and in violation of international humanitarian law.

'Residents of southern Lebanon have nothing to return to'

"The previous use of a civilian building by a party to the conflict does not automatically render it a military objective," Rosas said, adding, “Given the scale of destruction carried out by the Israeli military, many residents of southern Lebanon have nothing to return to."

“The Israeli authorities must provide prompt, full and adequate reparations to all victims of violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes, both individuals and entire communities These reparations must extend to the families of those harmed by Israel’s unlawful conduct.”

In its recommendations, the global movement maintained that the Lebanese government should immediately explore all possible legal routes, including establishing a domestic reparation mechanism.

All states, according to Amnesty, should immediately suspend all arms transfers and other forms of military assistance to "Israel" due to the significant risk that these weapons could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international law.