Lebanon (The Palestine Telegraph Newspaper) February 05, 2026 – Lebanon’s president and senior officials have accused Israel of committing an environmental and health crime after Israeli aircraft sprayed what Lebanese authorities describe as toxic chemical substances over agricultural areas in the country’s south. The government has ordered the collection of samples for laboratory testing in Lebanon and abroad to determine the nature and impact of the substances.
National and international bodies, including the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and human rights organisations, have reported disruptions to UN operations, damage to farmland and concerns over long‑term risks to soil, water and public health. Lebanese authorities have signalled plans for diplomatic and legal steps, while national human rights bodies say the repeated spraying may constitute crimes under international law.
Lebanese leadership denounces spraying as environmental and health crime
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Israeli forces had sprayed a “toxic substance” over several southern towns, calling the incident “an environmental and health crime against Lebanese citizens and their land”. He described the action as a “blatant violation” of Lebanon’s sovereignty and instructed state institutions to take all diplomatic and legal measures to respond. The president also urged the international community and relevant United Nations organisations to act to stop what he termed dangerous practices targeting agricultural lands, livelihoods and the environment.
Lebanon’s National News Agency quoted Aoun as saying the spraying threatened citizens’ health and the environment and required urgent international attention. The New Arab reported that Lebanese authorities viewed the incident as potentially creating an environmental disaster, pending the outcome of scientific analysis of collected samples. Officials have framed the latest incident within a broader pattern of cross‑border hostilities that have affected southern Lebanon’s civilian population and agricultural economy since late 2023.
Antiwar.com highlighted the government’s response in an X post,
“Lebanon Preparing Lawsuit Over Israel Spraying Chemicals on Southern Farmland President Aoun says toxic chemical sprays amount to ‘environmental and health’ crime #Lebanon #Israel #UNIFIL”.
Reports of aerial spraying over southern Lebanese farmland
According to Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, Israeli aircraft sprayed chemical substances over extensive agricultural areas in southern Lebanon on Sunday 1 February 2026, with particular impact reported around the border town of Ayta ash‑Shaab and nearby areas. The organisation said the spraying targeted civilian farmland and warned of risks beyond immediate crop damage, including possible long‑term contamination of soil and groundwater, harm to livestock and broader environmental degradation. It added that such large‑scale destruction of agricultural land without demonstrated military necessity could undermine food security and basic livelihoods in the affected communities.
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor also reported that Israeli aircraft sprayed pesticides of unknown composition over farmland in the countryside of Quneitra in southern Syria in late January 2026, noting widespread crop destruction there as well. The group stated that its earlier documentation of similar attacks, supported by laboratory analyses and expert testimony, suggested the substances used in previous incidents were highly toxic chemical compounds rather than conventional agricultural pesticides. It concluded that the pattern of spraying constituted a serious violation of the rights to life and to a healthy environment.
UNIFIL operations disrupted and joint sampling mission launched
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said it had received prior notice from the Israeli army about planned aerial activity near the Blue Line on the morning of the spraying and had been instructed to keep personnel inside shelters. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated that the alert led to the cancellation of more than 10 field activities and the suspension of routine patrols along roughly one‑third of the Blue Line for more than nine hours. He said any activity that could put peacekeepers and civilians at risk was a matter of serious concern and reiterated the UN’s call on all parties to comply fully with Security Council Resolution 1701.
Following the incident, UNIFIL worked with the Lebanese army to collect samples from affected areas to be tested for toxicity. Lebanon’s Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani said technical teams had taken samples from several sites for scientific testing in specialised laboratories in Beirut, with additional samples planned to be sent to a European Union‑recognised laboratory in Greece. The New Arab reported that laboratory results from the initial samples were expected shortly after collection and were intended to determine the substances’ composition and potential impact on agriculture, the environment and public health.
National human rights commission cites possible international crimes
Lebanon’s National Human Rights Commission, which includes the Committee for the Prevention of Torture, issued a statement expressing deep concern and strong condemnation over what it described as the continued spraying of toxic chemical substances by Israeli forces over agricultural lands and border areas in southern Lebanon. The commission cited the herbicide glyphosate in particular and said the actions amounted to repeated attacks in violation of international humanitarian law, international human rights law and environmental protection norms during armed conflict.
The commission argued that the systematic spraying of toxic chemicals on Lebanese territory could not be justified as a collateral effect of military operations and instead formed part of a deliberate policy causing widespread and long‑term environmental damage. It stated that the practice stripped local communities of their livelihoods, undermined food security and imposed coercive living conditions that forced residents to flee or prevented their safe and dignified return. The commission said these acts may constitute crimes under international law and called for accountability mechanisms to be activated.
Previous allegations of white phosphorus use and environmental impact
The latest spraying incident comes against a backdrop of earlier allegations by international human rights organisations that Israel used white phosphorus munitions in southern Lebanon during cross‑border hostilities that began in October 2023. Human Rights Watch reported in June 2024 that Israeli forces had used white phosphorus in at least 17 municipalities in south Lebanon, including in five municipalities where airburst munitions were allegedly deployed over populated residential areas. The organisation said the use of such munitions in civilian areas put civilians at serious risk and contributed to displacement.
Amnesty International’s Crisis Evidence Lab verified footage showing the use of artillery shells containing white phosphorus in and near the border towns of Aita al‑Chaab and al‑Mari between 10 and 16 October 2023. Amnesty said the attacks caused widespread fires and that cross‑border shelling in the same period killed civilians and members of armed groups. Israel has previously denied using white phosphorus unlawfully in Gaza and Lebanon, stating in 2009 that it would end the use of such munitions as smoke screens in populated areas except in unspecified circumstances.
Human Rights Watch and other organisations have warned that white phosphorus has severe long‑term consequences for people and the environment, including risks of deep burns, respiratory damage and contamination of land and water. Al Jazeera reported that Lebanese specialists believed the use of white phosphorus since October 2023 contributed to creating a de facto buffer zone by rendering areas near the southern border uninhabitable and unsuitable for agriculture. According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 92,600 people have been displaced from villages in southern Lebanon by these hostilities.
Officials highlight threat to agriculture, livelihoods and food security
Lebanon’s agriculture minister said the recent spraying appeared to form part of military practices aimed at stripping surrounding areas of agricultural productivity and natural life. Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reported that the incident followed a pattern of destruction of agricultural land, including the burning of approximately 9,000 hectares during recent operations using white phosphorus and incendiary munitions, which the group linked to earlier documentation. It noted that agriculture accounts for up to 80 percent of southern Lebanon’s gross domestic product, making the region particularly vulnerable to environmental damage.
An NGO raised concerns about the substances’ potential identity and effects. GMWatch said in an X post,
“Toxic substances sprayed by Israel will accelerate environmental degradation, NGO warns. Based on preliminary observations environmentalists fear that the toxic substance used "could be a broad-spectrum herbicide such as #glyphosate."”
The National Human Rights Commission warned that the spraying threatened food security for communities in the south by directly destroying crops and contaminating farmland. Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said previous attacks involving toxic chemical compounds had led to long‑term soil and groundwater contamination, livestock deaths and damage to environmental infrastructure, making the restoration of agricultural activity extremely difficult. The organisation argued that such actions undermined residents’ ability to sustain their livelihoods and could force displacement from affected areas.
International and legal responses under consideration
President Aoun has directed relevant ministries to prepare diplomatic steps in coordination with the United Nations and other international partners in response to the spraying. Lebanese officials have indicated they are examining legal avenues, including possible recourse to international courts or mechanisms, once laboratory results clarify the nature of the substances used. Human Rights Watch previously recommended that Lebanon consider submitting a declaration to the International Criminal Court to enable investigations into grave crimes on Lebanese territory, though Lebanon and Israel are not ICC members.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that UNIFIL, in cooperation with Lebanese authorities, would assess the findings of the laboratory analyses and continue to monitor the situation along the Blue Line. He reiterated that all parties were obliged to respect international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of civilians and UN personnel. Lebanese human rights bodies have called on international organisations and states to support independent investigations into the environmental and health impacts of the spraying and other alleged violations in southern Lebanon.
Ongoing hostilities frame environmental concerns in the south
The spraying incident occurred amid continuing exchanges of fire across the Lebanon–Israel border linked to the ongoing conflict that escalated in October 2023. Human Rights Watch has said that Israel’s extensive use of white phosphorus in southern Lebanon underscored the need for stronger international regulations on incendiary weapons. Amnesty International and other groups have documented shelling and airstrikes affecting border towns, resulting in civilian casualties, displacement and damage to homes, forests and agricultural land.
Lebanese authorities and rights organisations have increasingly highlighted the environmental dimension of the conflict, arguing that damage to land, water and ecosystems poses long‑term risks for communities in the south. Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said the pattern of attacks against agricultural areas in both Lebanon and neighbouring Syria formed part of what it described as a “scorched‑earth” approach. The National Human Rights Commission has urged international actors to recognise environmental harm as a central aspect of alleged violations and to include it in any future accountability or reconstruction efforts.