Israeli Drones Drop Explosive Containers on Mansouri, Lebanese Villagers Watch from Hanniyeh
On Friday, Israeli drones pierced the sky above the southern Lebanese village of Mansouri, dropping bomb‑laden containers that detonated against residential buildings. The blast tore through the village’s public school early in the morning, a strike that local state media described as a ‘controlled demolition.’ Residents who fled Mansouri weeks earlier now watch the devastation from the neighboring village of Hanniyeh, calling the daily raids a new ritual that has turned the borderlands into a relentless theater of war.
The attacks are part of a broader pattern of controlled demolitions carried out by Israeli forces in the area after a ceasefire was agreed in June 2026. The 2026 Lebanon war began on 2 March when Hezbollah fired rockets across the border following the United States and Israel’s campaign against Iran. The conflict has displaced more than one million people in Lebanon and has seen Israeli ground and air operations in the south. After a truce was signed in June, Israel announced it would maintain a presence in southern Lebanon while Hezbollah was required to disarm, a framework that has yet to be fully implemented.
According to Lebanese state media, the Israeli military detonated Mansouri’s public school early on Friday. The drones that delivered the explosives were described by the army as “controlled demolitions.” Witnesses in Hanniyeh reported that the explosions produced massive clouds of smoke and dust, and that the demolitions continued throughout the day. Ali Hussein Ghanem, a tobacco farmer from Mansouri who is staying with relatives in Hanniyeh, said, “Isn’t the state supposed to protect our town rather than hand it over to Israel?”
Other displaced residents, such as beekeeper Wissam Khashabi, complained that the Lebanese government has done little to protect their property. Khashabi said, “We are seeing our land being destroyed. We have lost our property, our orchards, and all our livelihoods. The state is not really doing anything.” The Lebanese government has not issued a public statement on the demolitions, and the Israeli military has not responded to requests for comment.
On Thursday, Israeli officials announced that they had destroyed Hezbollah tunnel networks beneath the Ali Taher ridge near Nabatiyeh. The Israeli military said the tunnels were part of an extensive underground infrastructure built by Hezbollah and that the operation had given the Israeli forces “operational control” of the area. The blasts were reported to have shaken the surrounding countryside.
The June 26, 2026 framework agreement, brokered by the United States, calls for Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon once Hezbollah is disarmed. The agreement has not yet been implemented, and the Lebanese and Israeli governments have not yet met to discuss the next steps. Officials from both sides are expected to meet in Rome later this month to negotiate a timetable for the withdrawal and the disarmament of Hezbollah.
The demolitions in Mansouri have left many residents without homes and have increased the number of displaced persons in the country. With the ceasefire in place but no clear path to a lasting settlement, the situation in southern Lebanon remains tense. The next round of talks in Rome will determine whether the framework agreement can be put into action and whether displaced villagers can return to their homes.
