Israel Destroys School in Southern Lebanon Despite Ceasefire

JAKARTA - The Lebanese military said Israel destroyed a school building in southern Lebanon on Wednesday (12/8). This is the latest act in a series of continued destruction of civilian infrastructure despite the ceasefire.

Israeli forces blew up the four-story building of the Sheikh Naim Mahdi School located in the center of Zawtar al-Sharqiya, according to the Lebanese military.

The IDF had previously said its operation was aimed at stopping the Hezbollah militia.

The mayor of Zawtar al-Sharqiya, Muhammad Ismail, told CNN that the incident was the "biggest blow" in a series of bombings that have increased over the past month, which also included the destruction of a daycare center, local government buildings, and residents' homes including his own.

"Every day, residents wait for their homes, livelihoods, and family homes to be destroyed. We have no hope. We live in constant anxiety about tomorrow, wondering if our homes will still be standing the next day," said the mayor.

A series of bombings on Wednesday came a week after the Lebanese government's National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israeli forces had burned fruit orchards and farmland in several villages.

Local human rights groups have called the fires part of a broader pattern of "ecocide."

In a statement to CNN, the IDF did not respond to allegations that they deliberately burned land in Lebanon. Instead, they stated that they were aware of the potential environmental impact of their operations in the region and said that their operations were carried out by implementing preventive measures.

The latest round of Israeli-Lebanese talks ended last week without a clear date for its continuation, as well as amid little progress in efforts to expand the number of pilot zones, namely pockets of Lebanese territory where the Israeli army withdrew and handed over control to the Lebanese armed forces, with the understanding that the area must be free of Hezbollah fighters.