Bint Jbeil Municipality Says Israeli Strikes Destroyed 80% of City
The municipality of Bint Jbeil has said that more than 80% of the city has been destroyed as a result of Israeli attacks, with at least 5,000 housing units, 11 educational centres and large parts of water and electricity infrastructure wiped out. According to the report, Bint Jbeil is now facing widespread destruction of homes, service facilities and urban areas.
The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, citing the municipal report, wrote that 8 out of every 10 homes in Bint Jbeil have been destroyed. The report said more than 2,000 buildings have been levelled and hundreds of shops, hospitals, relief centres and municipal facilities have also been severely damaged or destroyed.
The municipality of Bint Jbeil says the consequences of this destruction have been the mass displacement of the city’s residents. According to the report, more than 1,500 families are now displaced and former residents of the city have lost almost all of their property. The share of families who owned their homes has also fallen from 81% before the war to 3%, while the number of tenant families has reached 74.6%.
In the public services sector, two municipal power stations in the Saf al-Hawa and al-Barakeh areas, which included 13 generators, have been destroyed. Internal water and electricity networks have also been completely demolished, and at the Saf al-Hawa water station, one 900-cubic-metre tank has been completely destroyed and another 2,000-cubic-metre tank has been damaged. According to the municipality, the station’s solar energy system, which supplied electricity to eight towns, has also been almost completely destroyed.
The municipal report shows that in the city centre, more than 500 buildings in the Ain al-Saghira, Hay al-Jameh and Hay al-Barakeh areas, along with the old square and Haret al-Jamaaneh, have been destroyed. The city’s main mosque, which is more than 400 years old, has also not been spared. In the western, eastern and southern parts of the city, several neighbourhoods and agricultural areas have also been almost completely destroyed.
The report also said the Salah Ghandour Hospital was targeted, parts of Bint Jbeil Government Hospital were destroyed and relief centres were wiped out. Ambulances, relief workers, a medicine warehouse and most of the city’s pharmacies have also been damaged.
The municipality of Bint Jbeil added that more than 500 shops have been completely destroyed and another 200 partially damaged. A large part of the market, the Ogero building, the development services centre and sports facilities, from the municipal stadium to the basketball and futsal courts and the swimming pool, have also been destroyed.
In the agriculture sector, direct losses have been estimated at more than 70%. These losses include the destruction of land and orchards, the uprooting of old trees and damage to more than 70% of roadside trees.
According to the municipality, this assessment was prepared based on maps, aerial images, field inspections, municipal records and statements from residents and owners of affected institutions, and documents the damage inflicted between 2023 and 2026. Bint Jbeil is located in southern Lebanon near the border with Israel and has been the scene of repeated clashes and heavy attacks in recent years.
