Three schools destroyed in southern Lebanon, Lebanon says
Education Minister Rima Karami said Israeli forces looted and blew up three schools as the conflict continues to disrupt learning for children.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
2 min read
Lebanon’s education minister said Israeli forces destroyed three schools in the country’s south, adding to damage that UN agencies say has already pushed large numbers of children out of classrooms. The allegation comes as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continues despite a US-mediated framework agreement meant to lead to an Israeli withdrawal.
Education and Higher Education Minister Rima Karami said in a statement carried Friday by Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency that the Israeli military looted the schools before demolishing them with explosives. Karami said the buildings were turned into ruins and had joined a growing list of educational sites destroyed during the conflict.
Israel says its military campaign in Lebanon is aimed at Hezbollah. The fighting escalated into a full-scale war in March after months of cross-border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah that followed the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.
UNESCO said in June that 17 schools in Lebanon had been destroyed and more than 100 had been damaged. With the three schools cited by Karami, the number of destroyed schools is now at least 20, according to the figures reported by the UN agency and Lebanese officials.
About 500,000 Lebanese children remain out of school because of the conflict, UNESCO has said. The agency has warned that long breaks in schooling can harm children’s development and wellbeing.
Karami said Lebanon’s schools and education system were being destroyed in view of the international community, despite global commitments to protect education during armed conflict. She urged foreign governments and international bodies to press Israel to stop attacks on educational institutions and keep schools out of military operations.
Lebanese authorities say Israeli attacks since March have killed at least 4,324 people and wounded 12,223 others. They say more than one million people have been displaced, and that 250 children are among those killed.
The UN Development Programme has estimated that more than 11,000 buildings in southern Lebanon have been destroyed since the conflict widened in March. The damage has affected towns and villages near the border where Israeli operations have focused during the war with Hezbollah.
Lebanon and Israel signed a US-mediated framework agreement on June 26 that calls for a phased Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory. The agreement does not include a fixed timetable, according to the reported terms, and links the withdrawal to Hezbollah’s disarmament in the occupied area.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.