Israel destroys 3 more schools in southern Lebanon

Lebanon's Education Minister Rima Karami accused the Israeli military of looting and demolishing three public schools in southern Lebanon, bringing the total number of educational institutions destroyed by Israeli forces to at least 20.

Schools "Turned Into Piles of Ashes"

In a statement carried by Lebanon's state-run National News Agency on Friday, Karami said Israeli forces stripped the schools of their contents before rigging the buildings with explosives. "The Israeli army looted the contents of these institutions, and then surrounded them with explosives, turning them into piles of ashes," she said.presstv+1

Two of the destroyed schools were located in Khiam, a municipality in Nabatieh Governorate, and one in Bint Jbeil, also in the Nabatieh Governorate in southern Lebanon, according to the minister's statement. Karami called on the international community to pressure Israel to halt its attacks on educational institutions.aa+1

A Pattern of Destruction

The demolitions are part of a broader pattern of Israeli military activity targeting civilian infrastructure in southern Lebanon since the war between Israel and Hezbollah resumed in March 2026. UNESCO had previously documented 17 schools destroyed and more than 100 damaged across southern Lebanon. Approximately 500,000 school-aged children in Lebanon have been displaced by the conflict, according to UNESCO figures cited by Al Jazeera.unesco+2

Middle East Eye reported that the latest demolitions bring the confirmed total of destroyed schools to 20. Earlier this year, footage emerged of Israeli forces detonating a public high school in the border town of Marwahin. In May, a monastery and school run by Catholic nuns were also demolished.middleeasteye+2

War's Toll on Education

The conflict has devastated Lebanon's education system. As of April, 339 schools were located in designated war zones and had been closed, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Education, with many forced to shift to remote learning. The education minister had previously noted that schools in areas exposed to shelling account for around 22 percent of all schools nationwide.unesco+1

According to official Lebanese government figures, the Israeli military campaign in southern Lebanon has killed at least 4,324 people, injured more than 12,000, and displaced over one million since March.presstv