In the gentle hush that often follows a day’s first light over southern Lebanon’s orchards, there is usually a quiet symphony of wind through olive branches — a sound woven into the fabric of life and livelihood. Yet in recent days, that soft rhythm seems altered, silenced along stretches of farmland where the earth’s pale soil meets the sky’s forgiving blue. Villagers speak softly of a mist that fell not from clouds but from the low sweep of aircraft overhead — an unseen veil that brushed crops in fields where families have tended vines and fruit trees for generations.
This week, Lebanese authorities raised a serious alarm when laboratory testing indicated that aircraft had sprayed a herbicide, widely identified as glyphosate, over several southern border villages in unusually high concentrations. Officials described the substance as applied at levels far above typical agricultural use, saying it caused widespread vegetation loss and raised fears over soil damage, crop destruction, and potential public health implications.
President Joseph Aoun offered a stark description of the incident, calling the aerial dispersal “a flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty” and an “environmental and health crime” against the people and their land. He explained that the spraying appeared to be carried out in several defined areas near the Blue Line, the U.N.-drawn boundary separating Lebanon from neighboring territory.
Environmental and agricultural ministries have said that in some measured samples, the concentration of herbicide reached a level far beyond what would normally be expected even in robust weed control, with potential ramifications for soil fertility and the ecological balance of plants and wildlife in the area. Officials and experts have also voiced concern over water resources and the food chain, noting that farmland here supports both local nourishment and economic stability.
For residents in border towns such as Aita al-Shaab, Ramieh, and Marwanieh, the episode has been unsettling not only for its immediate effect on fields and crops but for what it suggests in the broader cycle of tension that has long shaped life here. Videos shared by locals appeared to show small aircraft releasing a fine mist over fields, followed by the rapid withering of vegetation that had been green only hours before.
Lebanon’s government has launched diplomatic démarches and prepared documentation for international forums, coordinating scientific sampling with army and peacekeeping personnel, including those from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The Foreign Ministry said it would pursue legal and diplomatic avenues to address what it called a violation of international norms and environmental protections.
The issue has also caught the attention of environmental advocacy groups and human rights observers, who warned that an ecological incident of this scale — especially if confirmed as a deliberate act over civilian farmland — could have prolonged consequences, not only for the land’s productivity but for the everyday lives of families whose roots here run deep.
In the fields now dotted with withered vines and quiet soil, the usual cadence of daily work has paused, and farmers wait — not for rain, but for answers. While officials continue to gather data and prepare responses, the affected communities reflect on their fields’ sudden stillness and the uncertain season that lies ahead.
In gentle closing news, Lebanese authorities have said they are documenting all findings, engaging international bodies, and seeking to map the affected zones precisely, with assessments ongoing regarding ecological impact and potential legal claims. Representatives from environmental and agricultural ministries are expected to present detailed reports to relevant international forums in the coming days.
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Sources Asharq Al-Awsat (via news syndication) The Guardian Annahar The New Arab Streamline Feed news report