The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said last Thursday that the Israeli military’s spraying of chemical substances over large agricultural areas in southern Lebanon and Syria could constitute a “war crime.”
Lebanon and Syria have accused Israel of spraying the herbicide glyphosate over shared border areas. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described the incident as a “crime against the environment.”
Following soil and crop sampling conducted after the most recent spraying operation, Lebanon’s Ministries of Agriculture and Environment reported that some samples showed glyphosate concentrations 20 to 30 times higher than average in the affected areas.
In a joint statement, the two ministries warned of potential damage to agricultural production and long-term soil fertility.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said Monday that Israel had informed it in advance of plans to spray a “non-toxic chemical substance” near the border and advised personnel to take precautionary measures.
In a statement issued Thursday, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said that “the deliberate targeting of civilian agricultural land violates international humanitarian law, particularly provisions prohibiting attacks on objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population.”
It added that “the large-scale destruction of private property in the absence of a clearly defined military necessity may amount to a war crime and poses serious risks to food security and civilian livelihoods.”
The organization also reported that it documented Israeli aircraft spraying pesticides of unknown composition over agricultural land in the Quneitra countryside in southern Syria last month.
In this context, the Quneitra Directorate of Agriculture issued an urgent public health warning on Jan. 30, urging residents and farmers in southern Quneitra to exercise caution.
The warning followed a third reported spraying incident in January involving an unidentified substance released by Israeli agricultural aircraft.
Officials said the repeated incidents and the lack of information regarding the chemicals used raised concerns over food safety and crop viability.
The monitor called on the international community to establish an independent fact-finding mission to collect soil and crop samples from southern Lebanon and the Quneitra countryside.
It urged comprehensive laboratory testing to identify the chemical composition of the substances used, assess their toxicity and determine whether any international environmental or chemical weapons conventions may have been breached.
Reporting on the situation, Syria TV said on Feb. 10, crops in the Quneitra countryside began turning yellow about a week after the spraying.
According to farmers cited by the broadcaster, weeds and crops in several villages showed visible discoloration days after the incident, suggesting possible chemical exposure affecting soil or plant health.
As of the time of publication, no Syrian government authority had issued an official statement clarifying the nature of the substances sprayed or their potential impact on human health and the environment.
Meanwhile, the press office of the Quneitra Directorate of Agriculture told Syria TV that field inspections indicated significant environmental and agricultural damage in affected areas.
Officials said surveys showed a complete loss of vegetation cover in sprayed locations, particularly wild plants, highlighting what they described as a direct and serious impact on the local ecosystem.
