BBC reports from Israeli-occupied southern Lebanon
The BBC was granted rare access to the Israeli-occupied part of southern Lebanon as part of the Order of Malta’s humanitarian convoy delivering aid to Christian villages isolated by war.
The mission took place on Thursday, a day before a new ceasefire was announced in the conflict between Israel and the Shiite Muslim armed group Hezbollah. The crew saw Israeli military presence but were not allowed to film much of the journey.
Israel says it has no intention of withdrawing its troops from Lebanon and that its plan is to create a Hezbollah-free security zone along the border to protect its northern communities from the group’s rockets and drones.
In the occupied areas, mostly Shiite villages were completely destroyed by Israeli air strikes or demolitions. Human rights groups say some of what happened there amounted to deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure, a possible war crime.
BBC Middle East correspondent Hugo Bachega and video correspondent Neha Sharma report from southern Lebanon.
Additional reporting by Samantha Granville and Angie Mrad.
