Israel's War on Lebanon Devastates Wheat Production and Ecosystems, Experts Warn

Israel's ongoing conflict with Lebanon has severely impacted the nation's wheat production and the livelihoods of its farmers, according to experts speaking to Al Jazeera. For the past three years, Israel has conducted military operations in Lebanon, occupying significant southern territories and causing widespread destruction to homes and infrastructure. Some analysts suggest this is a deliberate strategy to render the land uninhabitable.

Repeated Israeli assaults have wreaked havoc on Lebanon's wheat cultivation, particularly in southern regions and the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon. Lands abandoned due to the war's effects have increased to approximately 24 percent. Munira Khayyat, author of "A Landscape of War: Ecologies of Resistance and Survival in South Lebanon," stated, "They’re disrupting entire ecosystems." She added that Israel is "advancing the possibilities of drought and desertification, basically weakening the capacity of this land to hold life."

Since 2023, Israel has targeted large areas of southern Lebanon, reportedly using chemicals like white phosphorus in an effort to sterilize or render the land uninhabitable. Although a ceasefire was brokered in 2024 by France and the United States, Israeli attacks on Lebanese targets have persisted. On March 2, Israel escalated its military actions in Lebanon for the second time in under two years, following a Hezbollah attack on Israel in response to the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Hezbollah also cited near-daily ceasefire violations by Israel as a reason for its actions.

Since then, Israel has advanced into southern Lebanon, occupying territory up to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) inside the country. A US-brokered framework agreement signed in June between Beirut and Tel Aviv was intended to initiate "pilot zones" where Israeli troops would withdraw and be replaced by the Lebanese Armed Forces, tasked with disarming Hezbollah. However, Israeli forces have continued their destructive campaign in southern Lebanon, demolishing homes and critical infrastructure, including farmlands.

Mariam Ibrahim, a researcher at Lebanon’s National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS-L) and author of the paper "Wheat in Crisis," reported that the southern regions of Lebanon experienced the highest average losses in wheat-growing areas, reaching 47 percent in 2023-2024 and 61 percent in 2024-2025. The Bekaa plain, responsible for about 64 percent of Lebanon's national wheat production, also suffered significant losses, with around 43 percent and 57 percent of its wheat area affected in the respective seasons. In border towns like Bint Jbeil, 100 percent of cropland was destroyed, and in the Baalbeck district, approximately 32 percent of cropland was destroyed, according to the study.

Ibrahim noted that while the Russian-Ukrainian war had previously increased bread prices and encouraged domestic Lebanese production, with the depreciation of the Lebanese pound offering potential for higher farmer revenues, Israel's war since 2023 has led to a significant increase in fallow land previously used for wheat cultivation. This proportion has risen from 9 percent to 24 percent, primarily in the south and the Bekaa Valley.

Elias Ghadban, a food security expert at AgriDev, stated that while the destruction of wheat-farming land has not caused a major national impact, it has severely affected southern wheat farmers who have lost their livelihoods. He also highlighted the rising cost of living in Lebanon, which has outpaced salary increases.

The combination of the economic crisis and three years of war has devastated many farmers, especially in southern Lebanon where farmland is largely unindustrialized. Experts caution that the destruction caused by Israel's war may prevent farmers from rebuilding their livelihoods even after the conflict concludes. Khayyat emphasized that the destruction threatens the existence of small farmers who have sustained southern Lebanon through their deep connection to the land and their reliance on it for survival.