Israeli soldiers and commanders have acknowledged large-scale looting of civilian property in southern Lebanon, including motorcycles, televisions, carpets, sofas and paintings, with little disciplinary action taken, according to a report published by Haaretz on Thursday. The Israeli newspaper cited testimonies from regular and reserve soldiers, as well as field commanders, who said theft from homes and businesses in southern Lebanon had become "routine" during the ongoing occupation and aggression. According to the report, soldiers were loading stolen items into their vehicles as they left Lebanon, often without attempting to hide what they had taken.
"It's on a crazy scale," one soldier told Haaretz. "Anyone who takes something, televisions, cigarettes, tools or anything else, immediately puts it in their car or leaves it to one side. It’s no secret.
Everyone sees and understands." The report said both senior and junior commanders were aware of the thefts but had taken no meaningful steps to stop them. A soldier said his battalion commander and brigade commander knew "everything" and neither complained nor became angry.
Another said a commander caught troops leaving in a jeep filled with stolen goods, shouted at them to throw the items away, but no investigation followed. Some commanders reportedly criticised the looting privately but still declined to punish those involved. One soldier said officers described the behaviour as serious but "do nothing".
Haaretz said the problem had worsened because some military police checkpoints previously placed at exit points from southern Lebanon had been removed, while no checkpoints were set up on other routes. Soldiers quoted in the report said the absence of enforcement had encouraged further theft. "When there is no punishment, the message is clear," one soldier said.
"If they expelled someone, jailed someone or deployed military police at the border, it would stop immediately." The Israeli army said in response that it takes disciplinary and criminal measures when necessary, and that military police conduct inspections "at the northern border crossing when leaving the fighting". Pillage and theft of civilian property during armed conflict are prohibited under international humanitarian law and may constitute war crimes. Israeli forces have previously faced similar accusations during the war on Gaza, where rights groups and witnesses documented theft, destruction of homes and the seizure of civilian valuables during military raids.