A French-Lebanese businessman has filed a civil complaint alleging war crimes against Israel and the IDF, accusing the military of uprooting 600 olive trees belonging to his family in southern Lebanon, his lawyers told AFP on Wednesday.
The 37-year-old entrepreneur, who was born in Lebanon, filed the complaint as a civil party over alleged theft, destruction and damage to property that he says constitutes war crimes or other offenses. According to the complaint, reviewed by AFP, the trees were uprooted “roots and all,” with some allegedly dating back hundreds of years.
The olive trees were on land his family cultivated for 250 years in Zawtar Sharqieh, his hometown in southern Lebanon.
According to the complaint, the businessman’s family home was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike hours before a ceasefire announcement in April 2026. He alleges that the Israeli army later took control of the area, and that the olive trees were uprooted following a framework agreement signed between Lebanon and Israel in late June.
Zawtar Sharqieh is located on the northern bank of the Litani River in the Nabatieh district, where Israeli forces entered southern Lebanon during the fighting with Hezbollah.
French-Lebanese businessman rejects Hezbollah connection claims
The businessman’s complaint states that he is “neither a member nor a sympathizer of Hezbollah” and argues that “there is no evidence to suggest that Hezbollah was using the house or the agricultural fields as military equipment.” He also alleges that the trees may have been transferred to Israel.
The complaint describes the alleged destruction of olive trees as part of broader claims of Israeli war crimes in southern Lebanon.
“The destruction and uprooting of olive trees are symptomatic of the war crimes committed by Israel in southern Lebanon,” the complaint states, citing an Amnesty International report.
Lebanese officials and NGOs raise concerns over agricultural damage
Lebanese officials, NGOs and residents have previously accused Israel of damaging agricultural land, including through fires, during the conflict with Hezbollah that began in October 2023.
In August, the IDF said it was “aware of the potential environmental impact of its activities in the region” and was taking “precautionary measures to reduce harm to civilians and the environment.” AFP contacted the IDF again on Wednesday.
The complaint is among several legal actions filed in France targeting Israel’s conduct in Lebanon.
Other cases include one filed by Franco-Lebanese artist Ali Cherri, who said his parents were killed in an Israeli strike on a residential building in Beirut in late 2024, and another filed in July by a French-Lebanese citizen who said he lost his mother, sister and two nephews in Israeli strikes.