Israeli soldiers have been looting civilian property from homes and businesses in southern Lebanon on a significant scale, according to testimonies from IDF soldiers and commanders cited in a report by Haaretz. The accounts describe the theft of motorcycles, televisions, paintings, sofas and rugs, with the practice becoming routine in certain units.
Soldiers said both senior and junior commanders are aware of the looting but have largely failed to take disciplinary action. “It’s on a crazy scale,” one soldier said. “Anyone who takes something – televisions, cigarettes, tools, whatever – immediately puts it in their vehicle… Everyone sees it and understands.”
According to the testimonies, troops often leave southern Lebanon with stolen items openly loaded onto their vehicles. Some commanders reportedly turn a blind eye, while others verbally condemn the behavior without pursuing consequences. “In our unit, they don’t even comment or get angry. The battalion and brigade commanders know everything,” one soldier said.
In one incident, a commander who caught soldiers leaving with looted items “yelled at them and told them to throw it away, but that was the end of it. It didn’t lead to any investigation.” Another soldier added: “Commanders speak out against it and say it’s serious, but they don’t do anything.”
The report states that the looting is not official policy of the Israel Defense Forces, but has spread due to weak enforcement. Soldiers emphasized that the absence of punishment sends a clear signal. “If someone were dismissed or jailed… it would stop almost immediately. But when there is no punishment, the message is obvious,” one said.
The situation has been compounded by the removal or absence of military police checkpoints at exit points from southern Lebanon, which were previously intended to prevent soldiers from taking stolen goods out of the area.
Some troops linked the rise in looting to prolonged fighting since October 7, 2023, and to the heavy reliance on reservists. “People here have served more than 500 days in the reserves… Commanders… can’t just send reservists to prison,” one soldier said, adding that discipline has eroded and enforcement is often avoided to ensure troops continue reporting for duty.
Others pointed to the widespread destruction in the region as a contributing factor. “Soldiers tell themselves, ‘What difference does it make if I take it? It’s going to be destroyed anyway,’” one testimony said.
The nature of the current deployment has also played a role. With many Hezbollah militants having retreated northward, Israeli troops in southern Lebanon are spending extended periods in largely abandoned civilian areas rather than engaging in continuous high-intensity combat.
In response, the IDF said it “views any harm to civilian property and acts of looting with utmost severity and unequivocally prohibits them.” It added that allegations are examined thoroughly and may lead to disciplinary or criminal action, including prosecution, and that inspections are conducted as forces exit Lebanon.
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