Lebanon has accused Israel of spraying cancer-linked herbicide over farms in southern Lebanon, with President Joseph Aoun condemning the act as an environmental and health crime that threatens food security and farmers’ livelihoods.
UN peacekeepers said the Israeli military warned them to stay under cover during an aerial operation to release what was described as a “non-toxic chemical substance” on Sunday. The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said the operation forced it to cancel “over a dozen activities.”
UN peacekeepers temporarily suspended patrols along parts of the ‘Blue Line’ in southern Lebanon on Sunday after the Israeli military said it would release what it described as a non-toxic chemical substance near the frontier.https://t.co/1oPc1uf94c pic.twitter.com/vJ4SYwkYec
— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) February 2, 2026
Following the spraying, Lebanon’s agriculture and environment ministries collected samples of the chemicals to test for toxicity. Laboratory analysis confirmed the presence of glyphosate, a herbicide classified by the World Health Organization in 2015 as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
Some samples were found to contain glyphosate at levels “20 to 30 times higher than the average” for the area.
VIDEO | Local residents in south Lebanon have witnessed Israeli aircraft spraying unidentified chemical agents over their agricultural lands, according to a report from Al Manar.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said today that Israel warned UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon… pic.twitter.com/sY9M9Tpm5b
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) February 3, 2026
In a joint statement, the ministries raised concerns over the potential impact on agricultural production and soil fertility. On Wednesday, President Aoun denounced the spraying as a “flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a crime against the environment and health.”
Lebanon’s foreign ministry said it plans to refer the matter to the U.N. Security Council. Israel has yet to comment on the report.
