What's happened
Lebanese farmers are returning to olive groves along the southern border despite ongoing clashes with Israel. The Lebanese Army accompanies harvests as drone surveillance and past bombardments shape this season, with thousands of hectares burned and access limited since 2023. Local families say the harvest remains vital to income and sustenance, even as the danger persists.
What's behind the headline?
Context and stakes
- The olive harvest is a barometer for civilian resilience amid sustained conflict.
- Farmers are navigating restrictions, drones, unexploded ordnance, and occasional Israeli shelling that has killed Lebanese soldiers and damaged infrastructure.
- The presence of the Lebanese Army during harvests reflects continued alignment with cross-border security efforts, but does not fully reassure locals.
What this means for readers
- The harvests remain a focal point of livelihood and food security in a conflict-affected area, illustrating how civilians bear the cost of geopolitics.
- The story suggests a broader pattern: agricultural activity is increasingly constrained by military activity, with potential long-term effects on rural demographics and economy.
Questions for further inquiry
- How will continued occupation and border restrictions shape yields this season?
- Are there international efforts to demobilize and protect farming communities in border zones?
How we got here
The olive harvest in southern Lebanon has long been a seasonal lifeline for border communities. Since October 2023, fighting and occupation have disrupted farmland, with Israeli strikes and control over access limiting cultivation. The June 2026 Tripartite Framework Agreement aimed to ease access, but ongoing hostilities and land clearance measures continue to threaten crops and livelihoods.
Our analysis
Al Jazeera reports on Majdel Selm and southern Lebanon, noting settlement restrictions, drone surveillance, and land destruction. Arab News provides on-the-ground portraits from Zibqin, highlighting olive harvests under threat and Army accompaniment. Both outlets emphasize civilian impact and the broader regional security context, though they differ in focus and proximity to the day-to-day farming realities.
Go deeper
- What changes have farmers seen in access to land since the 2023–2024 escalations?
- How are international actors influencing the safety of harvest seasons in southern Lebanon?
- What are the immediate risks faced by harvesters this season?
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Lebanon, officially known as the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lies west across the Mediterranean Sea.
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