General Discussion

AI - Grok

**Glyphosate was sprayed on areas of southern Lebanon in early February 2026.**

According to multiple reports from Lebanese authorities and international media, Israeli aircraft conducted aerial spraying of the herbicide **glyphosate** over border regions near the Blue Line (the UN-demarcated boundary between Lebanon and Israel) on or around **February 1, 2026**.

- Lebanese Ministries of Agriculture and Environment stated that laboratory tests on soil and plant samples from affected areas (including villages like Aïta el-Chaab, Ramieh, Marwahine, Naqoura, and others) confirmed the presence of **glyphosate** at concentrations **20–30 times higher** than typical agricultural levels (some reports cite up to 50 times higher in certain contexts).
- The spraying reportedly covered agricultural land, forests, grazing areas, and olive groves along an approximately 18–23 km strip, affecting hundreds of hectares (estimates range from ~540 to ~600 hectares or about 8.5 square kilometers in some accounts).
- Lebanese officials, including President Joseph Aoun and Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani, condemned it as a violation of sovereignty, an "environmental and health crime," and a threat to soil fertility, food security, water sources, crops, livestock, and long-term public health. Glyphosate is classified by the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as "probably carcinogenic to humans."
- The UN (including UNIFIL peacekeepers) expressed concerns over the incident, noting that Israel had informed them in advance of spraying a "non-toxic chemical substance," which led to temporary suspension of some UN operations. They highlighted risks to farmland, civilian livelihoods, and potential breaches of UN Security Council resolutions (e.g., 1701).
- Similar spraying has been reported in Syrian border areas (e.g., Quneitra countryside) around the same period.
- Israel has not publicly confirmed or denied the specific use of glyphosate in responses to media inquiries (e.g., no comment to outlets like the BBC).

This appears to be part of efforts to clear vegetation for security/buffer zones following the 2024–2025 conflict with Hezbollah and amid ongoing ceasefire tensions. The herbicide is non-selective and systemic, killing vegetation (including roots) and potentially preventing regrowth for years at high doses.

No evidence was found of widespread or historical spraying of glyphosate specifically "on Lebanon" in other contexts (e.g., domestic agricultural use for cannabis eradication or prior years); the prominent recent case is this February 2026 border incident.

Sources include reports from BBC, The Guardian, Le Monde, UN News, Asharq Al-Awsat, The New Arab, and others, along with statements from Lebanese officials and UN observations.