THREAD: Israel’s sweeping evacuation orders and strikes across Baalbek today are yet more evidence of its systematic targeting of Lebanon’s Shia community, reinforcing concerns of an intentional ethnic cleansing campaign. This is not confined to Baalbek; it’s part of a broader strategy that combines direct ethnic cleansing with ethnic cleansing by proxy, as Israel reportedly employs right-wing Christian groups and militias to enforce Shia expulsion—and repeated secondary displacement—on its behalf. 1/
Israel’s actions go far beyond issuing evacuation orders or targeting overwhelmingly Shia areas in Lebanon, like the South and Beirut’s Dahyeh. Entire historic cities like Baalbek and Tyre have faced both evacuation orders and direct strikes, while entire villages along the border have been leveled through controlled demolitions to ensure they remain uninhabitable, preventing any chance of return—a core element of ethnic cleansing. Residential buildings housing displaced Shia communities across various regions of Lebanon are also under direct attack, underscoring the expansive and deliberate nature of this campaign. 2/
The scale and specificity of these actions point to intentions that surpass both military objectives and targeted displacement, indicating a calculated effort to alter Lebanon’s demographic landscape permanently. For Lebanon’s Shia community, this war has become existential—they are the direct targets of Israel’s campaign, facing Netanyahu's declared vision of a "New Middle East" in which they have no place. 3/
In Gaza, Israel’s strategic objective is the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, with Hamas perceived as an impediment to this aim due to its role in defending the population. In Lebanon, Hizbullah’s signifcantly greater power and capabilities makes it harder to eliminate directly, so Israel is now focusing on uprooting its foundation—the Shia “resistance community” itself. After repeated unsuccessful attempts to weaken Hizbullah by decapitating its entire military and political leadership and maiming and blinding thousands of its cadres, Israel has shifted to dismantling the community that underpins its support. 4/
This campaign also relies on ethnic cleansing by proxy as Israel seeks to incite and terrorise others to carry out Shia displacement on its behalf. By preying on legitimate fears among Lebanese communities that buildings or areas housing Shia refugees may be deliberately targeted, and tapping into right-wing Christian agendas, Israel deepens internal strife. Misinformation—such as false claims of Hizbullah stashing money under hospital buildings—exemplifies this tactic. A recent Financial Times report revealed that some landlords are sending the names of potential Shia tenants to Lebanese Army Intelligence to verify if they belong to Hizbullah, creating a new phenomenon of racial profiling the Shia. 5/
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