Southern Lebanon: Israeli attacks damage water infrastructure, putting civilians at risk

BEIRUT/GENEVA, 9 September 2026 – Sustained attacks by Israeli forces have severely damaged water infrastructure across southern Lebanon, preventing families from returning and rebuilding their lives, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says after its teams visited villages across the region. MSF calls on Israeli forces to respect and protect water as essential to civilian survival.

“When we travel through villages in southern Lebanon, one issue comes up everywhere we go. Before people even ask about healthcare, education or housing, they ask about water,” says Charlene Silvin, MSF Project Coordinator in Lebanon.

In every location MSF visited, teams observed a clear pattern of damage caused by direct and indirect Israeli attacks to homes, healthcare facilities, places of worship, historic buildings, and essential infrastructure, with water and electricity systems particularly affected. Since March 2026, these attacks have compounded the devastation caused since the escalation in September 2024 and have continued despite the ceasefire declared in April. MSF documented damage across the water system, including solar panels, wells, pumps, filtration units, storage tanks, generators, and pipelines, disrupting access to water.

MSF is supporting water supply efforts in southern Lebanon, but this is not enough. Humanitarian organisations cannot repeatedly repair essential systems that may then be attacked and destroyed again.

“The attacks have caused extensive damage to water sources and other essential infrastructure. This creates enormous obstacles for people seeking to return home and rebuild their lives,” says Silvin.

In the village of Yater, the municipal water tank was directly hit and damaged beyond repair. To ensure people could continue to access water, MSF teams provided plastic storage tanks while a longer-term solution is developed. In Froun, in the Nabatieh governorate, the water tank was also damaged beyond repair. MSF teams repaired the filtration unit and connected it directly to the water source, bypassing the damaged infrastructure.

Israeli attacks on water infrastructure must stop. The destruction of water systems is putting civilians’ lives, safety, and dignity at risk, while preventing people from returning home and rebuilding. Water is essential to survival and must be respected and protected as a basic right.