Environmental Crime, a Weapon of War from Antiquity to the Present Day
The use by the Israeli air force, on February 1, 2026, of a powerful herbicide, Glyphosate, over vast areas of Lebanese territory, has reignited the question of the deliberate damage inflicted on natural resources in times of war.
February 1, 2026: the Israeli air force is observed spraying an apparently toxic substance over large swathes of southern Lebanese territory, in the region of Bint Jbeil. Three days after the incident, on February 4, following analyses conducted on samples collected by the Lebanese army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment announced that the substance in question was Glyphosate, a powerful herbicide. The ministries’ statement reported that the product had been sprayed “at a very high concentration,” denouncing a “flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty” and an “ecological crime.”
On the Israeli side, the I24 channel referred to an “experimental agricultural spraying along the northern borders with Lebanon and Syria,” acknowledging that the dissemination of these substances aims to “kill vegetation along the borders, out of concern that fighters might hide there.”
Israeli aircraft have scarcely left Lebanese airspace since October 2023, when the conflict with Hezbollah began, despite the November 2024 ceasefire. During the months of open warfare between October 2023 and November 2024, Israel had already used toxic and incendiary materials to burn thousands of hectares in Lebanon, notably white phosphorus. The spraying of a powerful herbicide at high concentration over green areas, however, marked a new threshold in this type of violence.
Following this episode, Lebanon is preparing a complaint for “environmental crime” before the United Nations, and this is not the first time. In 2006, during the July–August conflict, Israeli aircraft struck the fuel storage tanks of the Jiyeh power plant (south of Beirut), causing an oil spill that polluted the entire Lebanese coastline north of that locality and as far as Syria. No fewer than 15,000 tons of oil were discharged into the sea. The spill led to a complaint by the Lebanese government to the UN, resulting in a non-binding resolution of the General Assembly on December 20, 2014, adopted by 170 votes to 6, demanding that Israel pay more than 856 million dollars in compensation to Lebanon, which it has never done.
The spraying of Glyphosate over southern Lebanon, scandalous as it may be, serves as a reminder that environmental crimes in wartime are unfortunately a common practice in conflicts, stretching back to Antiquity and running throughout human history. The following examples are drawn from a list that is far from exhaustive.
In Antiquity and Throughout History
Wars, from Antiquity through the Middle Ages to the modern era, have witnessed numerous instances of the destruction of agricultural lands, forests, and resources of all kinds, primarily with the aim of depriving the enemy of the means to resist. These methods included the destruction of irrigation canals, artificial flooding and the draining of watercourses and water points, the deliberate salinization of soils, scorched-earth policies, the burning of crops and the cutting down of fruit trees, the poisoning of water sources with corpses, toxic substances or poisonous plants, and the devastation of farmlands, leaving soils depleted for decades.
Among the well-known cases is Sparta’s destruction of Attica, the historic region of Greece in the Aegean Sea, during the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), characterized in particular by the annihilation of crops, olive groves and farms, with the aim of starving the population into capitulation.
As an example of deliberate flooding, one may cite the strategy used among Mesopotamian city-states (third to second millennium BC), when armies breached dams and diverted irrigation canals in order to inundate enemy fields or cities. This practice weakened agricultural economies in an effort to crush resistance entirely.
Deliberate flooding was also used defensively, yet its environmental consequences were equally devastating. A case in point is the intentional opening of dikes by Dutch rebels during the Eighty Years’ War (1568–1648) to slow the Spanish army by creating impassable marshlands. While the rebels secured the survival of what was then known as the United Provinces, the effects on agriculture and the environment proved lasting.
The “Well-Man,” Centuries Later
Another weapon of war with devastating environmental consequences is water poisoning, a tactic common in the Middle Ages, both biological and psychological. Animal corpses and whatever toxic substances were available were used for this purpose. The method was frequently employed during sieges to force besieged towns to surrender.
Among well-documented examples is the “Well-Man” episode at Sverresborg in Norway in 1197. During a raid, rival supporters allegedly threw a corpse into a fortress well to overcome the resistance of its defenders. Proof of the deed emerged centuries later, following an archaeological discovery in 1938, when the remains of this “well-man” were indeed uncovered at the site.
Other cases of water poisoning were reported over the centuries, including in modern wars, such as when German forces poisoned wells in France during the First World War.
In the Middle Ages as well, the destruction of fields and countryside was common, notably during feudal wars in Europe and during the Crusades.
One of the most notorious examples of deliberate pollution in the twentieth century is the burning of Kuwaiti oil wells by Iraqi forces during the First Gulf War in 1991. These fires caused severe air pollution, contamination of soil and water, and massive oil spills. Iraq was condemned by the UN to pay reparations to Kuwait.
Today, Ukraine accuses Russia of numerous war crimes since the beginning of the Russian invasion four years ago. The most notable example is the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in 2023, which triggered a devastating flood covering more than 20 square kilometers.
Legal Status
Between historical ecological war crimes and those of the contemporary era, particularly in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, differences abound despite certain similarities. Historically, the damage was more localized and regional, whereas today it can be planetary in scale, affecting shared ecosystems such as the oceans through oil spills, or global biodiversity.
Globalization, the worldwide effects of climate change, and the modern military means available to belligerents are liable to amplify the consequences of such attacks, with global risks such as massive population displacement or major food crises.
The scale and potential duration of these devastating environmental effects are not the only differences between historical wars and those of today. Awareness has evolved. These crimes now bear a name and legal status: ecocide. The term refers to the gravity, durability and extent of environmental damage resulting from destructive human activities, including the overexploitation of resources, industrial and chemical pollution, and especially war.
The term was first used in 1970 by biologist Arthur Galston in reference to the United States’ use of powerful herbicides, notably Agent Orange, to destroy forests and crops during the Vietnam War (1961–1971), with long-lasting health and ecological consequences, including births of children with abnormalities still occurring forty years later.
Effects on Climate Change
Although the term ecocide already appears in the legislation of certain countries, it is not yet recognized as a specific jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. The debate continues.
Nevertheless, certain international decisions have already been adopted by the UN to compel belligerents to pay reparations to countries victim of devastating environmental attacks, as in the two aforementioned cases: Israel for the 2006 oil spill in Lebanon and Iraq for the Kuwaiti oil-well fires in 1991.
Finally, the question of the effects of conflicts on climate change, notably through emissions resulting from the massive use of munitions and the consequences of forest destruction, which are vital carbon sinks, is increasingly raised in the context of annual UN climate summits. The example of the massive Israeli bombardments of Gaza for nearly two years, since October 7, 2023, has been mentioned in this regard.
However, the impact of conflicts on climate change has not yet been fully integrated into the process of international negotiations aimed at combating climate change. The issue remains extremely sensitive in more ways than one.