Israel demolishes historic Lebanese village in massive detonation

Mhaibib is home to the shrine of the Prophet Benjamin, believed to be thousands of years old

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

Footage has emerged of Israeli troops demolishing almost all of the south Lebanese border village of Mhaibib, home to the shrine of the Prophet Benjamin, son of the Prophet Jacob, believed to be thousands of years old.

Israel claimed it had dismantled a tunnel network used by Hezbollah's elite Radwan Forces in the heart of the village and published a video showing several explosions rocking a cluster of buildings.

The images, also revealed on Lebanese and Israeli media, show Mhaibib being demolished in a series of detonations. Residents of the village are believed to have fled Israel’s invasion some time ago.

Mhaibib lies on the Lebanese border with Israel, near areas where Hezbollah and invading Israeli forces have clashed.

Israel has ordered residents of most southern Lebanese villages to leave their homes or they will be attacked. Many in the area have been destroyed in Israeli strikes, making them inhabitable. Israel says it is seeking to remove the threat posed by Hezbollah but the impact on Lebanese civilians has been considerable.

On Wednesday, at least 16 people were killed and 52 injured in a series of Israeli air strikes that destroyed the municipal building in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh.

Israel's conduct in Lebanon – where civilians in quarter of the country have been ordered to leave their homes and more than 1.2 million have been displaced – mirrors that of its war on Gaza, now in it second year. The near complete destruction of the Gaza Strip has made the Palestinian enclave virtually uninhabitable.