BEIRUT, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The destruction caused by Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon has created growing concerns over the loss of property records and land markers in dozens of border villages, raising fears of future ownership disputes and complications in post-war reconstruction.

Thousands of displaced residents fled border areas, leaving behind ownership deeds, sales contracts, and cadastral maps inside homes that were later destroyed, while several official land registry offices were damaged or rendered inaccessible during the conflict.

Residents and experts say the destruction not only erased documents but also altered roads, terrain, and physical landmarks that once defined property boundaries, making the process of restoring ownership increasingly difficult.

The city of Bint Jbeil and surrounding villages have emerged as among the hardest-hit areas after official institutions and land registry offices there were damaged, burned, or left unreachable.

Ali Sweidan, 55, from the border village of Yater, whose home and orchards were destroyed in Israeli airstrikes, told Xinhua that residents were increasingly worried about losing proof of ownership after the destruction of the land registry office in Bint Jbeil.

He said 36 villages whose records were kept in the Bint Jbeil office were affected, in addition to 48 villages in the Marjayoun and Hasbaya districts, warning of major future difficulties in proving ownership.

Hassan Karneeb, from the border village of Aita al-Shaab, said the scale of destruction had completely altered the features of border villages after homes, orchards, and roads were bulldozed or burned.

"It has become difficult to identify the locations of houses or land boundaries," he told Xinhua, warning that ownership disputes could turn into lengthy and costly legal battles because many official documents had been lost or destroyed.

Adel Hatoum, 60, from the village of Hanine in southern Lebanon, said Israeli bulldozers had erased landmarks that once marked property boundaries, increasing fears among residents over the possible loss of their rights.

Lebanese Finance Minister Yassine Jaber told Xinhua that authorities were concerned over the loss of land records and cadastral maps at the Bint Jbeil registry office, which had been subjected to airstrikes, destruction, and fire.

Jaber said authorities had managed to transfer property records from the Marjayoun and Nabatieh registry offices to safer locations in Rashaya al-Wadi and Sidon, but attempts to enter the Bint Jbeil office to rescue documents had failed due to the military situation.

Topographic engineer Hassan Hmeidan told Xinhua that the crisis extended beyond missing paperwork to the disappearance of geographical markers used to define property boundaries.

"Israeli destruction in more than 60 border villages altered roads, terrain, and landmarks, making the process of re-establishing ownership highly difficult and expensive," he said.

Hmeidan added that restoring ownership records would require modern technologies, including digital mapping systems and satellite imagery.

Lawyer Lara Jaber told reporters that the loss of property records would likely lead to an increase in real estate disputes, especially in villages where ownership issues already existed or where buildings were constructed on public or shared land.

She warned that rebuilding property files in affected areas, particularly unsurveyed regions, could take years, making property ownership one of the most complicated issues of the post-war phase.

Lebanese Environment Minister Tamara Zein said that more than 220,000 housing units had been damaged or destroyed since 2023, while Israeli strikes also hit residential neighborhoods, civilian infrastructure, public and private institutions, places of worship, and large agricultural and forested areas, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency. ■