Much of a stretch of Israeli-occupied Lebanon is now a wasteland, a vast expanse of mostly destroyed villages.

A New York Times analysis of satellite imagery found that most of the villages were flattened by Israel after an April ceasefire, which Israel said it did to remove the threats posed by Hezbollah.

Israeli forces deliberately demolished homes, schools, mosques and roads, predominantly in Shiite Muslim villages.

The ceasefire ended the worst of the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. But it did not end Israel’s remaking of southern Lebanon.

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Today, 48 of the roughly 60 villages and towns within Israeli-occupied southern Lebanon are mostly leveled, the Times analysis shows.

The scale of Israel’s systematic demolition has fueled fears among many Lebanese that Israel is seeking to permanently empty the territory of its population.

Israeli officials say they have razed villages to eliminate Hezbollah military facilities, like tunnels and weapons depots, and to prevent Hezbollah from…