Construction equipment multinationals may be aiding Israeli war crimes, experts say

Human rights experts have alleged that six multinational construction equipment conglomerates – Caterpillar, Volvo, Hyundai, Doosan, Hitachi, and Komatsu – may be aiding and abetting war crimes by supplying excavators and bulldozers to Israel. The Guardian geolocated and verified images showing the Israeli military using equipment from these companies to destroy homes, public utilities, shops, and other structures across southern Lebanon.

Israel has leveled entire villages inside the "yellow line," a 608 sq km area along the Lebanese border. At least 46 villages in southern Lebanon have suffered heavy damage, most of it caused after the April 17 ceasefire, according to a satellite analysis by Bellingcat. The Israeli military says it is destroying Hezbollah infrastructure, but Human Rights Watch has warned that the wide-scale destruction could amount to wanton destruction, a war crime.

Videos show the Israeli military using foreign-produced excavators to demolish homes, including in the towns of Naqoura and Debel. In Debel, surveillance footage captured a Volvo excavator destroying solar panels and water infrastructure. The Israeli military said the actions were "not in line with the IDF's values" and that the incident is under investigation.

Experts say that supplying equipment that enables such destruction could make companies complicit in war crimes, potentially leading to legal consequences for executives. Mark Dummett of Amnesty International stated that businesses contributing to serious violations of international law risk prosecution. He noted Israel's long track record of using excavators for demolitions in the West Bank, often in violation of international law.

US Democratic senators voted to block a $295 million sale of Caterpillar D9 bulldozers to Israel. Four of the six companies – excluding Hitachi and Komatsu – were named in a UN special rapporteur report as companies profiting from Israel's displacement of Palestinians.

Much of the destruction in Lebanon has been carried out with explosives, but the Israeli military also uses excavators, hiring civilian contractors who are sometimes paid per building destroyed. Companies have argued they have limited control over how their products are used, but experts say that given the abundance of evidence, ignorance is not a valid defense.

The UN has set out nonbinding guiding principles for business and human rights. However, legal precedents, from the Nuremberg trials to recent cases like Lafarge and Lundin Energy, show a growing trend of holding companies and executives accountable for complicity in crimes committed abroad.