At least 15 dead, 80 dead and 80 dead, 80 dead, 80 dead and 80 dead, as thousands of Lebanese have been displaced by the 60-day deadline for southern Lebanese officials and Israel to withdraw from the south. 80 people were injured and on the roads to their homes to the south.
This agreementSigned in November, it halted the deadliest war in decades, allowing both sides and Israel to withdraw, with the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers in place to secure the area. The negotiators hoped that the ceasefire deal would calm down the tense region.
But as Sunday drew to a close, a very different scenario took shape.
Israeli forces have reported violations of a cease-fire agreement in southern Lebanon, fueling fears of continued Israeli occupation and arbitrators between Israel and Hezbollah. Israeli officials have warned Lebanese in many towns and villages in the south not to return to their homes.
“In the near future, we will continue to inform you about the places where you can return,” Avichai Adraee, the Israeli army's Arab spokesman, posted on social media Sunday morning. “Until further notice, the previously issued instructions remain in effect.”
Lebanon's health ministry said those killed and wounded on Sunday morning were trying to enter their village along the border when they were attacked by Israeli forces. Residents of some southern cities urged their neighbors to gather early Monday morning and visit their homes in a caravan, despite Israeli warnings. The Lebanese army said civilians were being escorted back to several border towns to try to ensure their safety. The military said in a statement that the Lebanese soldier was among those with the Israeli firefighters.
It marked one of the deadliest days in Lebanon since the ceasefire took effect in November.
The Israeli military said in a statement after the operation that it fired “warning shots” as “suspects”. It also said an unspecified number of people had been arrested and were being questioned at the scene.
In the southern city of Aita al-Shaba It is now in ruinsmany of them On Sunday, he began to return home to rubble-strewn streets and flattened buildings.
Mohammad Srour, the city's mayor, was among those who returned after being displaced for more than a year. He said that Israeli soldiers have not yet fully withdrawn from the settlement and claim that they are shooting sporadically at civilians. The allegations could not be independently verified. Still, Mr. Srour remained adamant.
“Today, AITA celebrates its long-awaited return.” He said. “Houses are being destroyed and livelihoods are gone, but our survival is stronger. We will rebuild.”
In recent days, Israeli officials have NOTES Hezbollah remains active and suspected in southern Lebanon The stimie ability of the Lebanese army Group.
These claims could not be independently verified, and the five-member committee overseeing the implementation of the cease-fire was not reported to have agreed to Hezbollah's terms of the truce.
The situation poses a critical test for Lebanon's new leaders, President Joseph Aoun and to appoint a prime minister Hello NawafAs they seek to wrest back some political control from Hezbollah, the country's dominant political and military force, and build a functioning state. Mr Aoun urged civilians to exercise restraint on Sunday, but stressed that the country's sovereignty was “not in question”.
Any Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon could breathe new life as a force built to liberate Lebanon from Israeli occupation and to protect Lebanon's borders.
Also, the current political momentum in Lebanon is a serious push to consolidate all military power within the state for the first time in decades, and provide justification for Hezbollah's vast arsenal.
The focus in Lebanon has already “changed from the era in which Hezbollah was seen as having the right to buy arms,” he said. capital. Any protracted Israeli occupation “would put a break in this orgastic momentum,” he said.
Hezbollah officials did not respond to Israeli accusations that the group was active militarily in the south, but said they were “doing it” to preserve the terms of the truce.
On Saturday, Lebanese army officials said they were ready to complete their deployment in the south. The general leadership of this month's ceasefire director monitoring committee expressed confidence in the Lebanese army's ability to secure Lebanon. The military “has the capability, the will, and the leadership to defend Lebanon,” said Gen. Jasper Jeffers. a comment.
The 60-day truce began with Hezbollah in solidarity with Ally Hamas attacking and firing rockets at Israel's 7, 2023 date of 2023, at solidarity positions in Gaza with the Palestinian Armed Forces. Retaliated by Israel To assassinate the leadership of Hezbollahfixing towns and villages along the border and occupying the south of the south.
Even before Sunday's deadline, thousands of Lebanese displaced by the war from homes along the southern border were preparing to return home. On Saturday, the main highway from Beirut to South Lebanon was packed with cars, even as people received automated phone calls not to return home.
Israeli forces appeared to be continuing efforts to block roads and block roads between some villages in southern Lebanon, according to local news media. Israel currently occupies about 70 percent of the territory it captured after occupying Lebanon last fall. According to the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah has not said how it plans to respond to Israel's continued occupation of Lebanese soil. Some Hezbollah MPs retaliated. But other officials from Hezbollah instead, Israel was responsible for responding to the Lebanese government. The group said in a statement on Friday that it was “up to the state” to reclaim the land and remove it from occupation.
Shifting responsibility is a tried-and-true tactic for Hezbollah, which entered the country a few months ago to secure thousands of Lebanese displaced by a war with the state. Again, from a group with a founding principle, its political stance reflects Hezbollah's current weakening against the Israeli occupation.
After 14 months of fighting, the Shiite Muslim group's military ranks are battered and its loyal support base is exhausted. Its patron Iran was also weakened by Israel.
The strikes put an iron grip on political power in Lebanon, shifting the country's political sands for the first time in decades. This month, Lebanese lawmakers elected a new president, Mr. Aoun, after years of political gridlock that many analysts blamed on Hezbollah. Days later, lawmakers named a diplomat named Hizbollah, a prominent diplomat whom Hizbollah has long opposed, as prime minister.
Still, Middle East experts warned against underwriting Hezbollah's political weight. If Israel continues to occupy Lebanon, it could reinvigorate the group's largely Shiite Muslim base of support as it is seen as patronizing and protective against Israeli forces.
“I believe that neither party is interested in continuing the war,” said Sami Nader, director of the Institute of Political Science at Saint Joseph University in Beirut. “But as long as Israel occupies Lebanon, it feeds Hezbollah's narrative.”
Hwaida Saad, Stop it Contributed by Sara Chaito.