Lebanese army soldiers clearing debris from a road in Khiam, south Lebanon, Dec. 12, 2024. (Credit: AFP)
Residents of southern Lebanese towns continue to return home gradually, as the Israeli army announced it had carried out an airstrike on "missile launchers armed and ready to fire at Israel," while the ceasefire in Lebanon entered its 17th day on Saturday.
In the village of Shebaa (Hasbaya district), residents celebrated their return after being forcibly displaced by the war between Hezbollah and Israel. A few dozen residents of this border village, located near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, gathered in front of the municipality, where a portrait of Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun had been displayed.
Shebaa remains on a list of nearly 100 villages published Wednesday by Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee, which are affected by an exclusion zone imposed by Israel along the southern Lebanon border. "Until further notice, movement southward is prohibited at this stage, and returning home from this line is not allowed," the statement reads. The exclusion zone extends from Shebaa in the east to Mansouri on the western coastline, including towns such as Marjayoun, Arnoun, Yohmor, Qantara, Shaqra, Baraashit and Yater.
On Thursday, the Israeli army announced its withdrawal from the village of Khiam (Marjayoun), located south of this red line. Meanwhile, the Lebanese army, in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), confirmed its redeployment in the area. "Army units are being deployed inside the town in coordination with the committee monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire agreement," the Lebanese army said in a statement.
The army also released images of construction equipment and bulldozers aiming to "open the main road between Khiam and Marjayoun [...] removing debris and unexploded ordnance left behind from the Israeli aggression." In a separate statement, the army announced that a unit would detonate unexploded munitions on Saturday between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. local time in the jurd of Ras Baalbek, in northern Bekaa.
"Launchers ready to fire at Israel"
Despite the ceasefire in effect since Nov. 27, incidents continue to occur daily. Israeli airstrikes and attacks by troops remaining in southern Lebanon have claimed 31 lives since the ceasefire began, according to our records. These casualties add to the 4,047 killed and 16,638 injured in Lebanon during 14 months of war between Israel and Hezbollah.
On Saturday morning, one person was killed in an Israeli drone strike targeting a car on the Khardali road between Nabatieh and Marjayoun, according to our regional correspondent, Muntasser Abdallah.
A few hours earlier, the Israeli army announced via its spokesperson that it had carried out an airstrike targeting "missile platforms loaded and ready to be launched towards Israeli territory, which constitutes a violation of the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel."
Another Israeli airstrike was reported the previous day in Khiam, shortly after Lebanese troops entered new areas of the town, which has been almost completely destroyed by recent airstrikes and the relentless demolition of homes carried out by Israeli soldiers in recent weeks.
In southern Lebanon, contact was lost with shepherd Abdo Abd al-Aal in the Al-Majidieh area (Hasbaya district) while he was grazing his flock, according to our correspondent. It is possible that Israeli soldiers abducted him, the correspondent added.
Israeli artillery also shelled the outskirts of Majdel Zoun (Sour district) during funeral ceremonies in the village for individuals killed in previous Israeli attacks, according to Mountasser Abdallah. A total of ten strikes were counted.
Additionally, sounds of explosions, sweeping operations and light-to-medium machine gunfire were reported in areas still occupied by the Israeli army, particularly in Mais al-Jabal, where the noise echoed in neighboring villages, our correspondent noted. Low-altitude Israeli aircraft were observed flying over several areas in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa, while the hum of drones was audible over Beirut.
In the Bekaa, Palestinian militiamen from the "General Command" evacuated a military site near the Lebanese-Syrian border, in the vicinity of Hilweh (Rashaya), according to information from our correspondent Sarah Abdallah.
On Friday, caretaker Defense Minister Maurice Slim reiterated his condemnation of Israeli ceasefire violations, as reported by the National News Agency (NNA). "The continued violations by the Israeli enemy and its aggressions against southern villages constitute a blatant breach of Lebanese sovereignty and Resolution 1701," he said during a meeting with the Lebanese army commander.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, which is supervised by a monitoring committee, the Israeli army has a 60-day deadline — until Jan. 27 — to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon. The committee is expected to convene for the second time in the middle of next week.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.
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