Israeli army renews warning to residents of south Lebanon

The Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, published on Monday a new copy of the map of south Lebanon prohibiting access to the border area to residents of some sixty Lebanese villages, as he has done regularly since the cease-fire in Lebanon came into force on Nov. 27.

"A new reminder to the residents of south Lebanon: Until further notice, you are prohibited from moving south to the edge of these villages and their surroundings," he wrote in a message posted on social media along with a map demarcating an exclusion zone about five kilometers deep in Lebanese territory and extending from the village of Shebaa in the east to that of Mansouri in the west.

On Monday afternoon, Adraee claimed that forces operating in southern Lebanon discovered a "weapons depot containing more than 100 explosive devices, 20 rocket launchers and dozens of rocket-propelled grenades." He also claimed that "the forces of the 769th Brigade continue to operate in southern Lebanon, in accordance with the agreements between Israel and Lebanon."

Since the suspension of the open war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, the troops of the Israeli army, who have 60 days according to the agreement to withdraw from the villages they occupy in south Lebanon, have been blowing up houses located in these villages every day.

This Monday morning, five artillery shells targeted several homes in the center of Naqoura (Sour), while an Israeli battalion raised the Israeli flag at the entrance to the border village, according to information from L'Orient Today's correspondent.

Since Nov. 27, 34 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to L'Orient Today's count, and several others have been kidnapped (some of whom have been released) by Israeli soldiers despite the official cessation of hostilities.