BEIRUT — One month has passed since the cease-fire that brought a supposed end to the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel came into effect. But southern Lebanon and the Bekaa still resemble warzones. There are still airstrikes, artillery strikes and in areas under its occupation, the Israeli army is detonating homes and buildings on a daily basis.

On Friday, explosions were heard across Yaroun (Bint Jbeil district), Naqoura (Sour district) and Kfar Kila and Mais al-Jabal (both Marjayoun district). The Israeli army fired artillery shells at Aita al-Shaab, in Bint Jbeil district.

The apparent violations appear to garner little response from the U.S.-led committee in charge of implementing the truce, except for on Thursday, the Israeli army withdrew from Wadi Hujeir, "after a series of calls made by the cease-fire monitoring committee."

This was after the Israeli army had arrested and shot a civilian there, damaged the roads and removed the village sign. The Lebanese Army was subsequently deployed and, alongside residents, the roadblocks erected by the Israeli army were removed and the village sign replaced.

French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu is due to hold talks on Monday with General Joseph Aoun, Commander-in-Chief of the Lebanese Army, who is responsible for overseeing the deployment of troops in southern Lebanon.

Ten bodies found in Khiam

In the southern Lebanese town of Khiam, six kilometers from the Blue Line, the Civil Defense announced that it had managed to pull two more bodies from the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardment before the cease-fire came into effect on Nov. 27. The bodies have been transferred to the government hospital in Marjayoun, and search operations are set to continue into the weekend until all missing persons have been found.

In November, around 20 people were reported missing from the village, which had been the site of intense fighting between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah fighters. The former were unable to infiltrate the village, but took advantage of the cease-fire to advance into neighborhoods Hezbollah fighters prevented them from entering prior. The bodies of nine Hezbollah fighters and a Syrian national have been found in the locality since the Lebanese Army entered on Dec. 11.

A 75-year-old Lebanese woman was also found dead on Friday in Yaroun, in Bint Jbeil district, a village a few kilometers from the southern border. Yaroun came under fierce bombardment during the months of open war, but a preliminary examination of Najwa Ghacham's body revealed bullet wounds, according to the coroner's report. The body also showed puncture wounds and a fractured leg, which may have been caused by an Israeli drone strike on the victim's house.

Still no return

Following the announcement from Kabrikha that the roads had been cleared of the Israeli army's roadblocks, the municipality of Tayr Harfa announced in a press release that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) had reopened the road between Shameh and Tayr Harfa, in Sour district, which had been completely blocked during the fighting.

"For the time being, it is impossible to visit the village, due to the presence of Israeli forces in and around it, which could put people in danger," the Tayr Harfa municipality said. "We will keep the inhabitants informed about the return, in cooperation with the Lebanese Army and the relevant authorities," the text adds.

Two Syrian workers who had been missing since Thursday evening in the vicinity of Wadi Hojeir were released by the Israeli army. Taher Rimi and Ahmad Amine were transferred by the Lebanese Red Cross to Tibnine hospital after being handed over by UNIFIL.

Bombing in the Bekaa

In the Bekaa region, Israeli aircraft struck the Qoussaya heights near the border with Syria on Friday morning. Israeli surveillance drones fill the sky above the Anti-Lebanon mountain range and the Israeli army claimed responsibility for bombing the area, saying it had struck "infrastructure used to transport military equipment on the Syrian-Lebanese border."

The strikes were carried out at the "Janta border post," used to "transport equipment via Syria for the benefit of Hezbollah," in the Bekaa. Israeli aircraft also bombed the Majdel Anjar landfill, close to the Masnaa border crossing.

The border zone between Lebanon and Syria was also the scene clashes between armed groups close to the former regime, including Hezbollah, and the security forces of the new government in Damascus, which have since taken over running the border crossings and recently launched an operation in the area against these pro-Assad militias.