Lebanese soldiers in Khiam, south Lebanon, on Dec. 23, 2024. (Credit: AFP)
Israeli troops stationed in southern Lebanon retreated on Thursday in the western sector of the border strip, moving from Naqoura to Ras Naqoura and Alma al-Shaab. The Lebanese army is preparing to enter the area.
During their withdrawal from Naqoura, four kilometers from the border in the Sour district, Israeli soldiers fired on the area with machine gun fire, targeting several neighborhoods in the village and its outskirts, according to a security source from L'Orient Today's correspondent. The Israeli army also fired machine guns at Beit Lif (Bint Jbeil). Two houses in this village were also damaged by artillery fire.
Mine clearance in Shamaa
The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that the Israeli army set fire to several houses in Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil) on Wednesday night. The NNA was also able to enter Shamaa with the Lebanese army, which deployed there following the Israeli withdrawal, and reported "large-scale destruction" and damage to "infrastructure, including electrical, residential, road networks, orchards and agricultural lands." The army launched demining and damage assessment operations in the village which experienced several days of intense combat between Hezbollah and the Israeli army between Nov. 16 and 25.
On Wednesday, the Civil Defense announced that it retrieved the bodies of two individuals killed in the rubble of the Faour neighborhood in Khiam. Rescuers have been conducting clearing operations for three weeks in this locality, which witnessed several weeks of fighting before the ceasefire. With these two new bodies, at least 26 bodies have already been recovered and there could still be about a hundred victims under the debris.
Despite the enforcement of a cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel on Nov. 27, Beirut has condemned hundreds of violations of the agreement by Israel, while the Israeli army continues operations in southern Lebanon, preventing some residents from returning home. At least 36 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since the beginning of the 60-day truce, which will end on Jan. 27, and villages in the border strip continue to be daily bombarded.