Heritage souks completely destroyed by Israeli strikes in Nabatie. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today)
Movements of Israeli tanks were reported on Sunday morning in the al-Mari Valley region in Hasbaya, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.
The Israeli army also fired automatic weapons on the outskirts of Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil), a village it continues to occupy despite the cease-fire agreement adopted on Nov. 27. Israeli fighter jets flew over several villages in south Lebanon, including Nabatieh and Saida, L'Orient Today's correspondent reported. An Israeli drone carried out a strike on the outskirts of Jbal al-Botm (Sour), causing a fire, while neighborhoods of Meis al-Jabal were shot at with automatic weapons.
In addition, the Lebanese army announced in a statement its intention to detonate unexploded munitions on Sunday, between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., in the Qlaileh field (Sour) and Tiri (Bint Jbeil).
'Gradual Return'
Meanwhile, the municipality of Aitaroun said, in a statement, that an inspection tour will be conducted on-site Monday at 10 a.m. to inspect the village, “as part of the gradual return of residents ... in coordination and presence of the army.”
“The army will resume two of its positions in the village, in the Botom al-Sharqi and al-Bat sectors. The permanent return of inhabitants will be scheduled in the coming days,” added the municipality, calling for vigilance when returning to border areas, particularly due to unexploded ordnance.
A statement from the village of Meis al-Jabal (Marjayoun), which was bombarded almost daily by the Israeli army during the war, told residents “not to take risks and to follow the directives of the Lebanese army,” while awaiting to return to the village “soon.”
“The army and UNIFIL will initiate in the coming hours and days a deployment plan in Meis al-Jabal and neighboring villages. The army will take exceptional measures, including a ban on entering the village until the end of sweeping and deployment operations, in accordance with the decisions of the monitoring committee [of the cease-fire application],” stated the municipality. “The streets are closed and neighborhoods are booby-trapped, while many unexploded munitions have been left on site and need army intervention,” noting that the army will also remove bodies still under the rubble.
The municipality of Bani Hayyan (Marjayoun) called on its residents to "take no action and wait for instructions from the competent authorities to ensure their safe return, in accordance with the development of the situation in the villages of the border area, after the withdrawal of the [Israeli] enemy and the deployment of the Lebanese army."
It specified that it was "in constant and daily communication with the army, which will establish fixed checkpoints at the entrance to certain villages."
Despite a 60-day cease-fire adopted on Nov. 27, 2024, between Hezbollah and Israel, following an over one-year conflict, the Israeli army continues to blow up houses in south Lebanon, conduct operations, and occupy part of the territory.
On Saturday, the Lebanese army began deploying in the village of Tyr Harfa (Sour). In a post on X in the afternoon, the army said that their units were continuing their deployment in the villages of Ras Naqoura (Sour) and these villages in the western sector: Alma al-Shaab, Dhaira, Aitaroun, Bint Jbeil, Tyr Harfa, Majdal Zoun, Salhani and Kaouzah, following the Israeli withdrawal. Additionally, on Saturday, the Civil Defense confirmed that its teams had recovered the bodies of two people killed, under the rubble of Khiam (Marjayoun), as well as body fragments of 11 other victims in Naqoura, Bayada and Tyr Harfa.
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