BEIRUT — The Lebanese Army entered Aitaroun, in Bint Jbeil district on Wednesday morning to clear roads after destruction caused by Israeli strikes, according to the village's mayor, Salim Mourad.

“This morning, the army cleared several roads inside the village, which had been blocked by the Israeli army with piles of dirt and obstacles,” Mourad told L'Orient Today, noting that Lebanese troops had not yet been fully deployed at their projected positions on the outskirts of Aitaroun due to the Israeli army's ongoing presence there.

Mourad warned Aitaroun residents not to return to their homes yet, as the situation there remained “dangerous.” On Tuesday night, the night prior, Israeli soldiers were present in the village, rigging homes with explosives and demolishing them, a daily occurrence across southern Lebanese villages since and despite of the cease-fire that came into effect on Nov. 27.

On Tuesday evening, the Israeli army bombed several villages in Bint Jbeil district, including Aitaroun and Aita al-Shaab, as well as Markaba, Mais al-Jabal, and Kfar Kila in Marjayoun district.

An official statement from the Aitaroun city council warned residents to act diligently and carefully. “The Israeli enemy is waiting for us at every turn. Moving around the village and taking photos is dangerous … Every time a photo is taken, the enemy burns and explodes what remains of the homes,” the municipality said. “After several residents have been intimidated or assaulted, we ask you not to go to the village, until security forces and the Lebanese Army grant permission.”

According to local media, a delegation from the cease-fire monitoring committee visited Naqoura, in Sour district, with the purpose of touring the western sector of southern Lebanon.

In Beirut, as non-binding consultations aimed at forming a new government were being held in Parliament, Israeli drones flew over the capital and its periphery.

A truce came into effect between Israel and Hezbollah after more than a year of hostilities, including two months of full-scale war during which the Israeli state also deployed ground troops in southern Lebanon. Under the cease-fire agreement, the Lebanese Army is to be deployed alongside UN peacekeepers in the South, from which the Israeli army has agreed to withdraw over a period of 60 days, ending on Jan. 26th.

Hezbollah has agreed to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers from the border, and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the South. Israel continues to bomb southern villages, abduct residents and detonate homes, despite the supposed cessation of hostilities and its army has killed over 40 people since the truce came into effect, according to L'Orient Today's count.

Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz has accused Hezbollah of not withdrawing “beyond the Litani River” and not respecting other terms of the cease-fire, after the pro-Iranian movement accused Israel of violations. Hezbollah leader, Naim Kassem, warned that his group might “lose patience” with Israeli “violations” before the 60-day deadline expires.

A monitoring mechanism made up of France, the United States, Lebanon, Israel, and the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, has been established to oversee the implementation of this agreement.