
Explosions in Aita al-Shaab, in the Bint Jbeil district, on Jan. 15, 2025. (Credit: Mountasser Abdallah)
The Lebanese Army entered Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil) on Wednesday morning to clear roads following destruction caused by Israeli strikes, said the mayor of Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil), Salim Mourad, to L'Orient-Le Jour.
"This [Wednesday] morning, the [Lebanese] army cleared several roads inside the village, blocked by the Israeli army with dirt mounds and obstacles," Mourad told our correspondent in the region, Mountasser Abdallah. However, he specified that the troops have not yet deployed to their positions on the outskirts of Aitaroun due to the presence of the Israeli army.
Mourad reiterated his warning to the residents, urging them not to return to the village where the situation remains "dangerous." He also noted that Israeli soldiers conducted further demolitions of houses in the village on Tuesday, a daily practice observed in many border localities still occupied despite a cease-fire that came into effect on Nov. 27.
On Tuesday night, the Israeli army shelled several localities, including Aitaroun and Aita al-Shaab in the Bint Jbeil district, as well as Markaba, Mais al-Jabal, and Kfar Kila in the Marjayoun district.
The municipality of Aitaroun also urged residents not to circulate in the village or take photos of buildings to avoid potential Israeli actions. "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 blows up what remains of the homes," the municipality said in a statement. "After several residents have been intimidated or attacked, we ask you not to go to the village, awaiting authorization from the security forces and the Lebanese Army," it added.
Moreover, according to local media, a delegation from the cease-fire monitoring committee visited Naqoura (Sour) to tour the western sector of South Lebanon. Meanwhile, Civil Defense recovered human remains in Naqoura and transferred them to the Jabal Amel hospital, where analyses and DNA tests will be conducted to determine the deceased's identity.
On Wednesday, Israeli gunfire targeted the Khiam plain in the Marjayoun district from the Hamames Hill. The Israeli army also blew up buildings in Aita al-Shaab. In the Nabatieh district, after reports of an Israeli call urging the evacuation of a building in Houmin, the Lebanese Army went to the site and conducted a search without finding anything, our correspondent reports. In the past, several Israeli phone calls have been reported, some of which turned out to be false alarms. These calls were, for instance, aimed at urging the evacuation of locations supposedly housing Hezbollah's weapon stockpiles.
In Beirut, while non-binding consultations aimed at forming a new government were being held in Parliament, Israeli drones flew over the capital and its suburbs.
A truce has come into effect between Israel and Hezbollah, following more than a year of hostilities, including two months of all-out war during which Israel also deployed ground troops in southern Lebanon. Under the cease-fire agreement, the Lebanese Army is to deploy alongside U.N. peacekeepers in the south, from where the Israeli army is to withdraw over a 60-day period expiring on Jan. 26. The Shiite party must withdraw its forces north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers from the border, and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south. Israel has continued to conduct sporadic strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon following the truce coming into effect.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz accused Hezbollah of failing to withdraw "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 Qassem warned that his group could "lose patience" in the face of Israeli "violations" before the 60-day deadline expires.
A monitoring mechanism bringing together France, the United States, Lebanon, Israel, and the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, has been established to monitor the implementation of this agreement.
This article was translated from L'Orient-Le Jour.