Lebanese Army tanks stationed in Naqoura, southern Lebanon, on Jan. 7, 2025, after the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the town. (Credit: Illustration by AFP)
BEIRUT — With just a week remaining before the two-month deadline to implement the cease-fire agreement brokered to end the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel on Jan. 26, tensions in southern Lebanon escalated sharply on Monday.
On Saturday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem issued a warning, urging the Lebanese government and the international community "not to test Hezbollah's patience" over what he described as more than 100 Israeli violations of the agreement. On Monday, Hezbollah MP Ali Fayad reiterated the warning, claiming that the agreement would "collapse" if Israel does not uphold the terms of the truce by the scheduled day of full implementation, Jan. 26.
The Lebanese Army, which was scheduled to enter several southern localities on Monday, including Tallousseh in the Marjeyoun district, halted its deployment after discovering three Israeli tanks stationed at the Bani Hayyan junction. Meanwhile, the Israeli military was involved in several incidents on Monday, none of which resulted in casualties but added to the growing strain.
Early Monday, an Israeli army unit kidnapped three Lebanese farmers in al-Bassatin area of the village of Wazzani in the Hasbaya district, reported our regional correspondent. The abductees — identified as Ali Jamil Ahmed, who had been previously kidnapped by Israel, along with Merhi Adnane Mohammed and Yacoub Ghassan Mohammed — were taken to an undisclosed location and later released in the evening, said Wazzani municipal chief Abou Ziad Mohammed.
Such incidents are not isolated. The Israeli army continues to enforce restrictions barring Lebanese civilians from entering a 10-kilometer-wide zone along the border, where Israeli troops remain stationed in some southern villages. Since the truce began on Nov. 27, multiple Lebanese citizens have been detained and subsequently released by Israeli forces, further fueling tensions in the volatile region.
Israeli army sets buildings on fire
Also Monday, in the late afternoon, Israeli forces set fire to several houses in Beb al-Taniyeh, a neighborhood in Khiam in the Marjayoun district, approximately six kilometers from the border. At the same time, Israeli troops removed and vandalized welcome signs from the villages of Tallousseh, Bani Hayyan and Qabrikha in the Marjayoun district as they withdrew from the area, according to L'Orient Today’s.
After positioning themselves in the Debech area, on the western outskirts of Meis el-Jabal (Marjeyoun caza), Israeli forces set fire to buildings in the area before leaving in the early evening.
Later, Israeli troops furthered their incursion, establishing a position in the Debesh on the western outskirts of Mais al-Jabal in the Marjayoun district. Before leaving in the early evening, the invading troops set fire to buildings in the area. Earlier in the day, the Israeli troops, accompanied by bulldozers, tanks and other vehicles, had advanced into the Tarrash area, southwest of Mais al-Jabal and near the outskirts of Mhaybib, a village they had razed during the war.
Israeli tanks and bulldozers also blocked the Wadi Salouki road between the Bani Hayyan and Qabrikha junctions by constructing a sand barrier. Meanwhile, Israeli forces stationed themselves in Tallousseh, where the Lebanese Army was expected to deploy, according to our regional correspondent.
In Maroun al-Ras, a village in the Bint Jbeil district, residents attempted to dismantle sand barriers left by Israeli troops — whom they thought had withdrawn from the area — aiming to reopen roads connecting their village to the town of Bint Jbeil. However, they were forced to retreat under Israeli artillery fire. No casualties were reported during the incident, but residents managed to recover the body of a man killed in an earlier Israeli bombardment from underneath the rubble.
Israeli artillery also shelled the outskirts of Kfar Shuba in the Hasbaya district, adding to the day’s hostilities.
In the Dhaira area (Sour district), the Israeli army cut down and looted fruit trees using backhoes, according to reports from the state-run National News Agency (NNA) and al-Nashra.
In Khiam, Civil Defense teams recovered five bodies from the rubble on Monday, our correspondent reported citing security sources. Four were found in the Jlahieh-Nazlet Wadi Qais neighborhood, while a fifth was retrieved from the Sharqi al-Faour neighborhood. The remains were transported to the government hospital in Marjayoun for DNA testing. The Civil Defense, working in coordination with the Lebanese Army, confirmed that search efforts to locate additional victims buried under the rubble will continue on Tuesday.
On Tuesday night, a loud explosion caused by an Israeli army maneuver was heard west of Mais al-Jabal, in the district of Marjayoun, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon. The blast was heard in nearby villages.
Another explosion was reported from Aita al-Shaab, in the district of Bint Jbeil. A similar incident occurred in Aitaroun, in the same district, our correspondent added.
Meeting of the ceasefire monitoring committee
Israeli drones hovered persistently over Saida and nearby Palestinian refugee camps on Monday, emitting their characteristic buzzing sound that was clearly audible to residents. The flights coincided with the second day of the truce between Hamas and Israel in the Palestinian enclave, which began on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, a meeting of the technical committee overseeing the cease-fire that ended the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel was held in Naqoura, Sour district, according to our regional correspondent. The discussion focused on finalizing steps related to the central sector of southern Lebanon, an area where Israel is expected to withdraw and the Lebanese Army is set to deploy.
Details of the meeting’s proceedings remain unclear, but the talks are set to continue through Tuesday, when the committee will address the final stage of the plan: the eastern sector of southern Lebanon.
