Thank you for following our live coverage of the Middle East conflict, specifically of the developments unfolding in Lebanon following the 60-day deadline of the cease-fire agreement for the Israeli withdrawal, and the developments in Gaza following the second hostages-detainees exchange.
We will resume our coverage in the morning.
In a statement issued early Sunday evening, Hezbollah celebrated the "victory" of the resistance against "the Israeli enemy." The group called on "all Lebanese" to support the people of southern Lebanon and urged "the countries that are guarantors of the cease-fire agreement [the U.S. and France] to assume their responsibilities in the face of Israeli violations and crimes and compel its complete withdrawal from our lands."
The Israeli army carried out large-scale sweeping operations with machine guns inside the Houla neighborhoods in the Marjayoun district, as well as at the northern entrance to the town of Mais al-Jabal in the same district.
Educational institutions affiliated with the Amal Movement announced the closure of all their schools tomorrow, Monday Jan. 27, 2025.
Hezbollah and the Amal Movement organized a motorized convoy in Saida, southern Lebanon, to celebrate the return of residents to border villages. Participants waved flags of both parties and fired shots into the air in a show of support and celebration.
Hamas spokesman in Lebanon, Jihad Taha, stated that "the return of displaced southern Lebanese to their villages and localities reflects the determination and will of the Lebanese people to reclaim their right to return and their attachment to their land and country, Lebanon."
Taha expressed solidarity with the Lebanese people, praising their "courageous resistance," and emphasized the strong "fraternal ties that unite the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples," according to a statement relayed by Lebanon's National News Agency.
He also called on the international community to "assume its responsibilities, put an end to the crimes and violations of the [Israeli] occupation and withdraw from Lebanese territories."
The caretaker Education Minister Abbas Halabi reaffirmed his earlier statement, confirming that classes will be held tomorrow, Monday.
He added that following consultation with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati he decision to close or keep schools and educational institutions open in South Lebanon and Nabatieh governates will be left to the discretion of their directors, who will assess the situation and decide accordingly.
As for other governates, classes will resume regularly.
Residents of Beirut's southern suburbs took to the streets, carrying Hezbollah and Lebanese flags, in celebration of the liberation of their villages in the south.
The Lebanese Army retrieved the body of a citizen killed by Israeli army fire at the entrance of Odaisseh, in the Marjayoun district.
Earlier in the day, a rescue attempt by rescuers from the Islamic Health Committee, affiliated with Hezbollah, had failed to retrieve the body after coming under fire, wounding one of them.
The Public Health Ministry's Emergency Health Operations Center announced the casualty toll from "Israeli enemy attacks during the attempted return of citizens to their towns, which are still occupied," has increased to: 22 people killed, including six women, and 124 injured, including 12 women, nine children and a rescuer (from al-Rissala rescue scouts, affiliated with the Amal Movement) injured while performing his humanitarian rescue duties.
The breakdown of the casualty toll is as follows:
- Aitaroun: 5 killed, 13 injured
- Houla 3 killed, 22 injured
- Markaba: 4 killed, 12 injured
- Kfar Kila: 4 killed, 21 injured
- Odaisseh: 1 killed, 15 injured
- Blida: 1 killed, 2 injured
- Dhaira: 1 Lebanese Army soldier killed
- Mais al-Jabal: 2 killed, 12 injured
- Bani Hayyan: 2 injured
- Maroun al-Ras: 8 injured
- Bint Jbeil: 1 injured
- Ainata: 1 injured
- Wadi al-Salouqi: 1 injured
- Beit Yahoon: 1 injured
- Shakra: 1 injured
- Deir Mimas: 1 injured
- Robb Thalatine: 2 injured
- Taybeh: 2 injured
- Yaroun: 7 injured
Israeli hostage Arbel Yehud will be released before the next hostage-prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas, an Islamic Jihad official told Reuters on Sunday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said mediators had reached an agreement regarding his release.
In a statement, Hezbollah announced that the body of martyr Ali Mohammed Ali Murad, from the village of Aitaroun, had been found in the village of Aita al-Chaab.
U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will visit Israel on Wednesday to oversee the Gaza cease-fire, Israeli Channel 13 reported on Sunday, citing two Israeli officials, Reuters reports.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Sunday reaffirmed his country's "rejection" of "forced displacement" of Palestinians, in reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to send Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan.
"Our rejection of the displacement of Palestinians is firm and will not change. Jordan is for Jordanians and Palestine is for Palestinians," said Ayman Safadi, in remarks quoted by AFP.
The military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, Saraya al-Quds, announced that one of its members, Raed Shawki Karim, was killed in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah has reportedly urged its supporters to participate in a "car rally" in Beirut's southern suburbs at 6 p.m. to celebrate the "victories forged by the blood of martyrs," particularly that of former Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, assassinated by Israel.
However, the call does not appear to have been issued through an official party channel.
According to our correspondent in southern Lebanon, 24 bodies were recovered from underneath the rubble in the village of Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil district).
The al-Rissala Scouts Association affiliated with the Amal Movement, announced that one of its members, Hussein Mohammad Daher, 23, from Blida, was killed by the Israeli army.
The border villages where the Israeli army is still present are:
- Marwahin
- Blat
- Maroun al-Ras
- Aitaroun
- Yaroun
- Blida
- Mhaibib
- Houla
- Mais al-Jabal
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has concluded interviews with candidates for the position of Israeli army's chief of staff and announced that "a decision will be made accordingly, in coordination with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu," according to Haaretz.
Katz emphasized to the candidates that "the role of the next chief of staff is, above all, to lead an offensive policy aimed at defeating the enemy on all fronts and achieving game-changing objectives."
Find out who could succeed Herzi Halevi as Israeli army chief👈
According to Haaretz, the Israeli army announced that it had returned to Israel two Israeli nationals who had entered Lebanon "by mistake."
The Amal Movement announced that one of its members, Nizar Khalil Yaacoub, born in Houla (Marjayoun) in 1978, was killed "while performing his duty defending Lebanon and the South."
After intensive consultations and "in response to the determination of the residents to enter all the border villages despite the sacrifices," a decision has been made to coordinate efforts between the mayors, the Lebanese army and local officials to enter border villages on Monday morning, reported our correspondent. These villages specifically include Aitaroun and Yaroun, in the Bint Jbeil district, and Bilda in the Marjayoun district.
Hezbollah issued a brief statement: “Our honorable people ... today, you astonish the world once again, proving that you are a proud, loyal and courageous people.”
The party's statements come as at least 15 people were killed, including two Lebanese soldiers, and dozens wounded in southern Lebanon after the Israeli army opened fire on residents returning to their southern localities.
An Israeli force, reinforced with a Merkava tank and a bulldozer, advanced towards a gathering of residents in the town of Mais al-Jabal, local residents reported.
The Israeli fired at them to disperse the crowd.
The Merkava tank also ran over a civilian vehicle that was parked by the roadside and destroyed a loudspeaker that had been used by the residents earlier in the morning, according to local residents.
Additionally, the Israeli army closed the main road at the entrance to the Nepalese battalion headquarters operating within UNIFIL forces, locals reported.
Yemen's Houthis released 153 prisoners on Saturday with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the ICRC said in a statement.
The identity of the prisoners was not revealed, but the ICRC said they had received regular visits from the organization in Sanaa, Yemen's capital. They include the elderly and the wounded, who were released on humanitarian grounds, the Houthi Prisoners' Affairs Committee said at a press conference.
There was no immediate indication that any U.N. staff had been released, after the global organization said on Friday that seven of its members had been captured. Last year, 11 U.N. staff members were seized.
Hezbolla MP Hassan Fadlallah spoke from Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil), after entering with local residents stating that "the equation of the army, people and resistance is being solidified today. The resistance fought here until the last day, the people opened the road for the Lebanese Army, and together we liberated Aita. This historic equation is cemented with the blood of our martyrs and the steadfastness of our people.”
He added, “Anyone who wants to understand dignity should come to the villages of the South and see this proud people, loyal to their resistance, land and country. True independence is achieved here.”
Fadlallah continued, “Despite threats and gunfire, the people marched to the border villages, with martyrs’ families welcoming those returning. There’s a lump in the throat seeing how this great people, through resistance and sacrifice, returned to their villages.”
He stressed, “Resistance is not just words, it’s action. We say to all in Lebanon: Let’s unite and defend our sovereignty. The question remains: Is anyone still dreaming they can defeat this resistance?”
He concluded, “Some ask how we won while Israel still occupies. The answer is clear: Lebanon adhered to an agreement, while the enemy didn’t, and today, our people’s will is forcing the enemy to retreat.”
Residents are expected to enter the towns of Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil), Maroun al-Ras (Nabatieh), Yaroun (Bint Jbeil) and Blida (Marjayoun) tomorrow, reports our correspondent in the South.
Update on the situation in southern Lebanon:
*The Lebanese Army has found the woman reported missing in Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil). She was slightly injured, according to local residents.
*According to rescue workers who spoke to L'Orient Today, the bodies of 18 people have been recovered from the rubble in Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil).
Mohammad Srour, Mayor of Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil), told L’Orient Today that the town is “devastated.”
He detailed the extensive losses, including the destruction of eight mosques, six schools — both private and public — a social affairs center, and health facilities. “Solar energy systems for the town’s water wells were completely destroyed, alongside the water and electricity networks and the town’s water reservoir,” he said.
“The [Israeli army] uprooted roads, burned trees, and demolished homes. The forest between us and the border was cut down and leveled. These were barbaric acts by forces that hate both humans and nature.”
“When we entered Aita al-Shaab, we found nothing but rubble and the decomposed bodies of martyrs. Some were just fragments,” Srour said. Reflecting on his tour of the town today, he remarked, “It was a heartbreaking experience to walk through the destruction alongside the residents.”
Hussein Feitrouni, the second member of the Lebanese Army killed Sunday, according to our correspondent in the south.
Yemen's Houthis released 153 prisoners on Saturday with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the organization said in a statement.
The identity of the prisoners was not revealed, but the ICRC said they had received regular visits from the organization in Sanaa, Yemen's capital. They include the elderly and the wounded, who were released on humanitarian grounds, the Houthi Prisoners' Affairs Committee said at a press conference.
This is the second such release, following last year's.
There was no immediate indication that any U.N. staff had been released, after the global organization said on Friday that seven of its members had been captured. Last year, 11 U.N. staff members were seized.
Israel's prime minister said on Sunday that he had received assurances from the French president that Israeli companies would be allowed to attend the 55th Paris Air Show in June, the industry's global meeting place, according to his office.
Benjamin Netanyahu and Emmanuel Macron spoke on the phone on Sunday, and the latter “promised ... that Israeli companies would be able to participate,” the statement said. Twice in 2024, French courts forced organizers of defense industry trade shows to welcome Israeli groups.
(Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
A veiled woman carrying flowers on the rubble of a building in Aita al-Shaab, in Bint Jbeil.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said on X that it had already evacuated one dead and four wounded near the Wadi Gaza bridge, following an attack by Israeli snipers.
Two dead and more than 22 wounded in Mais al-Jabal (Bint Jbeil) alone by Israeli army fire, according to a provisional toll on the first day of residents' return to their town, reported our correspondent in the south, Mountasser Abdallah.
Egypt has informed the United States that it rejects President Trump's proposal to transfer Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to its territory, an Egyptian source told Saudi TV channel Al-Hadath on Sunday, as reported by Haaretz.
According to the source, the U.S. plan is to transfer Palestinians from Gaza for a period of six months to a year to three Arab countries and one Asian country. The plan specifies that Gazans will have to leave the host countries at the beginning of 2026, but does not specify whether refugees will be able to return to Gaza.
According to the Saudi report, a senior US official is planning to hold meetings on this subject with various countries, including those involved in mediating the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Egypt has informed the United States that it rejects President Trump's proposal to transfer Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to its territory, an Egyptian source told Saudi TV channel Al-Hadath on Sunday, as reported by Haaretz.
According to the source, the U.S. plan is to transfer Palestinians from Gaza for a period of six months to a year to three Arab countries and one Asian country. The plan specifies that Gazans will have to leave the host countries at the beginning of 2026, but does not specify whether refugees will be able to return to Gaza.
According to the Saudi report, a senior US official is planning to hold meetings on this subject with various countries, including those involved in mediating the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Druze Sheikh Akl Sami Abi al-Mona hailed, in a statement, “the determination of the inhabitants of the South, especially those of the frontline villages under occupation, in their courageous return to their homes despite Israeli threats and direct fire.”
He stressed that “this return symbolizes an unwavering attachment to their land and national identity.”
He called on the international community, “in particular the countries that sponsored the cease-fire agreement, to fully assume their responsibilities in forcing the Israeli enemy to withdraw completely from Lebanese territory, cease its aggression, implement the aforementioned agreement and adhere to the implementation of resolution 1701 and its derivatives.”
Hezbollah MP Hussein Hajj Hassan, head of the Baalbek-Hermel bloc, criticized Israel for not withdrawing from South Lebanon as announced, saying, “The Israelis had announced that they would withdraw at 4 a.m., but instead they continue to fire on Lebanese citizens, causing martyrs and injuries.” He urged the Lebanese state to “fully assume its responsibility in defending sovereignty through all its institutions and officials.”
Speaking at a ceremony in memory of a Hezbollah member killed in Nasriyah, Bekaa, Hussein Hajj Hassan stressed that “the resistance is closely monitoring the situation and will act if necessary.”
The leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), MP Gebran Bassil, also reacted via his account on X: “Our people in the South are heroic and firmly attached to their land. Therefore, they will not lose, and Israel will not be able to stay in the South.”
“A courageous and unwavering stand is often stronger than arms, rallying all free patriots around it. It seems that the guarantee of the people of this country is stronger than that of all nations,” he added.
(Photo courtesy of our correspondent Sarah Abdallah)
Convoys of cars bearing party and Lebanese flags set off in solidarity with the people of the south in villages in the Baalbek-Hermel governorate, reported our correspondent in the Bekaa, Sarah Abdallah.
Contact was lost with a woman in Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil) amid intense Israeli fire as rescue teams tried to reach her, residents reported.
Shots were also fired at residents trying to enter Kfar Kila (Bint Jbeil), wounding three civilians, local residents reported.
In a statement, the Lebanese Army mourned the loss of Sergeant Mohammad Youssef Zahour, from the town of Yohmor (Nabatieh), who was killed today by Israeli fire in the south.
Lebanon's former president, Michel Aoun, wrote on X: “The land belongs to its children, to those who quench it with their blood, to those who defend it with their flesh and blood, to those who are martyred on their way home.”
Eyewitnesses have reported that Israeli soldiers are posted on the rooftops of Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun) and firing at the inhabitants, reports our correspondent in the south, Mountasser Abdallah.
According to residents, several vehicles and bulldozers belonging to UNIFIL (the French battalion) have arrived in the el-Mufaylah area, to the west of Mais al-Jabal. In addition, reinforcements from the Lebanese army have arrived on the scene, while residents and inhabitants of the village continue to gather.
Former Lebanese minister Ali Hassan Khalil, a member of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's Amal movement, wrote on X: “This is the land of Jabal Amel [southern Lebanon], which we have never left because it lives in us... it is not us who live in it ... It is the land of Jabal Amel that has not left us and we will not leave it, no matter how great the sacrifices.”
The provisional toll from the Health Ministry has risen to 11 killed and 83 wounded as a result of Israeli attacks on residents of southern Lebanon who were trying to reach their homes.
Two dead in Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil) and 12 wounded.
One dead in Blida (Marjayoun) and two injured.
Three dead in Houla (Marjayoun) and 14 wounded.
One dead in Markaba (Marjayoun) and 12 injured.
One dead in Kfar Kila (Marjayoun) and 15 wounded.
A Lebanese Army soldier was killed in Dhaira (Sour).
Seven wounded in Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun).
Two wounded in Bani Hayan (Marjeyoun).
One wounded in Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil).
One soldier wounded in Shaqra (Bint Jbeil).
One wounded in Deir Mimas (Marjayoun).
One wounded in Rabb Thalathine (Marjayoun).
Two injured in Taybeh (Marjayoun).
Six wounded in Adaisseh (Marjeyoun).
Seven injured in Yaroun (Bint Jbeil).
(Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
Lebanese soldiers on a path in Aita al-Shaab, Jan. 26, 2025.
“Earlier today, the Israeli army operating in southern Lebanon opened fire to clear threats in several areas where suspects had been spotted approaching,” Israeli army Arabic-speaking spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X, adding that a "number of suspects were arrested in the area after approaching forces and posing a real threat.”
A child from a displaced family in southern Lebanon, smiling, near the ruins of Aita al-Shaab. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine)
Here's another testimony gathered in South Lebanon by our journalists Emmanuel Haddad and Mohammad Yassine:
“We've been waiting for this day for 14 months. It's true that the village was destroyed, and that many men fell as martyrs, but in the end, we came back victorious,” said Feriel al-Zein.
Another resident, Ali, recounted that the residents “arrived at 7:30 a.m.,” and that “the army blocked us and said they were waiting for orders. We waited five minutes and went in against their will. We've been waiting for this moment for over a year, we weren't going to wait any longer!”
Hezbollah flags in the windows, the inhabitants of Aita al-Shaab entered their village ahead of the army, who eventually followed them along the demolished roads of the ghostly border village, explains our journalist Emmanuel Haddad. Some locals drink coffee or smoke hookah on the ruins of their former homes. Others pick flowers that have survived the war from the ruins. Several unexploded mines line the rubble-covered roads. Rescue workers pull out the remains of combatants, but refuse to say exactly how many. Standing in front of the ruins of his house, Ahmad Nassar assures us: “They destroyed during the truce what they couldn't do during the war.”
Ali Reda found his home under the rubble, but several members of his family are still missing: “Five young people fell as martyrs defending the village, and we still haven't found their remains, apart from one, but in several pieces.
"Tens of thousands” of people were being prevented by Israel from returning to the north of the territory on Sunday, at a crossing point in the central Gaza Strip, a relief official told AFP.
The displaced “are waiting near the Netzarim corridor to return to the north of the Gaza Strip,” explained a Civil Defense spokesperson, Mahmoud Bassal. Images filmed by AFP showed a compact crowd approaching this crossing point.
(Photo courtesy of correspondent Mountasser Abdallah)
The Israeli army burned down several houses in Houla (Marjayoun), residents report.
Relief workers in Gaza say that tens of thousands of displaced people are being prevented by Israel from returning to the north of the Palestinian enclave.
Conditions for the safe return to Lebanon of the inhabitants of localities bordering Israel are “not yet met,” the United Nations said on Sunday, with the Israeli army still deployed in the area despite the expiry of the deadline for its withdrawal set by the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.
“Conditions are not yet ripe for the safe return of citizens to their villages along the Blue Line,” said Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, U.N. Representative for Lebanon, and General Aroldo Lazaro, Commander of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in a joint statement. “Displaced communities ... are therefore once again urged to exercise caution,” they added.
Israeli fire wounded others in Houla (Marjayoun). Ambulances from the Al-Rissala Relief Association, affiliated with the Amal movement, are working to evacuate the wounded and transfer them to local hospitals, residents told L'Orient-Le Jour.
Abdallah Gharib, head of the municipality of Deir al-Zahrani (Sour), told L'Orient-Le Jour that “the inhabitants of the town, happy to be back, took every route to get there instead of waiting for the Lebanese army to open the road for them.”
“Some of them walked five kilometers through the town of Jibbayn (Sour) to Deir al-Zahrani, while others took the road from Tayr Harfa,” he added.
He added that “people are impatient to get back to their localities; they've been waiting for this moment for a long time. I hope the nightmare of the occupation is over."
Our journalists were in Aita al-Shaab, in the Bint Jbeil district this morning. Excavators continue to open up the roads, most of which are impassable. Our journalist Emmanuel Haddad describes how villagers are discovering the extent of the damage on foot, among the rubble and bullet casings.
“Stone is being rebuilt, and we're almost ashamed to talk about it in the face of the martyrdom of the young people of the village”, says Ali, a dentist, standing on the ruins of his house.
The Lebanese Army confirmed the death of a Lebanese soldier on X: “A soldier fell in martyrdom on the Marwahine- Dhaira road in the district of Sour, and another was wounded in the locality of Mais al-Jabal, in Marjeyoun, after being targeted by Israeli enemy fire as part of its ongoing aggressions against citizens and army personnel in the southern border areas,” the troop said.
One Palestinian was killed and seven wounded by Israeli fire in Gaza, local health authorities announced on Sunday, as crowds gathered in the hope of returning to the northern Gaza Strip via the Israeli army-controlled Netzarim corridor, which divides the Strip from east to west, reports the Associated Press.
The Israeli army has not yet allowed passage through this corridor since Hamas violated the terms of the cease-fire agreement by failing to release civilian hostage Arbel Yehoud during Saturday morning's phase. Hamas has also failed to publish any documents providing an update on the state of health of the hostages who were due to be released during the first phase of the cease-fire.
Two Lebanese Army soldiers were wounded by Israeli fire in separate incidents.
One was wounded when the Israeli army opened fire on a convoy entering the locality of Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun), while the second was wounded in the locality of Yarin (Sour) after shots were exchanged with a Lebanese Army patrol, according to residents, reports our correspondent in the south.
The Lebanese Army has not yet commented on these incidents.
Hamas accuses Israel of “violating” the agreement by blocking access to northern Gaza.
Israel's foreign minister on Sunday hailed U.S. President Donald Trump's “further demonstration of leadership qualities” after Trump hinted that he had unlocked the delivery of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel.
“The region is safer when Israel has what it needs to defend itself,” added Gideon Saar in a message on X. The administration of former Democratic President Joe Biden had last year suspended deliveries to Israel of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs, warning that their use would cause a “great human tragedy.”
⚡ During a patrol, a Lebanese Army soldier was wounded by Israeli fire in the locality of Yarin (Sour), our correspondent reported. The army has not yet commented on the incident.
There was some doubt as to the exact number of deaths in South Lebanon, confirmed by the Health Ministry, as some reports put the figure at four. It seems, however, that this may have been due to a counting error, with one death being counted twice. For the time being, three deaths have been confirmed.
“Hezbollah doesn't care about Lebanon's interests. The images coming from certain regions of southern Lebanon are proof of this. The defeated party is mobilizing all its spokesmen in the media to question the interests of the Lebanese and divert attention from the sin of its leaders who have brought southern Lebanon to this reality,” said Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee.
Since this morning, Israeli soldiers have killed three people and wounded at least 44, as southerners tried to reach their homes.
⚡ A fourth victim of Israeli fire has been recorded in Markaba (Marjayoun), reports our correspondent in South Lebanon.
According to Al-Jadeed, the Lebanese Army is moving towards the western part of Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun).
(Photo sent by residents to L'Orient-Le Jour)
The Lebanese Army and civilians enter the town of Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil) after the Israeli withdrawal.
“Army units entered the locality of Dhaira, in the Sour district, and other border areas as the Israeli enemy continues its aggression against citizens, causing more martyrs and wounded, and refusing to respect the cease-fire agreement and withdraw from Lebanese territories,” said the Lebanese Army on X.
(Photo courtesy of correspondent Mountasser Abdallah)
Residents of Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun) removed the earthen barrier placed by the Israeli army blocking the road to the locality and entered it, our correspondent in the south reported.
⚡ According to Al-Jadeed's live feed, a group of Lebanese soldiers positioned themselves a few meters from Israeli soldiers stationed with a tank in Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil) before retreating again. During the brief face-off, the Israeli tank pointed its cannon at the Lebanese soldiers, according to Al-Jadeed's footage.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati issued a statement reacting to events in South Lebanon: “On this day when the inhabitants of the battered South expressed their attachment to their land and their identity despite threats from the Israeli enemy, we pay tribute to our fellow citizens who are firmly attached to their land in the South or to those who were forced by aggression to be displaced from their land, especially those who decided to return today and courageously faced the fires of aggression.”
“Your patriotism has become a model and a testimony of blood that no right is lost without a demand,” he added. Finally, he called on “the countries that sponsored the cease-fire agreement to assume their responsibilities by deterring aggression and forcing the Israeli enemy to withdraw from the territories it occupies.”
“This is what we have communicated to those directly concerned, warning them that any retreat from the commitment to the cease-fire and the implementation of resolution 1701 will have serious consequences,” the Prime Minister concluded.
As announced earlier this week, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is due to hold talks today with potential candidates to replace current army chief Herzl Halevi, who resigned last week and is due to officially step down in March.
The Lebanese Army stated on X that units are accompanying the entry of citizens into the localities of Aita al-Shaab, Deir Serian, Adsheet al-Qusairr, Taybeh, Qantara and other border areas, “while the Israeli enemy persists in violating Lebanon's sovereignty, attacking citizens, causing martyrdom and injury, and refusing to respect the cease-fire agreement and withdraw from the Lebanese territories it occupied during the last phase.”
“The army command reiterates its call to citizens to exercise restraint and follow the directives of military units in order to preserve their safety,” the Lebanese army continued.
The Lebanese Health Ministry has reported 3 dead and 44 wounded after Israeli attacks on residents in the South.
Here is the updated toll:
- One dead in Aitaroun and eleven wounded.
- One dead in Blida and one wounded.
- One dead in Houla and ten wounded.
- Three injured in Adaisseh.
- 12 wounded in Kfar Kila.
- Four wounded in Mais al-Jabal.
- One wounded in Markaba.
- One wounded in Bani Hayan.
- One wounded in Rabb Thalathine.
“The Israeli is an occupier who must leave. The agreement is clear and must be implemented by total withdrawal. The people's reaction is to hold on to the land and sacrifice for it, which is the highest form of righteousness,” MP Marc Daou said on X.
“But... the government and President Berri are bound by the agreement they made. The army must protect the citizens and reclaim the land within the framework of international legitimacy. Citizens must comply with the Lebanese army's instructions in order to preserve their safety,” he continued, as many southern residents attempted to enter their locality.
“We reject Hezbollah's attempts to exploit the popular movement to float its failed slogans, which have brought us a disastrous war, and we demand that it stop blocking the formation of the government so that the state can fulfill its duties, first and foremost the protection of the land and the people,” he concluded.
MP Wael Abou Faour, a member of the Joublattist bloc, saluted the people of southern Lebanon for their courage in resisting the occupation and insisting on their right to return to their homes and villages, according to a statement relayed by our correspondent Sarah Abdallah.
He also praised the Lebanese Army, which remains loyal to its people and its homeland, saying that the countries that guaranteed the agreement are responsible for its implementation and all the crimes committed by the occupation.
⚡ Death toll is now 4 in South Lebanon, according to the Health Ministry.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has said that Israel's demands to evict the offices from East Jerusalem contradict the commitment of U.N. member states, including Israel, to respect international law, in response to Israel's ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, who called for the evacuation of its facilities.
“Israel's claims that UNRWA no longer has the right to remain in its facilities in East Jerusalem are unfounded,” they added.
In a letter sent two days ago to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, Danon demanded that UNRWA cease its activities in Jerusalem and evacuate all its facilities by Jan. 30, the date on which the Knesset's laws against UNRWA come into force.
In his letter, Danon writes that Israel's measures against UNRWA are “a direct response to the acute national security risks posed by the widespread infiltration of Hamas and other terrorist organizations into UNRWA's ranks, and by the agency's persistent refusal to address the very serious and material concerns raised by Israel.”
The Israeli army fired on residents of Adaisseh (Marjayoun) at the entrance to the town, residents reported.
(Screenshot taken from a video relayed by our correspondent Mountasser Abdallah)
Residents of Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil) heading for their locality.
In Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil), residents clashed with Israeli forces at close range, with only a few dozen meters separating them, reported our correspondent in the south.
Hundreds of inhabitants of southern Lebanon braved the Israeli army on Sunday and tried to return to their villages, some of which were still occupied by Israeli forces who opened fire in their direction, leaving two people dead and 32 wounded, according to the Lebanese authorities.
AFP correspondents saw convoys of dozens of cars, waving the yellow flags of the Lebanese Hezbollah, converge on several villages devastated by the war between the pro-Iranian formation and the Israeli army.
Donald Trump, who often boasted during his first presidential term that Israel “never had a better friend in the White House,” also confirmed that he had released a shipment of 2,000 lb (907 kg) bombs for Israel.
Last year, the administration of former Democratic President Joe Biden had suspended deliveries of such precise and destructively powerful air-dropped weapons, saying they would cause a “great human tragedy.”
President Trump's proposal to “clean house” in the Gaza Strip and send the territory's Palestinians to countries in the region is “an excellent idea,” said a far-right Israeli government minister on Sunday.
“After years of glorifying terrorism, [the Palestinians] will be able to establish a new and beautiful life elsewhere,” added Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, whose party is indispensable to Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government, in a statement.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday raised the idea of a plan to “clean house” in the Gaza Strip, saying he wanted to send Palestinians from the territory to Egypt and Jordan “temporarily” or “in the long term” to achieve peace.
“We're talking about 1.5 million people, and we're simply cleaning house there. You know, over the centuries, this site has seen many conflicts. And I don't know, something's got to happen,” Trump told reporters, comparing the Palestinian territory to a ‘demolition site’ after 15 months of war with Israel.
Trump said he had spoken to King Abdullah II of Jordan about the issue and would do the same on Sunday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi.
“I'd like Egypt to welcome people. And I'd like Jordan to welcome people,” Trump told reporters aboard the presidential Air Force One plane.
If the situation is tense in southern Lebanon, it's hardly more reassuring in Gaza. On Sunday, Israel accused Hamas of two violations of the truce agreement, thus justifying its refusal to allow displaced persons in the south of the Gaza Strip to return to the north.
Arbel Yehuda, a civilian woman whose release Israel demanded on Saturday, “has not been released, and the list of the status” of hostages - dead or alive - “has not been submitted” by the Palestinian movement, the Prime Minister's Office denounced in a statement.
Three people were wounded in the locality of Markaba (Marjayoun) by Israeli fire aimed at residents returning home, residents reported to our correspondent.
The Israeli army fired on residents entering the locality of Wazzani (Hasbaya). Abou Ziad al-Hammoud told L'Orient-Le Jour that “more than 100 residents of the town entered the locality this morning,” and as soon as they arrived, an Israeli armored patrol began firing over [their] heads and around them.” He added: “Several Israeli soldiers got out of their military vehicles and ordered us to leave immediately.”
“Together with the residents, I opposed the Israeli demand and told the Israelis that the 60-day deadline had expired, that we were returning to our land and that we wanted to return to our homes from which we had been displaced,” the municipality chief further recounted. “The Israeli soldier then threatened to open fire on me and the residents if we didn't leave within five minutes,” he added.
“We had to leave to avoid casualties, as happened in neighboring villages and towns and went to the locality Ain Arab, which is about three kilometers away. Now we're waiting and we don't know what we're going to do,” he said. He added that after their departure, “Israeli forces closed the entrances to the town with earthen barriers.”
Another video shows that in Taybeh (Marjayoun), a face-to-face confrontation took place between residents and Lebanese Army soldiers. A cleric accused the military of implementing a “political decision”, while a soldier explained that access is currently forbidden for security reasons.
A woman begged him to let her through: “My son is a martyr, he's been underground for three months,” she said. The soldier replies, “He's your son, and he's my brother... I'm doing this for your safety.”
Several videos taken by residents in southern Lebanon give an idea of the atmosphere on the ground
One shows residents rushing to their villages, as in Kfar Kila (Marjayoun) or Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil), inaccessible for nearly 16 months, some brandishing the Hezbollah flag.
In Khiam (Marjayoun), a line of cars crosses the main square. On both sides, most of the houses have been razed to the ground or are barely standing. In Yaroun, local residents gained access to their village and stood mockingly in front of an Israeli tank. In Aita al-Shaab, a video shows men carrying a body bag to an ambulance.
In Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil), a resident films white smoke, claiming that the Israeli army used phosphorus.
President Joseph Aoun said he shared with “the people in the south the joy of victory” and called for “restraint” and “confidence in the armed forces,” on X.
He also affirmed that “Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity are non-negotiable,” and said he would “follow up this issue at the highest level to guarantee your rights and dignity.”
French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called on the parties involved in Lebanon's cease-fire to honor their commitments “as soon as possible,” as Lebanon accuses Israel of “procrastinating” in its withdrawal from the south of the country.
Emmanuel Macron requested this during a telephone conversation with his Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun. The office of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had said on Friday that the withdrawal of armed forces would continue beyond the Jan. 26 deadline, i.e. Sunday, laid down in the agreement.
“The President of the Republic reiterated that the commitments made by the parties must be honored as soon as possible so that Lebanon can regain its sovereignty over the entire territory. The President of the Republic reiterated France's constant commitment to this end,” the Elysée reported.
Emmanuel Macron also hailed “the progress that has been made over the past two months, thanks in particular to the sustained involvement of the Lebanese armed forces in implementing the conditions for achieving the cease-fire.”
In a video relayed by our correspondent, residents of Maroun al-Ras appear facing Israeli army soldiers posted a little further away. Some chant: “Zionist, get out!”
Continuation of the morning's events in south Lebanon, according to our correspondent
According to local residents, an Israeli drone dropped two bombs near a gathering of residents in Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun).
Gunfire and shells were fired near the movement of civilians crossing on foot to the localities of Houla (Marjayoun). This is where one person was killed by Israeli fire. Two people were also arrested by the Israeli army in Houla, residents reported.
Israelis stationed in the center of the town fired shots and smoke bombs at residents of Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil) gathered at the entrance to the town, local residents reported.
Several people were wounded by Israeli army fire aimed at citizens in the town of Adaisseh (Marjayoun), residents reported.
More than 20 people were wounded in Kfar Kila, Mais al-Jabal, and Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil) after being targeted by the Israeli army, residents reported, exceeding the latest Health Ministry toll.
Here's an update on the situation in southern Lebanon this morning, according to our correspondent Mountasser Abdallah
Between 7 and 8 a.m. Sunday morning, displaced residents of the south began gathering at designated meeting points to begin returning to their villages after the 60-day truce ended at 4 a.m.
Despite several Israeli warnings not to return, thousands of citizens insisted on going back, our correspondent reported.
The Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, warned residents of southern Lebanon in an X message not to approach villages along the border until further notice, and warned that anyone who does so “is putting themselves in danger.”
The Lebanese Army has taken steps to prevent the inhabitants of border towns from entering their villages, citing potential dangers.
At around 8 a.m., the Lebanese Army opened the main Tayri-Bint Jbeil road to the inhabitants of Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil) on their way to their village, after negotiations lasting almost half an hour and the insistence of the inhabitants on crossing, local residents told L'Orien-Le Jour.
⚡ The Israeli army opened fire on Sunday on residents of southern Lebanon who were trying to return to their villages, leaving one dead and 17 wounded, the Lebanese Health Ministry announced.
According to the Ministry, “Israeli enemy assaults on citizens trying to return to their villages left one dead and nine wounded in Houla [Marjayoun], and another eight wounded in Kfar Kila [Marjayoun],” two border localities.
While residents of villages still occupied by Israel announced their intention to gather on the outskirts of the zone to return to their villages as early as Saturday evening, five people were wounded when the Israeli army opened fire on residents attempting to enter the village of Kfar Kila, in Marjayoun, the official National News Agency reported on Sunday.
“The enemy opened fire on residents of Kfar Kila, wounding five people who had crossed the fence and checkpoint set up by the occupying army,” the agency added.
Hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah forced 60,000 people in Israel and 900,000 in Lebanon to flee their homes on either side of the border.
Hezbollah MP Ali Fayyad said on Saturday that “the pretexts invoked by Israel” were aimed at “pursuing a scorched-earth policy” and making “the return of the inhabitants [to the south] impossible.”
In a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stressed “the need to force Israel to respect the provisions of the agreement to preserve stability in the south,” the Lebanese presidency said on Saturday.
He also insisted on the need for Israel “to put an end to its successive violations, notably the destruction of border villages ... which will prevent the return of the inhabitants.”
The Israeli army was still deployed in southern Lebanon on Sunday, despite the expiry of the 60-day deadline by which it was supposed to have left Lebanese territory, as part of a truce with the Lebanese Hezbollah.
The Lebanese Army denounced Israel's “procrastination” on Saturday, and said it was ready “to continue its deployment as soon as the Israeli enemy withdraws.
Under the agreement that ended the two-month war between Hezbollah and Israel on Nov. 27, only the Lebanese Army and UN peacekeepers can now be deployed in southern Lebanon, from where the Israeli army was supposed to have completed its withdrawal on Jan. 26.
The Israeli army has evacuated the entire coastal region of southern Lebanon but still occupies areas further east.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East, including the eighth day of the truce in Gaza, which has brought to an end, at least temporarily, a 471-day war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
We'll also be following the latest developments in Lebanon, where the cease-fire agreed on Nov. 27 between Israel and Hezbollah is nearing the end of its first phase, as well as in Yemen and Syria, more than a month after the fall of the Assad regime.
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