Twelve southerners arrested by Israeli forces released and being interrogated by Lebanese army

12 Lebanese civilians who were attempting to return to their villages on Sunday and were arrested by the Israeli army were released Tuesday morning and are currently being interrogated by the Lebanese Army intelligence branch in Saida, the head of the municipality of Houla, Shakib Koteish, told L'Orient Today.

“The residents arrested by the Israeli army were excited and moved toward an area beyond the Lebanese army’s checkpoint. In front of the Israeli army’s checkpoint, they approached it, and the Israeli forces arrested them and took them to occupied Palestine,” Koteish explained via phone call with L'Orient Today.

Although they were released Tuesday morning, they “were initially taken to the army office in Tebnine and then transferred to Saida, where they are being interrogated by Lebanese army intelligence to determine what exactly happened during their arrest.”

“We will know the full story after the army releases them later today,” Koteish concluded.

Four of the released are from Houla, two from Mhaibib and six from Bani Hayyan (Marjayoun), Koteish told L'Orient Today. “They were all arrested together in the Wadi al-Slouqi area at the Kounin-Baraasheet triangle,” he explained.

The number of southerners killed by the Israeli army while attempting to return to their villages has reached 26, with over 134 injured, some in critical condition.

The Trump administration announced on Sunday that it would grant Israel an extension to its timeline for pulling troops out of Lebanon, with Israel agreeing to the extension on Monday. The renewed deadline is now set for Feb. 18.

The Public Health Ministry's Emergency Health Operations Center confirmed that the deaths occurred due to "Israeli enemy attacks during the attempted return of citizens to their towns, which remain occupied," while the Israeli army claimed the deadly gunfire was a result of its troops "firing warning shots to remove threats."