Residents entering Yaroun, South Lebanon, in January 2025. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine / L'Orient Today)
The Lebanese Army deployed on Saturday in Aitaroun, a village in South Lebanon that had remained under Israeli occupation. However, residents have been urged not to approach the area until they receive "official authorization" from the military, according to our correspondent Muntasser Abdallah.
The army has yet to comment on this latest deployment in the border region, where several localities remain occupied.
Earlier, the Aitaroun municipality had called on residents to refrain from heading toward the village "until the Lebanese Army has fully deployed." Acknowledging the "nostalgia" of those still unable to return to their occupied lands and their "determination to bury the martyrs and rebuild," the municipality warned that returning too soon "poses a danger." It insisted that "under no circumstances should residents enter the village before receiving official authorization from the Lebanese Army."
Earlier, the Aitaroun municipality had already urged residents not to return to the village, acknowledging and respecting their "nostalgia" for lands still occupied by the Israeli army and their "determination to bury the martyrs and rebuild." However, it warned that returning too soon "poses a danger."
In the morning, Israeli soldiers set fire to houses in the Harika neighborhood near the village, according to our correspondent.
The cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, which included a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, was originally set to expire on Jan. 27. On that date, hundreds of residents from border villages marched south alongside the Lebanese Army, reclaiming some localities despite Israeli gunfire that left dozens dead. The deadline was later extended by 22 days, until Feb. 18.
Meanwhile, a drone dropped six bombs on excavators clearing rubble in search of bodies and missing persons in central Taybeh (Marjayoun). Israeli warplanes continue to fly over the western sector of the border area, while Israeli forces have set fire to several houses in Robb Thalathin.
