Touch restores over 85% of network in south Lebanon, Beirut's southern suburb and West Bekaa

BEIRUT — Lebanon’s mobile operator Touch said Tuesday it has restored more than 85% of its network coverage in some of the areas hardest hit by Israeli bombardment — southern Lebanon, Beirut's southern suburbs and West Bekaa.

In a statement, the company detailed that the restored coverage was achieved since Friday, the day the 10-day cease-fire took effect between Israel and Hezbollah. It added that remaining outages concern "stations that are still inaccessible for security reasons," preventing repair work.

Technical teams have repaired and maintained 115 of the 135 stations put out of service by Israeli attacks, out of a total of 408 stations across the three areas, where telecommunications and mobile data services are now available again. The operator also said it has restored internet service in the villages of Shebaa, Rmeish, Ain Ibl and Qaouzah, villages in that the Israeli army dubbed as the "yellow line," yet its troops are not stationed there.

On April 15, residents of Ain Ibl still feared “a total cut-off from communication with the outside world,” according to testimony gathered by L’Orient-Le Jour. In this border village, which was caught in fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli army, mobile and Wi-Fi networks were mostly down.

On April 15, residents of Ain Ibl told L'Orient-Le Jour that they fear “a total cut-off from communication with the outside world.” In the border village, which was caught in fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli army, mobile and Wi-Fi networks were largely down.

The second mobile operator, Alfa, for its part, has yet to issue any statements regarding its repairs.