At least 15 people were killed and more than 80 others were wounded by Israeli gunfire on Sunday in southern Lebanon, Lebanese officials said, as a 60-day deadline for Hezbollah and Israel to withdraw from the south expired and thousands of Lebanese poured out due to the war. On the roads leading south to their homes.
the dealThe agreement signed in November, which halted the bloodiest war in decades between the two sides, stipulates that both Hezbollah and Israel will withdraw, while the Lebanese army and UN peacekeeping forces will be deployed heavily to secure the area. Negotiators had hoped that the ceasefire agreement would become permanent, restoring a measure of calm to the troubled region.
But as Sunday’s deadline passed, a very different scenario began to take shape.
Israeli forces remained in parts of southern Lebanon in violation of the ceasefire agreement, raising fears of continued Israeli occupation and renewed hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Israeli officials warned the Lebanese against returning to their homes in many towns and villages in the south.
Avichay Adraee, the Arabic-language spokesman for the Israeli military, posted on social media Sunday morning: “In the near future, we will continue to inform you of the places you can return to.” “Until further notice, all previously published instructions remain in effect.”
The Lebanese Ministry of Health said that the dead and wounded on Sunday morning were trying to enter their villages along the border when Israeli forces attacked them. Residents of some southern towns called on their neighbors to gather early Sunday morning and head to their homes in a convoy, despite warnings from Israel. The Lebanese army said it was accompanying civilians returning to several border towns to try to ensure their safety. The army said in a statement that a Lebanese soldier was among those killed by Israeli fire.
This was one of the bloodiest days in Lebanon since the ceasefire came into effect in November.
The Israeli army said in a statement that it fired “warning shots” after what it described as “suspects” approached its forces. She added that an unspecified number of people were arrested and are now being interrogated at the scene.
In the town of Aita al-Shaab in the south of the country. Much of it is now in ruinsa lot The displaced began returning to their homes on Sunday, arriving on streets littered with rubble and destroyed buildings.
Muhammad Sorour, the mayor of the town, was among the returnees after being displaced for more than a year. He said that the occupation soldiers had not yet completely withdrawn from the town, and claimed that they were shooting intermittently at civilians. These allegations could not be independently verified. However, Mr. Surour remained firm.
“Today, Aita celebrates her long-awaited return.” He said. “Homes have been destroyed and livelihoods cut off, but our will to live is stronger. We will build again.”
In recent days, Israeli officials have done just that The concerns mentioned Hezbollah is still active in southern Lebanon, and there are doubts about it The ability of the Lebanese army to thwart group.
These allegations could not be independently verified, and the five-member committee supervising the implementation of the ceasefire did not publicly publish any information regarding Hezbollah’s compliance with the terms of the truce.
The situation constitutes a decisive test for Lebanon’s new leaders, Mr. President Joseph Aoun The Prime Minister-designate Nawaf SalamThey seek to regain some political control from Hezbollah, the country’s dominant political and military force, and build a functioning state. Mr. Aoun urged civilians to exercise restraint on Sunday, but stressed that the country’s sovereignty was “non-negotiable.”
Experts say any long-term Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon could breathe new life into Hezbollah, the group founded to liberate Lebanon from Israeli occupation and which has portrayed itself as the only force capable of protecting Lebanon’s borders.
It also threatens to derail the current political momentum in Lebanon, as the country is witnessing, for the first time in decades, a serious move toward strengthening all military power within the state and eliminating the justification that Hezbollah provides for its massive weapons arsenal.
Muhannad Haj Ali, deputy director of research at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, said the focus in Lebanon now is on “disarming Hezbollah and moving on from the era in which Hezbollah was seen as having the right to obtain weapons.” capital. He added that any long-term Israeli occupation “would stop this momentum that is occurring organically.”
Hezbollah officials did not respond to Israeli accusations that the group was still militarily active in southern Lebanon, but said they were “committed” to respecting the terms of the truce.
Lebanese army officials said on Saturday that they were ready to complete their deployment in the south. This month, the American general supervising the ceasefire monitoring committee expressed his confidence in the Lebanese army’s ability to secure southern Lebanon. Major General Jasper Jeffers said in a press conference that the army continues to prove that it “has the ability, intent and leadership to secure and defend Lebanon.” statement.
The 60-day truce took effect more than a year after Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israeli positions in solidarity with its ally Hamas, the Palestinian militant group in Gaza that led the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Israel responds Assassination of Hezbollah leadersThe settlement of towns and villages along the border and the invasion of southern Lebanon.
Even before Sunday’s deadline, thousands of Lebanese displaced by the war from their homes along the southern border were preparing to return home. On Saturday, the main highway leading from Beirut to southern Lebanon was filled with cars, even as people received automated phone calls from the Israeli military warning them not to return home.
Israeli forces appear to be continuing efforts that continued during the 60-day truce to demolish and close roads between some villages in southern Lebanon, according to local media. Israel currently occupies nearly 70% of the territories it seized after invading Lebanon last fall. According to the United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah did not say how it intends to respond to the ongoing Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory. Some Hezbollah representatives vowed revenge. But other Hezbollah officials Instead, responsibility for responding to Israel was transferred to the Lebanese government. The group’s statement on Friday said it was up to the state “to reclaim the land and wrest it from the grip of the occupation.”
This shifting of responsibility is a tried-and-true tactic of Hezbollah, which just a few months ago called on the state to provide care for thousands of Lebanese displaced by the war the country has plunged into. However, the political positions taken by a group whose basic principle is resistance to the Israeli occupation reflect Hezbollah’s current state of weakness.
After 14 months of fighting, the Shiite group’s military ranks have suffered heavy blows, and its loyal support base has become exhausted. Israel also weakened its ally, Iran. In neighboring Syria, rebels overthrew Iran’s ally, dictator Bashar al-Assad, and cut off Hezbollah’s land bridge to receive weapons and money from Iran.
These strikes have weakened Hezbollah’s iron grip on political power in Lebanon, shifting the country’s political sands for the first time in decades. This month, Lebanese lawmakers elected a new president, Mr. Aoun, after years of political stalemate that many analysts attributed to Hezbollah. Days later, lawmakers appointed Mr. Salam, a senior diplomat who has long opposed Hezbollah, as prime minister.
However, Middle East experts cautioned against discounting Hezbollah’s political weight. If Israel continues to occupy Lebanon, it may be able to revitalize the party’s predominantly Shiite Muslim support base, as it searches for a patron and protector against Israeli forces.
“I think neither side has an interest in resuming the war,” said Sami Nader, director of the Institute of Political Science at Saint Joseph University in Beirut. But as long as Israel occupies Lebanon, it revives Hezbollah’s rhetoric.”
Howaida Saad, Diana Iwaza Sarah Shitto contributed reporting.
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