According to Lebanese officials, Israeli forces killed 15 people in south Lebanon on Sunday when thousands of residents attempted to return home against Israeli military orders after the time for their retreat had passed.
Israel said on Friday that it would maintain troops in the south past the Sunday deadline outlined in a ceasefire mediated by the United States that put an end to the war with Hezbollah last year. It claimed that Lebanon had not yet completely implemented the provisions of the truce, which called for the deployment of the Lebanese army and the removal of Hezbollah from south Lebanon.
Israel has been accused of delaying its pullout by Lebanon’s U.S.-backed military, which said one of its men was among those slain by Israeli forces on Sunday.
Parallel to the war in Gaza, the Hezbollah-Israel conflict culminated in a significant Israeli onslaught that drove out over a million people from Lebanon and severely damaged the Iran-backed organization.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, Israeli assaults on civilians attempting to enter their still-occupied communities resulted in 15 fatalities and 83 injuries in various southern regions.
According to the Israeli military, warning shots were fired by its troops in southern Lebanon to eliminate threats in several locations where suspects were seen approaching the troops. Additionally, it stated that several people who constituted an immediate threat had been captured.
Hezbollah’s al-Manar television, which aired from a number of southern areas, featured footage of locals heading onto villages early on Sunday, some of them carrying the group’s flag, as well as pictures of Hezbollah members who had been slain in the conflict.
In a post on X, an Israeli military spokeswoman told the residents of south Lebanon that the Israeli army would soon notify them of locations they may return to and accused Hezbollah of attempting to inflame the situation.
Hezbollah has placed responsibility for Israel’s withdrawal on the Lebanese government.
Hassan Fadlallah, a lawmaker for Hezbollah, claimed that although Israel had turned against the ceasefire agreement with American backing, Lebanon remained dedicated to it. The White House declared on Friday that there was an urgent need for a brief, temporary extension of the truce.
He told Reuters that the Israeli army would not be able to break the people who are liberating themselves in the border villages. We want the army to be stationed in the villages and the state to fulfill its full role.
To support its mission, we collaborate with it.
Conditions for the safe return of Lebanese civilians to villages close to the border are still lacking, according to the top U.N. official in Lebanon and the commander of the U.N. peacekeepers in the south. They stated in a statement that the timelines outlined under the ceasefire have not been fulfilled.
A 60-day implementation period was outlined in the agreement.
The southern population was urged to exercise self-control and have faith in the Lebanese military by President Joseph Aoun, who headed the country’s army until the parliament voted him head of state on January 9.
He issued a statement saying, “I am following up on this issue at the highest levels to ensure your rights and dignity, because Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are non-negotiable.”
The Israeli military claims it has been capturing Hezbollah weaponry and destroying its infrastructure in the south, but it has not stated how long its forces will stay there.
Israel claimed that the goal of its offensive against Hezbollah was to ensure that tens of thousands of Israelis who had been displaced from their homes at the border due to Hezbollah rocket fire could return home.
The battle in Gaza began on Oct. 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched fire in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas.