The Israeli army has carried out more than 500 operations throughout South Lebanon in two months since it agreed to break the fire with Hizbollah, and the locals advocated for more destruction, as Israeli troops plan to delay their withdrawal.
Israel has conducted regular attacks since the tribute with the Lebanese militant group entered into force on November 27 after more than a year of conflict.
The ACLED non -profit group numbered 515 surgery from the beginning of the trial until January 17th. These include air strikes and drones, as well as more than 206 cases of destruction of property in 39 villages. At least 37 people were killed, according to the Financial Times.
According to a tribute, Israel was supposed to get his strength out of Sunday from Sunday Lebanon And Hizbollah was supposed to move the weapon north of the Litani River, which moves to 30 km from the de facto border, to replace it by the Lebanese armed forces. But the Israeli government announced on Friday that its forces would remain in Lebanon outside the deadline, and officials talked about an extension of 30 days.
For residents of Lebanese border communities – many of which failed to return – the prospect of continuing Israeli occupation leaves them uncertain when they can go home and what they will find when they do.
“They took advantage of the opportunity that the truce provides,” said Mohammad Sour, Mayor Aita El-Chaaba, about Israeli destruction in her border village. “Before interrupting the fire, they shelled with artillery and air attacks. But after interrupting the fire, they entered the village on the ground and most of the destruction was followed by.”
Some villagers lose their patience and think about returning on Sunday regardless of risks. “Whatever happens, it happens,” said Najib Hussein Halawi, a local official in Kfar Kili, another community whose residents were displaced. “There’s a lot of danger, but what can you do? Sit there and shut up?”
Israeli officials say that their actions are in accordance with the fire interruption agreement, and they continue to act because Hizbollah still has operatives and infrastructure in the area, while LAF has yet to be arranged in sufficient numbers to make militants out.
Unable to return to his village, Snira sought the refuge further north, but was in contact with his family and friends who returned to review the damage.
“Aita is a disaster,” he said about the village, which remains under the Israeli occupation near the border, a non-invited “blue line” that separates the countries. He said most houses were damaged, with infrastructure bulldozed and everything, from worship houses to schools deleted from the map.
Hizbollah warned Israel not to test his “patience”, and last month launched rockets according to Israeli positions in the controversial territory of Sheba Farms because of what he called “repeated” violations of the tribute.
The new Lebanese new President Joseph Aoun also said this month that “bombing houses and destroying border villages completely contradicts a tribute.” The UN Peace Power this month cited the Israeli bulldozi and laf observation tower and the UN border mark as “terrible violation”.
The Israeli army did not respond to the request for commentary on its action from the interruption of the fire. But on Thursday, he said that Hizbollah used Aita to “store weapons and as a base for firing hundreds of rockets and anti -tank rockets in Israel” and these troops performed surgery to “remove threats”. They said they found more than 30 weapons cache, with weapons stored in “residential buildings, yards, kindergartens and cellars”.
The locals say Israeli demolition is a daily fact. Pictures taken by people around Naqour in December and early January, another border village show that the Israeli bulldozers were obviously demolished by the houses.
Laf has entered Naqour on 7. January But Abbas Awada, the mayor, said the residents were waiting for the army to announce that it had removed all non -exploded commands before returning.
Before the truce was agreed, the Israeli forces had already had Systematically destroyed buildings near the border. While withdrawing dozens of villages along the western and the center of the border, they remain in most eastern part.
The owner of the local company Musa Hayouk lost home, along with the chicken farm and the courtyard of wood, in Aita, shortly after the truce began. After already escaping from the city to Beirut’s southern suburb, he saw destruction through pictures of other residents who briefly returned to inspect the village.
The operation of Israel was collective punishment to the residents, regardless of whether they were associated with Hizbollah, Hayouk said: “Their goals are well known and we understand them.”
The conflict began after Hizbollah began shooting towards Israel after Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023 in southern Israel. The year of cross -border fire was dramatically escalated when Israel launched an invasion of Earth last October and a devastating offensive against Hizbollah.
More than 4,000 people in Lebanon and 140 Israelites were killed in the conflict. Some 1mn people are displaced in Lebanon and 60,000 in Israel.
Ramzi Kaiss, a Human Rights Watch researcher, said the presence of Hizbollah military infrastructure did not justify many Israeli actions under international law.
“Even if there are military goals in these villages, such as the tunnels used by Hizbollah, there are serious questions about whether that level of destruction is needed,” he said. “The whole border villages, contrary to what some Israeli officials would like to claim, cannot be considered military goals.”
Some of the most intense demolitions were in the village of Halawi, Kfar Kila. “There are explosions every day,” Halawi said. He estimated that much of the damage occurred after the fire was interrupted. Israel “crossed a lot of boundaries,” he said.
