Israel’s military intensified its presence in southern Lebanon on Saturday, establishing roadblocks across border towns and roads within a strategic valley. This activity comes just one day before the agreed deadline for Israeli forces to withdraw from the area, per the terms of a ceasefire agreement that ended its conflict with the Hezbollah militant group.
However, the Israeli military has confirmed that it will not meet the Sunday deadline for completing its withdrawal from southern Lebanon, as stipulated by the ceasefire deal.
The agreement, implemented in late November, mandated both parties to withdraw their forces from southern Lebanon within 60 days, allowing the Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers to secure the region. While Israel has accused Hezbollah and the Lebanese army of failing to fulfill their responsibilities, Lebanon contends that the Israeli military is obstructing the Lebanese army’s ability to take control of the area.
On Saturday, the Israeli military released a statement noting that the withdrawal process is underway but acknowledged that certain aspects have been delayed and would require additional time to complete.
In contrast, the Lebanese military claimed that they have deployed in areas vacated by Israeli troops. In a separate statement, they accused the Israeli military of “procrastinating” in its withdrawal from remaining areas.
The United States appears to support an extension of the withdrawal timeline, as Washington has shown flexibility regarding this phase of the ceasefire process.
Currently, while Lebanese army soldiers are deployed in the southern region’s western sector, Israeli forces continue to maintain control over much of the southeastern sector.
Members of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have reported unexpected movements by Israeli tanks and bulldozers, which have erected multiple roadblocks. According to UNIFIL, these actions seem intended to prevent displaced Lebanese civilians from returning to their villages.
In the border town of Mays al-Jabal, peacekeepers from UNIFIL’s Nepalese battalion observed Israeli jets flying overhead after what they identified as a controlled demolition of a building by Israeli forces. The town, now abandoned, was reduced to rubble after severe shelling, airstrikes, and clashes during Israel’s ground invasion.
It was reported that most of the buildings in Mays al-Jabal have been reduced to debris, with only a few structures still standing, albeit heavily damaged. The destruction has left the roads impassable for civilian vehicles.
Similar devastation is visible in neighboring towns, including Blida and Aitaroun, where the majority of buildings have collapsed into rubble, and no residents have returned. Despite attempts by peacekeepers to negotiate passage across Israeli roadblocks, they were not granted authorization, leaving an AP crew accompanying UNIFIL stranded.
Maj. Dinesh Bhandari of UNIFIL’s Nepalese battalion noted, “There is still a lot of IDF (Israeli army) activity going on in the area. We are waiting for the deconfliction and then we will support the deployment of the LAF (Lebanese army) in that position.” Bhandari also confirmed that during patrols, they discovered caches of weapons, ammunition, and mines in various structures.
Israel has stated that its operations in southern Lebanon are focused on dismantling the remaining Hezbollah infrastructure. Since launching its ground incursion, Israel claims to have targeted tunnel networks and conducted large-scale demolitions in several border towns. Lebanese officials, however, accuse the Israeli military of destroying civilian homes and infrastructure.
In a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expressed concerns over the “destruction of villages adjacent to the southern border and the bulldozing of lands, which will hinder the return of residents to their areas.” France, along with the U.S., acts as a guarantor of the ceasefire agreement.
As of now, approximately 112,000 Lebanese remain displaced out of the more than 1 million who were forced to flee during the conflict. The war resulted in extensive damage to southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as to Beirut’s southern suburbs, due to widespread Israeli bombardments.