Lebanon army condemns Israeli attacks preventing deployment in south

Lebanon’s army on Sunday condemned ongoing Israeli military activities in the country’s south that it said were preventing its full deployment under a framework deal reached with Israel last month.

“Israeli occupation forces continue their attacks and violations of current understandings and of international laws through the systematic destruction and bulldozing of homes, bombardment and sweeps with automatic weapons in several southern areas,” an army statement said.

“The continuation of these attacks obstructs the army’s full deployment according to current agreements and prevents the return of residents to their villages and towns,” it added.

Under a US-sponsored agreement signed last month, Lebanon’s army is to disarm Hezbollah and the Israeli military is to withdraw from “pilot zones” where Lebanese forces will subsequently deploy.

The deal came more than three months after Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East with rocket fire at Israel in support of Tehran, triggering major Israeli airstrikes and a ground invasion that Lebanese authorities say have killed more than 4,300 people.

Lebanon’s army also accused Israeli soldiers of “opening fire near army positions in Kfar Tibnit, Nabatieh al-Fawqa and Zawtar al-Garhbiya, which hinders the implementation of its missions”.

While violence has declined since the signing of a US-Iran memorandum last month on the regional conflict, and the Lebanon-Israel framework deal, Lebanon continues to report intermittent Israeli strikes and artillery shelling on the south, as well as the detonations of buildings in southern villages.

This week, Lebanon’s army began deploying to Zawtar al-Gharbiya, one of the “pilot zones” under the framework agreement, and in recent days local residents have begun checking on their homes there.

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Israeli forces were previously present on the outskirts of the village.

An AFP correspondent on Sunday saw heavy damage and Lebanese soldiers in the streets as some residents inspected their homes.

“When I entered my home, I felt sadness. The destruction hurt me,” said resident Ihsan Yaghi, surrounded by walls blackened from fire and rooms strewn with debris and rubble.

“Our homes used to be filled with life,” she told AFP, but vowed that “we will rebuild.”

“We stand with the (Lebanese) army,” she said, adding that “we want to feel safe. It’s time for the state to take care of us, we’re tired.”

The army statement said its soldiers “continue to accompany the return of residents” to Zawtar al-Gharbiya.

The military’s deployment in the south is a key test for the government, with Hezbollah refusing to disarm.

In a meeting this week with US President Donald Trump at the White House, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun emphasized “the urgent need for a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory”.