Israel blocks return of Lebanese to border area

Israeli soldiers at the entrance to the village of Hula along the border with Israel in Lebanon's southern village of Shaqra, January 25, 2025. /CFP

The Israeli army ordered thousands of displaced Lebanese not to return to villages near the border until further notice, a day after it said its forces would remain in south Lebanon beyond a Sunday deadline to withdraw.

The deadline is part of a ceasefire that ended last year's conflicts between Hezbollah and Israel. Brokered by France and the United States, the deal gave both sides 60 days to remove their forces from southern Lebanon and for the Lebanese army to move in and secure the area, along with UN peacekeepers.

But Israel said on Friday the terms had not been fully enforced by the Lebanese state, meaning Israeli troops would stay beyond Sunday, without saying for how long.

The Lebanese military in a statement issued on Saturday accused the Israeli military of "procrastinating" in their withdrawal from other areas. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has called on France to pressure Israel to fully adhere to the ceasefire agreement

In a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, Aoun condemned Israel's ongoing violations, including the destruction of border villages and extensive land bulldozing, warning that such actions jeopardize the return of displaced residents to their homes.

Members of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, said Israeli tanks and bulldozers have unexpectedly moved and set up several roadblocks, apparently in an attempt to prevent displaced Lebanese people trying to return to their villages.

In a statement on social media platform X, the Israeli military posted a map showing an area of the south containing dozens of villages. It said until further notice residents remain forbidden from returning to their homes.

"Anyone who moves south of this line puts themselves in danger," the statement said. The line stretches from Shebaa, less than two kilometers from the border in the east, to Mansouri in the west – about 10 kilometers from the border.