The death toll climbed on Sunday as displaced people attempted to return to their homes in southern Lebanon, despite warnings from the Israeli army not to approach border towns “until further notice.” The day marked the deadline for Israel’s withdrawal under a truce deal that ended its recent conflict with Hezbollah, but violence persisted in the region.
The Ministry of Public Health’s Emergency Operations Center announced in a statement that the Israeli forces’ attacks on citizens attempting to enter their still-occupied towns led to 22 fatalities, including 6 women, and 124 injuries, including 12 women and a paramedic.
Israeli shooting also killed a Lebanese Army (LAF) soldier and wounded another after Israeli forces fired on them along the Marwahin-Dhayra road in southern Lebanon, according to an LAF statement. Meanwhile, the Saudi al-Arabiya TV reported that the Israeli army detained two young men in the town of Hula.
Displaced people returning to the town of Aita al-Shaab were confronted with extensive destruction, with the National News Agency (NNA) reporting that over 98% of homes had been leveled. Shelling and bombing operations had reduced much of the town to rubble, leaving United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrols navigating streets destroyed by the attacks.
On Sunday afternoon, the Lebanese Army entered numerous towns across southern Lebanon, including Markaba, Rab al-Thalathin, Hula, Mays al-Jabal and Aita al-Shaab, among others. The LAF urged residents to avoid areas recently vacated by Israeli forces and to follow military instructions.
Amid the chaos, reports emerged of renewed violence in Kfar Kila on the Bourj al-Moulouk road, where residents were injured in Israeli gunfire. In Mays al-Jabal, an Israeli drone reportedly dropped two bombs near a gathering of residents in the Mufailha area, west of the town.
UNIFIL reinforcements, including vehicles and bulldozers from the French battalion, arrived in the Mufailha area, accompanied by LAF units, as residents continued to return to the region.
It is worth noting that Sunday’s deadline marked the end of a 60-day withdrawal period agreed upon in a ceasefire deal that took effect on November 27, following a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
The agreement stipulated that the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL would deploy in southern Lebanon as Israeli forces withdrew.
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