The ceasefire agreement in Lebanon has been extended until February 18, the United States said, after hundreds of residents of southern Lebanon tried to return to their villages on Sunday, some still occupied by Israeli forces who fired in their direction and left 22 dead according to the Lebanese authorities.
AFP correspondents saw convoys of dozens of cars, where yellow Hezbollah flags flew, converging towards villages devastated by the war between the Israeli army and the pro-Iranian movement.
The Israeli army fired in several border towns on “citizens who were trying to return to their villages”leaving 22 dead, including a Lebanese soldier and six women, and 124 injured, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
Israel claimed its soldiers had launched “warning shots to eliminate threats in several areas where suspects have been identified approaching troops”adding to have “suspects apprehended”.
The peacekeepers, who considered that the conditions for the return of the inhabitants were not “not yet reunited”declared that he was “imperative to avoid any further deterioration of the situation” and called on the Israeli army to “avoid shooting civilians in Lebanese territory”.
Under the agreement that ended the war between Israel and pro-Iranian Hezbollah on November 27, the Israeli army was supposed to have completed its withdrawal from southern Lebanon on Sunday where only the Lebanese army and peacekeepers of the United Nations can be deployed. But Israel announced Friday that the operation would continue beyond that date, saying the agreement has not been fully implemented by Lebanon.
The White House finally announced on Sunday the extension of “the agreement between Lebanon and Israel, supervised by the United States, (…) until February 18, 2025”in a brief press release.
“The Lebanese government reaffirms its commitment (..) to continue the implementation of the ceasefire agreement until February 18, 2025”confirmed Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati in a statement early Monday, after consulting with President Joseph Aoun and the head of Parliament Nabih Berri “regarding (..) the results of the contacts carried out with the American party responsible for supervising the agreement”.
“We will come back”
In a first official reaction, Hezbollah, which emerged weakened from the war, welcomed “a glorious day” and one “a scene of pride written by the great people of resistance (to Israel, editor’s note) which once again proves its deep attachment to its land”.
The movement called on the countries guarantors of the agreement to “assume their responsibilities in the face of the violations and crimes of the Israeli enemy, and to force it to withdraw entirely”.
Rescuers transport a wounded man targeted by Israeli fire in Chaqra, in southern Lebanon, where displaced people wanting to return home tried to defy the Israeli army, which carried out deadly shooting, January 26, 2025 / Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP
A monitoring mechanism bringing together France, the United States, Lebanon, Israel and the Blue Helmets was set up to monitor the application of the agreement.
An AFP correspondent saw hundreds of residents in the town of Bint Jbeil gathering in the main street to pray collectively, before heading in procession towards neighboring villages.
According to him, dozens of residents of the border town of Maïss al-Jabal headed on foot towards the devastated village, where the Israeli army is still deployed.
-They held up portraits of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, killed by Israel at the end of September, and photos of their relatives who perished during the war.
“We will return to our villages and the Israeli enemy will leave, even if it will cause martyrs”Ali Harb, a 27-year-old young man who was trying to return to the devastated village of Kfarkila, told AFP.
Alongside the Israeli withdrawal, the agreement calls for Hezbollah to withdraw its forces and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.
The Arabic-speaking spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, called on ” to wait for “ before returning.
“Supporting residents”
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called on residents to show “sang-froid” and to “have confidence in the Lebanese army”, “concerned with ensuring your safe return to your homes and villages”.
Residents of Kfar Kila carrying a flag representing the late leader of Hezbollah, killed by Israel, gather in Borj El Mlouk, in southern Lebanon, on a road blocked by the Israeli army, January 26, 2025 / Rabih DAHER / AFP
The army, which is redeploying as Israel withdraws, announced Sunday evening that it “continued to support the residents”.
She added “stand by their side to protect them against Israeli attacks”accusing the Israeli army of “refuse to respect the ceasefire and withdraw” of Lebanese territory.
French President Emmanuel Macron asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a telephone interview to “withdraw its forces still present in Lebanon”according to the Elysée.
This is the most serious development since the election of Joseph Aoun, supported by the international community, on January 9.
Claiming to act in support of Hamas, Hezbollah opened a front against Israel the day after the attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement against Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the war in the Gaza Strip. This front degenerated into open war last September.
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