The Israeli army announced on Saturday that it had carried out a drone strike against three suspects on the Lebanese side of Mount Dov, near the border, two weeks before the planned withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon in accordance with the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.
Hours earlier, another drone struck southern Lebanon “to eliminate a threat” after several Hezbollah operators were spotted leaving a building known to be used by the terrorist group. According to Lebanese media, the strike took place in the village of Kounine, leaving two injured according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
Under the November 27 ceasefire agreement, which ended 14 months of war with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terrorist group is to withdraw north of the Litani River – about 30 kilometers from the Israeli border – while Israel is to withdraw from southern Lebanon by January 26, to be replaced by the Lebanese Armed Forces and the UN peacekeeping force, UNIFIL.
The pro-Hezbollah newspaper Al-Akhbar reported on Saturday that American envoy Amos Hochstein, who visited Lebanon last week, assured his interlocutors that he had obtained from Israel a detailed timetable for the withdrawal of the IDF. Hochstein reportedly demanded that the Lebanese army reinforce its units and ensure that Hezbollah hands over all its weapons south of the Litani.
The Lebanese Armed Forces announced on X Saturday that they are deploying to several border towns and villages in the southwest, warning residents to stay away until engineering units have inspected the area and eliminated the unexploded ordnance and other debris.
