BEIRUT, January 26. /TASS/. At least 15 civilians died and 83 more were hurt after Israel’s shelling attack on Lebanon’s southern areas, the country’s health ministry said.
"Enemy snipers conducted fire at unarmed civilians who were trying to return to their homes when the 60-day ceasefire agreement expired," it said, adding that one Lebanese soldier who was escorting refugees on their way to their homes, was among those killed.
According to the Al Nahar newspaper, Israel opened warning fire after the refugees violated the ban on visiting border areas that had been imposed by the Israeli command on Saturday. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee warned Lebanese residents against the risks of being dragged into the schemes by Hezbollah, which "puts its own interests above the interests of the Lebanese state and is seeking to fan tensions." He said that the Israeli command will notify the refugees when the ground operation is over and they can return to their homes.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun also issued an address to people living in the country’s southern areas, calling on them to refrain from returning to settlements on the border with Israel. He called on them to "trust the Lebanese military who is trying to ensure the safe return of displaced people to their homes."
The truce agreement, concluded as a result of US-French mediation on November 27, 2024, provides for the deployment of the Lebanese army along the southern border with the support of UN peacekeepers and the withdrawal of Hezbollah militias beyond the Litani River. In return, Israel is obliged to pull its forces out of southern Lebanon within up to 60 days.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on January 24 that that the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon would continue after the 60-day period outlined in the November 27, 2024, ceasefire agreement, because the Lebanese side had failed to meet its commitments fully.