Seven Lebanese released by Israel on the border with Lebanon, almost a month after the start of a still fragile ceasefire

Hezbollah denounces repeated violations of ceasefire agreements. MAXPPP – ABIR SULTAN

The Israeli army carried out bombing operations in a village near the border, shelling several homes.

Seven Lebanese who were detained by Israel were handed over to the UN force in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Sunday, the Lebanese National News Agency (ANI) said. According to this source, the “seven citizens” had been arrested by the Israeli army after a ceasefire came into effect on November 27, ending two months of open warfare between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah.

They were handed over to UNIFIL in Ras Naqoura, on the border with Israel, and then taken to hospital by the Lebanese Red Cross for check-ups. They were then transferred by “military intelligence services” to a headquarters in the southern city of Sidon, Ani said.

Repeated allegations of violations

A UNIFIL spokeswoman, Kandice Ardiel confirmed that the Israeli army had freed seven civilians in Ras Naqoura, in coordination with the Lebanese Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Israeli army did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.

A truce between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect on November 27 in Lebanon, ending a conflict that began in October 2023 when the pro-Iranian movement opened a front against Israel in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But both sides accuse each other of repeated violations.

Operations “in line with the ceasefire”

According to the Ani, the Israeli army carried out on Sunday “major bombing operations in the village of Kfar Kila“, and “blew up a number of houses” in the Bint Jbeil sector, denouncing “the repeated attacks against the occupied villages in the south“.

The Israeli army said in a statement that its soldiers had “located and destroyed a combat complex containing eight weapons storage facilities” in southern Lebanon, “acting in accordance with the ceasefire and agreements between Israel and Lebanon.”

Under the truce agreement, the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers are to deploy to southern Lebanon and the Israeli army to withdraw over a period of 60 days. Hezbollah is to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River, approximately 30 kilometers from the border, and dismantle its military infrastructure in the south.