The Israeli army units conducting ground operations in the border areas have begun withdrawing from nine villages in the eastern sector of South Lebanon.
Janoubia reported that these are the last settlements on Lebanese territory that the Israeli military must leave by the morning of February 18, the deadline set by the bilateral ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli command earlier stated that it intends to retain control over strategic points located on the Jabal Blat, Labuna, El-Azia, El-Uweida and El-Hammamis hills in the border area. According to the portal, the Israeli military wants to make sure that the Lebanese army is able to prevent the penetration of units of the Shiite movement Hezbollah to the southern border.
Mechanized columns of the Lebanese army entered the outskirts of the cities of Blida, Markaba, Mays el-Jebel, Houla and Edeisa after midnight, from which Israeli troops are withdrawing. They will then be deployed in Kfar Qila, Maroun er-Ras, Mheibib and Yarun. All these settlements were heavily destroyed, so the command of the armed forces of the republic sent a warning to local residents, urging them to refrain from returning to their homes until the completion of the demining operation.
On February 17, the Lebanese cabinet approved a government program in which the liberation of Lebanese lands from occupation is listed as one of the main priorities. As Information Minister Paul Morkus stated, “the government is committed to implementing all points of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and to pursuing a policy of neutrality to avoid Lebanon's involvement in regional conflicts“. “The state intends to establish a procedure whereby weapons will be in the hands of the army and security forces only”, he stressed.