22 killed as residents of southern Lebanon defy Israeli orders not to return home

As residents of communities close to the border disobeyed Israeli military instructions not to return home, Israeli forces in southern Lebanon killed at least 22 people and injured 124 more, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. As part of a ceasefire deal that put an end to months of fighting with Hezbollah, Israel had until Sunday to remove its forces from the region. Both Israeli and Hezbollah forces committed to leaving southern Lebanon by January 26 at the end of the 60-day term specified in the ceasefire agreement signed in November. However, Israel’s administration claimed Friday that the military will not remove all of its troops from southern Lebanon by the deadline on Sunday, accusing Lebanon of not adhering to its end of the agreement.

Israel was then charged by the Lebanese army with “procrastination.” According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health, the Israeli soldiers attacked Lebanese people on Sunday while they were trying to access towns that were still under Israeli control. According to the Lebanese army, one of the dead was a soldier who was “targeted by gunfire from the Israeli enemy.” CNN-verified footage shows people in Kfar Kila, southern Lebanon, attempting to make their way back to their villages on foot. While some clutched pictures of terrorist members slain in the conflict, others were spotted with Hezbollah flags.

It follows a new directive from Israel’s military on Sunday for citizens of dozens of villages in southern Lebanon to stay away from their homes. “Immediate! Avichay Adraee, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokeswoman in Arabic, posted on X a fresh admonition to the people of southern Lebanon: Until further notice, you are not allowed to move south to the line of villages and their surrounds.

The article featured a list of over 60 villages that people were not allowed to enter, as well as a map of southern Lebanon that showed a region along the Israeli border highlighted in red. You are currently forbidden from returning to your homes from this line south until further notice since the Defense Forces do not intend to attack you. Adraee stated, “Anyone who goes south of this line puts themselves at risk.” Israel’s military forces in southern Lebanon “fired warning shots to remove threats in a number of areas where suspects were identified approaching the troops,” according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The Israeli military further stated that it had detained a large number of individuals for interrogation, alleging that they constituted a “imminent threat to the troops.”

In a statement, Joseph Aoun, the president of Lebanon, said he was “monitoring this issue at the highest levels.” He assured the people of the south that he would “ensure your rights and dignity” and said that “Lebanon’s sovereignty and the unity of its territory are not subject to compromise.” While its peacekeeping force announced it was deploying to regions in southern Lebanon at the request of the UN, the organization urged both sides to immediately recommit to the deal the Lebanese army. According to the French president’s office, French President Emmanuel Macron called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and encouraged him to remove his remaining forces from Lebanon. Last November, France was instrumental in helping the United States broker the ceasefire agreement.