In a recent escalation of military activity, Israeli jets targeted a border village in southern Lebanon on Sunday, accompanied by artillery fire directed at other towns and villages still held by Israel, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.
This strike occurs shortly after a ceasefire brokered by the United States between Israel and Hezbollah was announced. As of now, there have been no confirmed reports of injuries or fatalities due to the airstrike.
While the Israeli military has not provided comments on the airstrike targeting the village of Yaroun, the militant group Hezbollah has also remained silent. Israel has continuously urged displaced Lebanese populations to avoid returning to various southern villages and maintains a nightly curfew for crossings over the Litani River from 5 PM to 7 AM.
Criticism of these airstrikes and violations of airspace has been voiced by Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the Lebanese military. Despite their efforts to file complaints concerning these violations, there has been no significant military response from Hezbollah, suggesting that the fragile ceasefire remains intact for the moment.
When Israel has addressed these strikes, its justification has been rooted in the need to prevent potential Hezbollah attacks.
The U.S. military revealed on Friday that Major General Jasper Jeffers and senior envoy Amos Hochstein will oversee a new monitoring committee aimed at ensuring adherence to the ceasefire. This panel includes representatives from France, the UN peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL, Lebanon, and Israel. Hochstein has played a crucial role in negotiations leading to the ceasefire and will temporarily serve until a dedicated civilian co-chair is appointed.
Lebanon is working toward recovery after enduring substantial destruction during the conflict, which left around 1.2 million people displaced. The military has been active in disposing of unexploded munitions from earlier Israeli offensives across southern and eastern Lebanon. In another distressing development, the Lebanese Civil Defense reported recovering five bodies from the debris in two southern towns just in the last 24 hours.
This initial phase of the ceasefire involves a 60-day halt in hostilities, with plans for Hezbollah militants to evacuate areas south of the Litani River while Israeli forces retreat into northern Israel. Concurrently, Lebanese troops are set to increase their presence in the south, working alongside UNIFIL peacekeepers to maintain stability.
Nevertheless, families in the region continue to face significant challenges, particularly those wishing to provide proper burials for their deceased loved ones in southern Lebanon.
To assist in this process, the Lebanese Health Ministry and military have designated a temporary burial site in the coastal city of Tyre. Dr. Wissam Ghazal reported that nearly 200 bodies have already been interred there while awaiting a more appropriate final resting place once the situation stabilizes.
One resident, known by the nickname Om Ali, expressed her anguish over not being able to visit her village to bury her husband, a fighter who lost his life during the conflict. She highlighted the distressing nature of having to temporarily lay loved ones to rest in such a manner, expressing hope for an end to the crisis so that families may properly honor their dead.
Amidst these challenges, Lebanon is also striving to generate funds for reconstruction efforts, with estimates of the war’s financial toll reaching approximately $8.5 billion according to the World Bank. Furthermore, measures are being taken to recruit and train a force of 10,000 soldiers for deployment in the affected southern regions. In an effort to break a two-year political stalemate, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has urged the assembly to meet and elect a new president next month, aiming to revitalize the nation’s struggling state apparatus.
