The joy that flooded the southern Lebanon This Friday it has soon dissipated. An overwhelming doubt has come to replace it. With the sound of Israeli Army explosions In the background, more and more Lebanese are once again embarking on the journey back to their refuge of recent weeks. Many others decide to stay, even if it is with the fear in the body. “We are home, but because Israel does not respect the ceasefire agreement we keep thinking about it to the situation,” explains Lama, from a town 10 kilometers from the border with Israel. His soldiers continue demolishing houses, attacking civilians and occupying territory. All of these actions are violations of the 10-day truce that began on Friday.
This is not the first time that Israeli troops have carried out this work. The systematic destruction of villages in southern Lebanon it was previously practiced in the Gaza Stripwhere devastation is the norm. Several military commanders of the Israeli Army have declared to the media Haaretz that are demolishing civilian homes, public buildings and schools as part of a broader policy to “clean up the area.” In recent weeks, dozens of security vehicles have been deployed in the area. heavy machineryincluding contractor-operated excavators. As already happened in the Palestinian enclave, some workers receive a compensation depending on the number of structures destroyed.
A source with knowledge of the details indicated that some contractors had already worked in Gazaand that in a village about 20 excavators operate simultaneously. One of the objectives is prevent the return of the Lebanese to the border areas and everything is done under strict control. The Israeli military is monitoring the extent of the destruction through computer systems, including statistical tools that record the number of buildings demolished in each area. They thus comply with the mandate of the Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katzexpressed last month. “All houses in villages near the Lebanese border will be demolished following the model of Rafah and Beit Hanoun in Gaza” he announced, referring to completely devastated Gazan cities.
“We don’t feel completely calm”
This Sunday the Israeli Army opened fire on farmers in Mari, in the Hasbaya district, in the eastern sector of the border strip, without causing any injuries. Also in the same area several Israeli tanks have advanced under intense machine gun fire, according to the Lebanese media L’Orient-Le Jour. In the central sector of the border area, the village of Kounin has been the target of new bombings Israeli artillery. “We are stressed because we do not feel completely calm due to the news and Israel’s attitude in not respecting the agreement or the rules,” Lama tells EL PERIÓDICO. Added to the situation of insecurity are difficult living conditions.
“When we arrived there was no electricitybut we have managed to fix it, although there is not much signal or internet connection, and we also have problems with water,” Sana tells this newspaper 18 kilometers from the border with Israel. She considers herself lucky because his house is still standing. “Everything had just gotten dirty and we had to clean it, but we were able to sleep well,” he says. For many others, their homes have ceased to exist or are simply uninhabitable. This time the traffic on the highway was almost as intense returning south as back to Beirut. Some families are returning to the north of the country after inspecting their homes and collecting some of the belongings that have survived the Israeli bombings.
Protests in Israel
Since the entry into force of the truce between Israel and Hezbollah This Friday, the Israeli Army announced the death of two soldiers in southern Lebanon, which brings the number of casualties to 15 in this entire conflict. These last two losses are due to the detonation of explosive deviceswhich have also caused several injuries. As Lebanese troops try to rebuild bridges and civil infrastructure to facilitate the return of residents, on the other side of the malleable border line, criticism of the government of the Israeli prime minister increases, Benjamin Netanyahufor having accepted the ceasefire. Dozens of people have gathered outside the US embassy in Jerusalem with signs that read “Hezbollah thanks the [presidente estadounidense Donald] Trump“.
In turn, the municipality of Kiryat Shmonathree kilometers from the border with Lebanon, has called a strike to denounce the truce. A convoy of vehicles has headed from the border city to Jerusalem to protest. “They are absolutely right, what is happening is a real shame,” he defended. Yair Golanleader of the opposition Democratic Party. “This city is empty; the 40% of its inhabitants have left and probably won’t come back; “This city is not receiving the government support necessary to recover,” he added. On Saturday, Hezbollah’s secretary general, Naim Qassemonce again expressed the opposition of the truce to the truce, which they described as a unilateral ceasefire and an insult to Lebanon. Qassem has refused to return to the same conditions that existed under the 15-month ceasefire since November 2024, when Israel fired at will and Hezbollah did not.
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