BEIRUT: Lebanon said on Monday it would extend a ceasefire deal with Israel until mid-February, even though the Israeli military failed to meet a deadline to withdraw its troops and killed several people in the south of the country.
Israeli troops killed two people and wounded 17 on Monday as deadly protests continued for a second day in southern Lebanon, health officials said, with displaced residents attempting to return to villages where Israeli troops remain.
The ministry said 24 people were killed by Israeli gunfire on Sunday.
On Monday, residents of border villages in the western and central sectors of southern Lebanon continued to gather in areas where the Lebanese army was deployed following the Israeli army’s withdrawal.
They also gathered in areas still occupied by the Israeli forces in an effort to hasten the Israeli withdrawal.
The White House announced on Sunday evening that it had agreed to extend the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel until Feb. 18.
Although the 60-day period set for the complete Israeli withdrawal ended on Sunday morning, Israel failed to meet the deadline and called for an extension.
The White House statement said the US-mediated agreement “shall remain in force until Feb. 18.”
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said that Lebanon “is committed to implementing the agreement until the mentioned date.”
The French Foreign Ministry on Monday called on Israeli forces to withdraw immediately to the south of the Blue Line.
An Israeli government spokesperson claimed that Hezbollah and its weapons “remain on our borders,” adding that “a full withdrawal from Lebanon is contingent upon the deployment of the Lebanese army and the removal of Hezbollah to the north of the Litani.”
Israeli politician Benny Gantz called for ground and air operations to be expanded in Lebanon because of repeated Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire agreement.
On Monday, Lebanese residents, mostly supporters of Hezbollah, headed to the front-line villages. They were joined by students from educational institutions affiliated with Hezbollah and the Amal Movement.
The institutions closed their doors on Monday to allow students to join what the party and the movement considered “liberation of the land.”
The Lebanese army — redeploying in the border region — escorted unarmed residents returning to their homes.
Some residents spent the night outdoors at the entrances to destroyed villages.
UNIFIL also conducted patrols in the area in coordination with the army.
Civilians carrying photos of deceased relatives — along with Hezbollah and Amal Movement flags — reached the entrances of Mays Al-Jabal, Deir Mimas, and Aita Al-Shaab.
The Israeli army was still stationed near a UNIFIL site west of Mays Al-Jabal and fired shots into the air.
Israeli forces fired on residents attempting to force their way into Kfarkela, Bani Haiyyan, Dhayra, Odaisseh, and Hula.
One man, Ali Raef Hussein, was killed at the entrance of Odaisseh and four others injured.
Israeli forces detained another man, Kamal Al-Ahmad, as he attempted to enter Wazzani.
Israeli forces prevented the Lebanese army from removing a dirt barrier on the road to Aitaroun to allow residents to enter and proceed to the town of Blida.
The Mukhtar of Yaroun, Fadi Salloum, said that he received a phone call from the Israeli side asking him “not to allow civilians to enter before Feb. 18.”
Residents of Rab Thalathin staged a sit-in outside the headquarters of the Indonesian unit of UNIFIL, demanding that they be escorted into the town.
An Israeli drone dropped a bomb on a work crew trying to open and pave a road at the entrance of the town of Bani Haiyyan to intimidate them, resulting in one injury.
Mikati took part in discussions on Monday with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.
Mikati’s media office said that the talks focused on “the implementation of UN Resolution 1701 following the extension of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli reconnaissance aircraft again flew over the southern suburbs of Beirut and the city itself at a low altitude.
Israeli forces in the eastern sector in the south continued to blow up and bulldoze homes and facilities.
Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee claimed that “the implementation of the ceasefire agreement is ongoing, and the deployment of the Lebanese army is taking place gradually.”
He said the deployment was postponed in some areas and required additional time to ensure that Hezbollah could not re-establish its military strength on the ground.
A statement from the Lebanese Army Command denied what it described as “information regarding security leaks allegedly conducted by officers of the army for the benefit of a political party, as reported in a foreign publication.”
This information came at a critical stage in which the military is undertaking enormous tasks, the Army Command said.
It stressed that “the officers of the military institution are carrying out their tasks in the various units with the highest degree of professionalism and expertise according to the orders of their leadership.”
The Times newspaper in Britain reported that the head of military intelligence in southern Lebanon provided “sensitive information” to Hezbollah from within the security control room operated by the US, France, and the UN peacekeeping force in the region.
This reportedly gave the party prior warning about raids or patrols, enabling it to transfer weapons and avoid detection during the ceasefire agreement.
In light of the activities undertaken by Hezbollah supporters in the south, party MP Ibrahim Al-Mousawi said in a statement that “our people are establishing the equation of the army, the people, and the resistance in the south.”
Hezbollah supporters took to the streets on Sunday night to send political messages to the party’s opponents.
Riding motorcycles adorned with the party’s flags, they traversed predominantly Christian neighborhoods in Beirut.
Residents perceived these actions as provocative, particularly in areas such as Gemmayzeh, Ain El Remmaneh, and Dora.
A Lebanese Army Command statement on Monday characterized the recent events as “provocations that threaten civil peace.”
It affirmed the deployment of “army units to conduct patrols to prevent actions that disrupt security and stability.”
The army said several people had been apprehended while the pursuit of the rest of those involved continued.
The army command called on citizens to “act responsibly and wisely to preserve national unity and coexistence.”
The Lebanese Forces Party, in a statement regarding the developments in the south, emphasized that “only the state can protect Lebanon and its citizens, and any attempt to manipulate the situation by positioning the people as a substitute for the resistance is categorically rejected — both in form and substance — as the state represents the people and is the sole entity authorized to wield arms.”
The Lebanese Health Ministry said the final toll of victims from Israeli gunfire on Sunday rose to 24 dead, including nine women, and 134 injured, including children.
