Vehicles transporting people fleeing southern Lebanon are slowed down by traffic jams on the road from Beirut in the Khaled district on November 28, 2024, one day after the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Ibrahim Amro | AFP | Getty Images
Israeli artillery fire in southern Lebanon wounded at least two people on Thursday, state media reported. The Israeli military said it opened fire on people trying to return to certain areas the day after the incident. Ceasefire with Hezbollah armed group.
The deal was brokered by the United States and Franceincluding an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah fighters would withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli troops would return to their side of the border. The buffer zone will be patrolled by the Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers.
Lebanon’s state-run state news agency said Israel opened fire in Markaba, near the border, wounding two people but gave no further details. Reports said Israel fired artillery at three other locations near the border. There have been no reports of casualties.
AP reporters near Israel’s northern border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and shelling from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects arrived in vehicles in various areas of southern Lebanon and violated the conditions of the ceasefire.” The statement said that the troops “opened fire on them” and would “actively enforce ceasefire violations.” “.
Israeli officials said the troops would gradually withdraw to ensure the agreement was implemented. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed and said it reserves the right to strike against Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the ceasefire.
A Lebanese military official said that Lebanese troops will gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
The ceasefire announced late Tuesday ends a 14-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas launched an attack from Gaza on October 7, 2023, when Lebanese militants The group began launching rockets, drones and missiles in a show of solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict intensified for nearly a year until all-out war erupted in mid-September. Gaza War Still raging, no end in sight.
Israeli artillery fire in Lebanon killed more than 3,760 people during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting left more than 70 Israelis dead, more than half of them civilians, as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Approximately 1.2 million people are displaced in Lebanon; Thousands of people began returning to their homes on Wednesday This comes despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army not to enter certain areas. Some 50,000 people have been displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned, and communities near the northern border remain largely deserted.
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