Seven Lebanese Released by Israel at the Lebanese Border

Seven Lebanese who were detained by Israel were handed over on Sunday to the UN force in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL), according to the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA).

According to this source, the “seven citizens” were arrested by the Israeli army after the ceasefire came into effect on November 27, ending two months of open war between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah. They were handed over to UNIFIL at Ras Naqoura, on the border with Israel, and then transported to the hospital by the Lebanese Red Cross for medical examinations.

They were subsequently transferred by “military intelligence services” to a headquarters in the city of Sidon, in the south of the country, the NNA specified.

A UNIFIL spokesperson, Kandice Ardiel, confirmed that the Israeli army had released seven civilians at Ras Naqoura, in coordination with the Lebanese Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross. When asked by AFP for comment, the Israeli army did not immediately respond.

A truce between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect on November 27 in Lebanon, ending a conflict triggered in October 2023 when the pro-Iranian movement opened a front against Israel in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

However, both sides accuse each other of repeated violations. According to the NNA, the Israeli army carried out “significant bombing operations in the village of Kfar Kila” on Sunday, and “blew up a number of houses” in the Bint Jbeil sector, denouncing “repeated attacks on occupied villages in the south.”

The Israeli army stated in a communiqué that its soldiers had “located and destroyed a combat complex containing eight weapons storage facilities” in southern Lebanon, “acting in accordance with the ceasefire and agreements between Israel and Lebanon.”

As part of the truce agreement, the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers are to deploy in South Lebanon and the Israeli army is to withdraw over a period of 60 days. Hezbollah is required to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers from the border, and dismantle its military infrastructure in the south.

About محمد الفاسي