Sixty days have passed since the beginning of the ceasefire with Hezbollah, and according to the agreement, the IDF's withdrawal from southern Lebanon was supposed to have taken place at 4:00 a.m this morning (Sunday).
In accordance with a statement by the Prime Minister's Office two days ago, IDF forces are still operating in Lebanese territory.
This morning many Lebanese were documented flocking to villages in southern Lebanon. Lebanese media affiliated with Hezbollah reported that at least 10 residents were wounded by IDF fire, and another report also claimed that an Israeli drone attacked near the village of Mays al-Jabal in southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese army accused Israel of "delaying" its withdrawal from the country's territory, and said in a statement that it was "ready to continue its deployment as soon as the IDF withdraws."
The Lebanese army also called on the local population to "exercise caution when returning to areas near the southern border, in light of the presence of mines and suspicious objects left by the Israeli army." This morning, IDF Spokesperson Avichai Adraee issued a "new reminder to the residents of southern Lebanon," clarifying that "until further notice, you are prohibited from moving south to the line of villages that appear on the map and their surroundings. The IDF does not intend to attack you - so at this stage you are prohibited from returning to homes from this line south until further notice. Anyone who moves south puts himself in danger."
Another report claimed that IDF forces in the area of the village of Hula arrested two Lebanese who were trying to return to their homes in the south of the country. The Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that UNIFIL forces were conducting patrols to prevent residents from reaching the border villages.
French President Emmanuel Macron referred to the expiration of the deadline set in the agreement, and called on both sides to "honor their commitments as soon as possible, so that Lebanon can restore its sovereignty throughout its territory." He made the remarks in a conversation with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who replied to Macron that "Israel must be forced to respect the terms of the agreement in order to maintain stability in the region."
The Prime Minister's Office said on Friday that "the outline of the ceasefire in Lebanon stipulates that the IDF's gradual withdrawal is supposed to take place within 60 days. The clause was drafted in this way with the understanding that the withdrawal process may take longer than 60 days. The IDF's withdrawal process is contingent on the deployment of the Lebanese army.
UPDATE: The IDF Spokesperson released this statement about the incident:
Earlier today, IDF forces operating in southern Lebanon conducted fire to repel and remove a threat at several locations where suspicious individuals were identified approaching their position.
Several suspects were arrested in the area while operating near IDF forces and posing a direct threat. The suspects are currently being interrogated on site.
The IDF is deployed in southern Lebanon, continuing to operate in accordance with the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and monitoring Hezbollah's attempts to return to the southern Lebanon area.
The IDF will act to remove any threat to the State of Israel and IDF forces.
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