Israeli troops fire warning shots to disperse Lebanese after ceasefire agreement

Israeli occupation forces have fired warning shots to disperse Lebanese citizens attempting to return to their homes in the town of Khiam in southern Lebanon following the implementation of a ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel early this morning, the Palestinian Information Centre has reported. The occupation forces claimed that they fired shots into the air after spotting several vehicles heading towards “prohibited” Lebanese areas.

The ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel came into effect at 4 am local time, ending cross-border exchanges of fire that have escalated since 8 October last year. With the ceasefire in place, a large number of Lebanese began returning by car to their homes in the south.

US President Joe Biden said that Israel will withdraw its forces gradually from Lebanon over the next 60 days, while the Lebanese army will take control of the land near the border with Israel to ensure that Hezbollah does not rebuild its infrastructure there. The Lebanese army said that it is taking necessary measures to complete its deployment in the south according to the mandate of the Lebanese government.

The Lebanese army leadership urged citizens to “exercise caution in returning to the front-line villages and towns that have been infiltrated by enemy forces, awaiting their withdrawal according to the ceasefire agreement.” Defence Minister Maurice Sleem said that the Lebanese army would increase its presence in the south to 10,000 soldiers, reported Al Jazeera.

Israeli Channel 12 said earlier that the war in Lebanon has resulted in the deaths of 124 Israelis, including 79 soldiers, since the escalation of the conflict in September. Israeli Army Radio said that air raid sirens sounded 22,715 times in Israel due to Hezbollah attacks, including 16,198 alerts due to rocket fire and 6,517 alerts due to drones.

Moreover, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that data from property taxes indicate that over 9,000 buildings and 7,000 vehicles were completely destroyed in northern Israel due to Hezbollah fire. The Israeli government has so far paid 140 million shekels (approximately $38.4m) in compensation for damages, with expectation of an increase due to ongoing evacuations and unreported injuries.

A poll conducted by Israeli Channel 13 revealed that 61 per cent of Israelis believe that their country has not won against Hezbollah, while 66 per cent expressed support for ending the genocide in the Gaza Strip to reach a prisoner exchange deal. The ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel marked the end of more than 13 months of cross-border exchanges of fire and two months of open warfare, with Israel invading its northern neighbour and bombing all parts of the country, including the capital, Beirut.

READ: Israel has failed to achieve goals of war in Lebanon, says Ben-Gvir