There are about five days left in the 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, and the Israeli withdrawal by that deadline shows no signs of happening. Indeed, new reports are that Israeli troops are continuing as they had throughout the ceasefire, raiding new areas and destroying civilian homes.
Reports from al-Mayadeen are that Israeli troops have moved from the town of Maroun al-Ras into the suburbs of the city of Bint Jbeil. As they moved in, they began attacking houses in the residential areas of those suburbs. This is not the first time Israeli troops have raided Bint Jbeil, though it is noteworthy that this raid comes just days after they entered Maroun al-Ras, firing machine guns into the houses there.
Besides the new raids, Israeli troops have also been reported to be demolishing homes in the nearby town of Yaroun, as well as detonating houses in Kfar Kela. In the handful of parts of southern Lebanon Israeli troops have actually withdrawn from, there is widespread destruction, more than simply the damage done before the ceasefire was announced.
That’s a function of many hundreds of Israeli ceasefire violations, but the biggest violation is yet to come. That’s because the ceasefire calls on Israel to withdraw from Lebanon within the 60-days, and despite US promises that would happen, there’s no sign it actually is.
US enforcement of the ceasefire, and particularly Israel’s obligations under it, have been effectively non-existent. This is leading to calls from Lebanon’s new President Joseph Aoun for the international community to pressure Israel more to withdraw.
It’s not clear that’s actually going to happen, and Aoun noted that Israel’s failure to commit to the withdraw contradicts promises made to the Lebanese government. Though he didn’t make it clear he was referring to the US “guarantees,” that’s almost certainly at least one such promise.
As the violations continue, some Lebanese civilians are trying to return to their homes in the south, despite Israeli warnings not to do so. Those homes may or may not still be there at this point, and the humanitarian situation is still dire after 55 days of ceasefire, and many have little choice but to risk returning even during the Israeli occupation of those towns and villages.
