As the extended ceasefire in southern Lebanon gets underway, Israeli fire against civilian targets continue as they had throughout the initial 60-day ceasefire. At least 24 people were wounded today in a pair of Israeli attacks on the southern Lebanese town of Nabatieh and the neighboring town of Zawtar.
The largest attacks were against Nabatieh, which saw an Israeli drone attack and destroy a “small vegetable truck.” The toll has continued to rise in this attack, with multiple vehicles apparently damaged.
A second drone strike was reported on the road from Zawtar to Nabatieh, and wounded at least four people. It’s not at all clear what was theoretically being attacked in that strike. Another subsequent strike was reported near Lebanese civilians and soldiers in the town of Yaroun, though it does not appear there were any casualties in that case.
Officially, Israel is insisted the small vegetable truck was a “Hezbollah truck” and was carrying weapons. They have provided no evidence as of yet that this was actually the case, but that narrative has been parroted by the Israeli press.
Israel continues to try to revise the narrative involving them shooting and killing 24 civilians and wounding over 100 others who tried to return to their homes in southern Lebanon on Sunday and Monday. That has involved presenting it as a “Hezbollah provocation.” They are now also pushing for the reestablishment of a “buffer zone” in occupied southern Lebanon.
Israel imposed a buffer zone inside southern Lebanon from 1978 to 2000, and this reestablishment of such a zone would presumably serve as a pretext for Israel to maintain its occupation of parts of southern Lebanon beyond the new February 18 deadline.
There’s no sign Lebanon is open at all to the buffer zone suggestion, and they continue to criticize both the presence of Israeli occupation forces in southern Lebanon and the repeated violations of the ceasefire by firing on Lebanese civilians.
Israel had hoped that this ceasefire would allow displaced Israeli civilians to return to northern Israel. Fear of the war restarting though has kept many from attempting to return home. It may be that the buffer zone proposal is also designed to placate the displaced Israelis, many of whom objected to the war “ending” even though that end just gave way to more strikes and incursions under the guise of enforcement of the ceasefire.
Since the ceasefire began, Israel has killed at least 83 people and wounded 228 others on Lebanese soil. Israeli officials have bragged that they’ve “detained” a number of other civilians who attempted to return home to southern Lebanon in recent days, saying they posed a danger to the troops occupying those towns and villages.
