Israel has resumed strikes and issued a new displacement order in southern Lebanon, leaving families from Mansouri waiting outside the town for word that they can safely return. Thursday’s latest attacks injured at least eight people, according to the supplied report.
The escalation follows a period of relative calm and comes as Lebanese and Israeli officials continue talks. Residents say the latest destruction has reinforced their view that the June ceasefire has not protected them from Israeli military action.
At a glance:
- An evacuation order for Mansouri was issued on Wednesday, the first such directive in weeks.
- Thursday’s latest round of strikes injured at least eight people, with attacks concentrated in Mansouri and also reported in Burj al-Shemali.
- A framework discussed by Lebanese and Israeli officials envisions an Israeli withdrawal linked to Hezbollah’s disarmament, but no significant withdrawal has yet been secured.
- Displaced families remained near Mansouri while waiting for permission to return.
Mansouri families wait after evacuation order
The Israeli military’s order for Mansouri prompted families to flee. On Thursday, those who had left were still gathered on the town’s outskirts, waiting for an indication that it was safe to go back.
Related coverage: One killed and at least 11 wounded in southern Lebanon strikes.
Yousef Shehemi, mayor of neighboring Majdal Zoun, said Mansouri was not part of Israel’s occupation zone and accused Israel of targeting locations without respecting the ceasefire. Residents also described homes being demolished and farmland being set on fire.
Talks have not produced a withdrawal
Representatives from Lebanon and Israel met in Rome earlier this week for another round of negotiations. Their governments had signed a framework intended to secure an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon once Hezbollah is disarmed.
The framework also envisioned pilot zones in which Israel would pull back and the Lebanese army would move in to ensure that weapons remained under state control. That arrangement was intended to allow displaced people to return, but the supplied report says it has not yet led to any significant Israeli withdrawal in southern Lebanon.
More context: Israel Escalates Military Operations in Gaza Despite US-Backed Ceasefire Roadmap.
Renewed attacks extend beyond Mansouri
The latest attacks were concentrated in Mansouri but were not limited to the town. In Burj al-Shemali, farther north, an Israeli strike hit a residential home, marking the first reported attack there since the ceasefire took effect in June.
Resident Almaza Hazim said neighbors tried to help a family after the explosion caused injuries, but another strike destroyed the house. The renewed hostilities followed an explosive device that killed two invading Israeli soldiers; it remains unclear whether the device was planted before or after the ceasefire, and Hezbollah did not claim responsibility.
Residents question official protection
People in southern Lebanon have expressed anger and helplessness as the strikes continue and negotiations remain under way. Abu Rached, a resident of Majdal Zoun, said the destruction and displacement had gone unanswered by Lebanese officials and questioned whether the Lebanese army could remain in Mansouri.
Also read: Missile attacks by Iran on US in Jordan and US-Saudi strikes in Iraq raise tensions.
Hezbollah is not part of the negotiations and has publicly opposed the framework. Meanwhile, critics say the Israeli military’s demolition of villages and burning of olive groves amounts to an ethnic cleansing campaign, an allegation presented in the supplied report as criticism rather than an established finding.
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