The Israeli army on Friday issued a travel ban on the Lebanese population south of the Litani River, two days after the ceasefire came into effect and awaiting the military to complete its withdrawal in the coming weeks following the start of a new invasion of Lebanon on October 1.
The Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesman, Avichai Adrai, said in a statement posted on his social network account X that the ban, which is in effect “until further notice”, affects travel to Shebaa, Al Habariyé, Marjayoun, Arnun, Yahmar, Al Qantara, Shaqra, Barachit, Yater and Al Mansuri, as well as “their surroundings”, which covers more than 60 localities.
He also published a map of Lebanon marking the forbidden zone in red, which coincides with the territory south of the Litani River, before stressing that “the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have no intention of attacking” civilians, so “they are prohibited from returning to their homes” in this area. “Anyone who moves south of this line is exposed to danger,” he concluded.
In recent hours, there have been reports of new attacks by the Israeli Army despite the ceasefire, while the Israeli authorities have assured that they are acting against what they consider to be violations of this same pact, reached with the mediation of the United States and France.
The ceasefire agreement came into force in the early hours of Wednesday after the approval given by the authorities of Israel and Lebanon, following the announcement made on Tuesday by the president of the United States, Joe Biden, that the parties had accepted the proposal made by Washington.
Israel launched a new invasion of Lebanon on October 1 after more than eleven months of fighting with Hezbollah on the border, following the attacks carried out on October 7, 2023, which left nearly 1,200 dead and 250 kidnapped and led the Israeli army to launch a bloody offensive against Gaza that has already left more than 44,300 dead and some 105,000 wounded. Lebanon has reported nearly 4,000 dead from Israeli attacks.
