Israel vows to level homes in Lebanon, counter threats with ‘full force’

BEIRUT – Israel said its military had been instructed to use “full force” against imminent threats in Lebanon despite a truce there and vowed to level homes allegedly used by Hezbollah, with state media reporting demolitions were underway on April 19.

Some displaced residents have rushed back to their homes in the south, but others are hesitant to return, uncertain about the durability of the 10-day truce, which came into effect on April 17, halting weeks of fighting between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

In the village of Dibbine, an AFP correspondent saw a man inspecting damage to his home and people walking near the rubble of destroyed buildings.

In Srifa, another correspondent saw people unloading belongings including mattresses and a washing machine as they returned to the southern village.

Elsewhere, an AFP correspondent saw people travelling away from the south after retrieving belongings from their homes.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed the army “to act with full force, both on the ground and from the air, including during the ceasefire, in order to protect our soldiers in Lebanon from any threat”.

He said the military had also been ordered to demolish any structure or road that was “booby-trapped”, and “to remove the houses in the contact villages near the border that served in every respect as Hezbollah terror outposts”.

‘Fait accompli’

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) said that “the Israeli enemy is still destroying what remains of houses” in Bint Jbeil on April 19 after reporting demolitions a day earlier in the town, which saw heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah before the ceasefire.

The NNA also said the Israeli army was “blowing up houses in Mais al-Jabal” and “carrying out a sweep operation and detonations” in Deir Seryan, both also near the border, while the town of Kunin “was subjected to enemy artillery shelling”.

On April 18, Israel’s military said it had established a “Yellow Line” in south Lebanon, similar to the one in Gaza that separates areas held by Israeli forces from those controlled by militant group Hamas.

‘Expansionism’

On April 19, the military published a map showing its “forward defence line” and an area in red stretching along the length of the Lebanese border where it said forces were operating “to dismantle Hezbollah terror infrastructure sites and to prevent direct threats to communities in northern Israel”.

It later said soldiers killed an “armed terrorist” who crossed the line.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on April 19 denounced what he called “Israeli expansionism” in Lebanon.

The truce took effect days after the first high-level meeting between Lebanon and Israel in decades, pausing a war that has killed nearly 2,300 people in Lebanon and displaced more than a million since it broke out on March 2.

On April 21, French President Emmanuel Macron will meet Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Paris in a visit aiming to demonstrate Mr Macron’s commitment to the ceasefire and France’s support for Lebanon’s “territorial integrity”, the president’s office said.

Mr Macron will also urge Lebanese authorities to prosecute those responsible for an attack on UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon on April 18 that killed one French soldier and wounded three others.

France and the force have blamed Hezbollah, which denied involvement.

A memorial ceremony was held at Beirut airport for the French peacekeeper, Florian Montorio, who UNIFIL said was “posthumously awarded UN and Lebanese Army medals in recognition of his dedicated service for peace in south Lebanon”.

Mr Salam’s office said the premier would first travel to Luxembourg on April 21 “to meet EU foreign ministers”.

Earlier on April 19, Lebanon’s military said it had reopened a road linking the city of Nabatiyeh with the Khardali area, and had partially reopened the Burj Rahal-Tyre bridge in the country’s south.

Israeli strikes on several bridges across the Litani River, which runs around 30km from the border, have limited access to the area. AFP