Lebanese army prepares to deploy troops in south as Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire takes effect

The Lebanese army announced that it is taking the necessary measures to complete its deployment in the south, with the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah going into effect at 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Beirut time.

The army said in a statement via the X platform: "With the ceasefire coming into effect, the army is working to take the necessary measures (it did not specify) to complete the deployment in the south."

He explained that this step comes "in accordance with the mandate of the Lebanese government, and the implementation of its (the army's) missions in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) within the framework of Resolution 1701."

This resolution was adopted by the UN Security Council on August 11, 2006, and called for a complete cessation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel at the time.

He also called for the creation of an area between the Blue Line (between Lebanon and Israel) and the Litani River in southern Lebanon, free of any armed men, military equipment and weapons, except those belonging to the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL.

With the ceasefire taking effect, a large number of Lebanese began returning by car to their areas in the south.

The Lebanese army called, through the statement, "on citizens to wait before returning to the frontline villages and towns into which the Israeli enemy forces have penetrated, awaiting their withdrawal in accordance with the ceasefire agreement," the terms of which have not yet been officially published.

He also urged "those returning to other areas to be careful and cautious of unexploded ordnance and suspicious objects left behind by the Israeli enemy."

On the other hand, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said via X: "With the ceasefire agreement coming into effect and based on its provisions, the Israeli army remains deployed in its positions inside southern Lebanon."

Addressing the residents of southern Lebanon, he added: “You are prohibited from heading towards the villages that the Israeli army has demanded to be evacuated or towards the army forces in the area.”

The ceasefire ended fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that had been ongoing since October 8, 2023, and had expanded in the last two months.

The Israeli aggression on Lebanon resulted in a total of 3,823 deaths and 15,859 injuries, including a large number of children and women, in addition to about 1.4 million displaced persons. Most of the victims and displaced persons were recorded after September 23, according to Anadolu Agency’s monitoring of official Lebanese data until Tuesday evening.

In contrast, 124 Israelis, including 79 soldiers, were killed, and more than 9,000 buildings and 7,000 cars were completely destroyed in northern Israel by Hezbollah fire since last September, according to Channel 12 and the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

According to Army Radio, sirens sounded 22,715 times in Israel as a result of Hezbollah attacks, including 16,198 warnings due to missile attacks, and 6,517 warnings due to drones.

Israel has occupied Arab lands in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine for decades, and rejects the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Anatolia