Three people were killed and 31 others injured by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese government said, as residents of villages near the border defied orders by Israel’s military not to return to their homes.
“One citizen was martyred in Houla, and nine others were injured and transferred to the Tebnine Governmental Hospital, where they are receiving treatment,” Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said in a statement on Sunday.
The statement said that eight people had also been injured in Kfar Kila and transferred to the Marjayoun Governmental Hospital for treatment.
Two people were killed in the towns of Blida and Aitaroun, according to the health ministry, after the Israeli military launched attacks on Lebanese citizens attempting to enter towns still occupied by Israeli forces.
Lebanon’s president Joseph Aoun said he was “monitoring this issue at the highest levels” in a statement.
“Lebanon’s sovereignty and the unity of its territory are not subject to compromise,” he said and promised residents of the south he would “ensure your rights and dignity.”
The deaths come as Israel’s military ordered residents of dozens of southern Lebanese villages not to return to their homes earlier in the morning as a deadline expired Sunday to withdraw forces from the area under a ceasefire agreement that ended months of conflict with Hezbollah.
“Urgent!! A new reminder to the residents of southern Lebanon: Until further notice you are prohibited from moving south to the line of villages and their surroundings,” Avichay Adraee, Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), wrote on X.
The post included a map of southern Lebanon with an area along the border with Israel shaded red and a list of more than 60 villages residents were prohibited from accessing.
“The Defense Forces do not intend to target you and therefore at this stage you are prohibited from returning to your homes from this line south until further notice. Anyone who moves south of this line puts themselves at risk,” Adraee said.
Israel’s government said Friday that the military would not withdraw from Lebanon by Sunday’s deadline, in violation of a ceasefire agreement.
Israel was expected to withdraw all of its forces from southern Lebanon as part of the deal, but the Israeli government said some its forces would remain, blaming Lebanon for failing to uphold its end of the agreement.
