Eilon, Israel. Israel has more than doubled the number of troops along its border with Lebanon since March 1 and is searching homes in southern Lebanese villages ordered evacuated by the military, a senior Israeli commander said on Wednesday.
Troop build-up and operations in southern Lebanon
The commander, whose name was withheld by the Israeli military on security grounds, spoke to Reuters in Eilon, an Israeli town four kilometres from the border. He said he declined to provide the number of troops deployed and described the military’s fortifications inside Lebanon as “defensive positions.”
He said troops were searching villages to determine whether Hezbollah had hidden weapons or communications centres.
Searches of evacuated homes and competing claims
Asked whether searches included houses vacated after Israeli evacuation orders, the commander said: “In some of the cases they hid their weapons in houses. We have no choice but to make sure that house is not a military installation.”
Hezbollah has publicly denied using civilian infrastructure to store weapons. It has accused Israel of destroying homes to prevent Lebanese from returning, which Israel denies. Many villages in southern Lebanon have been completely destroyed.
Strikes on Beirut and displacement
As Israeli warplanes struck Beirut in operations against Hezbollah, heavy smoke could be seen rising from villages in southern Lebanon as troops fired artillery across the border. The operations were described as the deadliest spillover of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese have fled southern Lebanon since Israel ordered people to clear the area south of the Litani River, which Israel views as a Hezbollah stronghold. Hezbollah has been firing rockets toward Israel since joining the war in support of Iran on March 2.
Reported casualties
Two Israeli soldiers have been killed since the start of operations in southern Lebanon, according to the Israeli military.
At least 968 people in Lebanon have been killed since the start of Israel’s attacks, Lebanese authorities said.
What do you think the troop increase and village searches will mean for civilians seeking to return to southern Lebanon?
