On Monday evening, the Israeli army released six Lebanese who had been captured on Sunday evening in Houla (Marjeyoun) when a large number of civilians tried to reach their villages in the south between Sunday and Monday.
Situation on the ground and deployment of the Lebanese army
On Tuesday, the Israeli army blew up the area around a mosque in Wazzani, while in Majidiyeh (Hasbaya), Hebrew bulldozers uprooted trees on a farm. Since the early hours of Tuesday morning, an Israeli aircraft has been flying at low altitude over the Alma el-Chaab area (Tyre).
In Mfaylha, west of Mays el-Jabal, Israeli soldiers have held positions since Tuesday, close to the center of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), some ten meters from Lebanese army posts.
Later in the afternoon, the Israeli army blocked the road between Taybeh and Odaïsseh with a rock barrier, as well as concrete walls at the gates of the locality of Al-Bustan.
At the same time, the Lebanese army is preparing to deploy in Deir Mimas, anticipating a possible repositioning in Kfar Kila. These steps are part of efforts to reinforce its presence in the south of the country. In addition, motorized Lebanese army patrols are advancing towards Yaroun from the west.
In the early evening, the army command reported that its units had completed their deployment in Yaroun, Marouhin, Birket Richa and “other border areas south of the Litani”.
On Tuesday, the Marjeyoun intelligence directorate arrested two burglars from the town of Ersal who were operating in Khiam (Nabatiyeh).
According to a Ministry of Health report, the Israeli attacks on Tuesday left two people dead and 26 wounded, as follows: one dead and three wounded in Adaisseh, one dead and two wounded in Bani Hayyan, two wounded in Bourj al-Moulouk, nine wounded in Houla, six in Kfar Kila, three in Markaba and one in Yaroun.
The number of wounded then rose to 29, after a soldier and three civilians came under Israeli fire on the road leading to Yaroun.
Israeli calls
For his part, the Israeli army's Arabic-speaking spokesman, Avichay Adraee, issued an urgent appeal to the inhabitants of the region, urging them “not to allow Hezbollah to return to the villages in the south”. In fact, he stressed that it was a matter of “protecting the security of Lebanon, which continues to pay the price for the irresponsible decisions taken by this group”.
In a message posted on his X account, he added: “As long as no new instructions have been announced, the previous instructions remain in force.” In this context, he specified that “the Israeli authorities will continue their military actions in the fight against Hezbollah and will ensure that the populations of southern Lebanon are not exploited for political or military purposes by the formation”.
He added that “the Israeli army had recently redeployed its troops in various areas of the south, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement”. The aim of this redeployment, he said, was “to facilitate the gradual entry of the Lebanese army and to dismantle Hezbollah's infrastructure in this region, in order to reduce the influence of this terrorist group”.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid insisted on the need for Lebanon to respect the terms of the agreement. “If Lebanon expects us to respect the terms of the ceasefire, they should start by doing so themselves”, he insisted, quoted by Israeli military radio on Tuesday. He went on to point the finger at the Israeli government, which he described as “incapable of running the country”.
Lebanese army command opinion
The Lebanese army announced that it would detonate unexploded ordnance in Naameh (Shouf) and in the Ras Baalbeck heights between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
This map illustrates the distribution of key forces in #SouthLebanon, highlighting areas of Israeli presence, #Hezbollah activity, and #LebaneseArmy deployments, as of January 28. pic.twitter.com/606thA5tIr
— This is Beirut (@ThisIsBeirut_) January 28, 2025
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