The Israeli army on Thursday designated ten towns in southern Lebanon that mark the zone prohibited for Lebanese to travel, as part of a new warning after 60 days of ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah which started on Wednesday.
Through a message on the social network X accompanied by a map, the Arab spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraeewarned of the ban “until further notice” and warned that “anyone traveling south of this line is putting themselves at risk.”
“It is prohibited to travel towards the south from the limits of the following localities and their surroundings, as well as within the localities themselves: Chebaa, Al-Habbariyeh, Marjayoun, Arnoun, Yahmar, Al- Qantara, Shaqra, Bara’shit, Yater, Al-Mansouri,” Adraee said.
From the first hours following the entry into force of the cessation of hostilities early Wednesday morning, Roads leading to the south and east of the country were filled with traffic jamscollapsed due to the large number of families returning to the hardest-hit areas, with 1.2 million people displaced by the conflict.
The warning joins the call made last Wednesday by the Lebanese army, which urged the country’s citizens to wait before returning to their cities.
The 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which began Wednesday, includes three stages.
First, a first truce, which will be followed by the withdrawal of Hezbollah forces north of the Litani River; the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon within 60 days; and finally negotiations between the two countries to demarcate their border, which currently corresponds to a line drawn by the UN after the 2006 war.
Since the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah on October 8, 2023, the day after the start of the war in the Gaza Strip following the Hamas attack against Israel, More than 3,800 people died and more than 15,800 were injured in Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
The vast majority of deaths, around 3,100, have occurred since Israel’s massive bombing campaign began on September 23, which has mainly affected communities in southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as the southern suburbs of Beirut, known as Dahye.
