Lebanon fears Israel set to occupy five border areas beyond withdrawal deadline

Concerns escalate after Israeli troops installed heavy surveillance equipment in strategic areas of south Lebanon

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Lebanon fears that Israel is planning to occupy five strategically chosen hilltop areas in the south beyond February 18, the deadline for Israel’s full withdrawal from the country, sources in Beirut told The National.

Concerns escalated after Israeli troops installed heavy surveillance equipment in the areas, according to the sources, who also noted that Lebanese officials have not been formally notified of any such plans. The sources added that officials in Beirut are seeking clarifications from US mediators and other parties involved in implementing the ceasefire agreement that ended the war between Hezbollah and Israel.

“Fear is growing that Israel seeks to remain for a long time in five points inside Lebanese territory adjacent to the border with Israel,” a Lebanese political source said. “It is believed that the Israeli forces have transferred advanced military and surveillance equipment to these points and installed them there, which means that they do not intend to withdraw from them by the end of the deadline extended to February 18,” he added.

The areas include Jabal Blat, a mountainous region less than 1km from the border with Israel and about 10km from the coast, the nearby Labbouneh area, and the three adjacent hills of Al Azziyeh, Al Awidah, and El Hamames, further north-east and closer to the Syrian-occupied Golan region. “These points are located in high areas and directly overlook some settlements in northern Israel such as Metula and Shlomi and Zarit,” explained the source.

A security source in Beirut confirmed that defence and intelligence officials are aware of “attempts by Israel to build a case” and occupy “four or five locations” in the south of Lebanon beyond February 18, but did not name the areas. “These are strategic locations and the current assessment is that Israelis don’t want to leave them soon,” added the security source.

The 60-day truce, which ended the war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, was originally expected to lead to a permanent ceasefire on January 26 and a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon. However, the truce expired with Israeli troops still stationed in southern villages.

The Israeli army, which killed 24 Lebanese civilians attempting to return to their homes in the occupied territories, told mediators it needed more time to dismantle Hezbollah’s infrastructure. But Lebanese sources claimed that Israel also aimed to test Hezbollah’s reaction while continuing to render the border villages “uninhabitable”.

“Lebanon had no choice but to accept. The only way to save face was to demand negotiations and the release of Hezbollah and other prisoners,” a senior Lebanese security source told The National last week.

Israeli military vehicles in the southern Lebanese village of Marwahin. AFP

Israel previously occupied south Lebanon between 1982 and 2000, when it left in a chaotic withdrawal following years of clashes with Hezbollah and other militant groups in the area. In November, before the ceasefire was reached, Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said in a response to a question from The National that his army had "no intention or desire" to occupy Lebanon, and that "when this situation with Hezbollah is sorted" its forces would withdraw.

Israel said its cross-border ground invasion during the war was intended to destroy Hezbollah's capabilities, but some residents of northern Israel who have been forced from their homes have called for a buffer zone to limit the risk of further attacks by the Iran-backed group.

“Israel’s actions prove that it will remain at least until February 18,” a source close to Hezbollah said, without commenting on how the group would respond to any Israeli plans to stay in Lebanon beyond the withdrawal deadline.

Earlier this week, a Lebanese security official told The National that Hezbollah’s strategy for now is to “return to its 1980s approach: pushing people to fight for their lands through lone attacks while supporting them discreetly, avoiding direct claims or public acknowledgement of the attacks”.