UMVA has learned that uncertainty continues to shroud a potential ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon, as the Israeli military persists in its strikes on its northern neighbor.
The ongoing conflict has raised concerns about a wider regional war, with Iran insisting that fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon must cease as a condition for its own peace deal with the United States.
Fresh violence erupted on Friday, with four people killed in Israeli strikes in the towns of Nabatiyeh and Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military had warned residents of six towns and villages, including south Lebanon’s Sarafand, to evacuate immediately, citing Hezbollah’s alleged violations of the ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted a message on social media, telling residents in the affected areas that the IDF “do not intend to harm you,” but felt compelled to act against Hezbollah. Residents of three villages north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon were also warned to leave their homes.
Lebanon’s National News reported “mass displacement” from the three villages named in the warning. The development comes as Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem demanded a comprehensive ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
In a separate development, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun spoke out against Iran in an exclusive interview, slamming Tehran for using his country as a “bargaining chip” in its conflict with the U.S. and Israel. Aoun said the Lebanese people near the border are “fed up” with war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, has admitted to carrying out around 20 attacks on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon on Friday, allegedly in response to Israeli ceasefire violations and previous strikes on Lebanese villages.
The conflict has dire humanitarian implications, with a new United Nations World Food Programme report warning that a drawn-out Middle East war could push tens of millions more people into acute hunger. The WFP director said millions of people are struggling to meet basic food needs due to rising costs of staples like rice and wheat.
The crisis is already having a devastating impact on countries like Somalia, where six million people are currently considered acutely food insecure. The WFP projects that 2.5 million Somalians would be unable to afford basic foodstuffs by the end of the year.
