Naharnet

Strikes, shelling and demolitions in south Lebanon: Latest developments

Israeli strikes and shelling targeted overnight into Thursday Houla, Markaba, Wadi Slouqi, Qabrikha, al-Mansouri, Majdalzoun, Ali al-Taher and Touline, as troops carried out detonations in Zawtar al-Sahrqiyeh, Majdalzoun, al-Mansouri and al-Khiam.

The United Nations peacekeeping force in south Lebanon handed meanwhile one of its positions near al-Khardali to the Lebanese Army.

UNIFIL's mission ends this year. It now counts some 7,500 personnel from nearly 50 countries and has been in place since 1978. There is a French-Italian initiative to set up a force to replace UNIFIL, alongside Lebanon's army.

A framework agreement reached in June between Israel and Lebanon calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from south Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the region.

Despite a lull in fighting, Israel has kept up intermittent strikes and heavy demolition operations in south Lebanon, where its forces are operating in a strip of territory around 10 kilometers deep inside the Lebanese border.

Source: Naharnet


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