Lebanese army reports Israeli breach of border fence in south

By Saber Ghanem Ibrahım Eıd and Betul Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) – Israeli army forces breached a border fence in southern Lebanon on Sunday, in the latest violation of a ceasefire agreement, the Lebanese army said.

“Various engineering and military vehicles belonging to the Israeli enemy crossed the border fence and intended to carry out bulldozing operations on the outskirts of Rmeish, Bint Jbeil, in a blatant violation of Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire agreement,” the army said in a statement.

It added that the army forces were deployed in the area to confront Israeli troops, and a patrol force of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) documented the violation.

The Israeli forces later withdrew from the area, the statement said.

There was no immediate comment from the UNIFIL or Israel on the Lebanese army statement.

Cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon escalated into a full-scale war in September 2024. Despite a November ceasefire, Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah’s activities.

Since then, Lebanese authorities have reported nearly 3,000 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 255 people and injuries to more than 560.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Tel Aviv refused to comply.

Israel still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.