By Yusuf Alioglu
ISTANBUL (AA) - The Israeli army on Saturday committed 22 violations of the cease-fire agreement with Lebanon, bringing the total number of violations since the agreement began on Wednesday to 60, according to a tally compiled through Israeli army announcements and news sources, including Lebanon’s National News Agency.
According to various news reports, Saturday's violations were concentrated in the districts of Marjayoun and Bint Jbeil in the Nabatieh Governorate, the districts of Tyre and Sidon in the South Governorate, and the Baalbek district in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate of eastern Lebanon.
These violations led to the deaths of two people and injuries to 10 others.
- In the Marjayoun district, an Israeli drone launched an attack on the town of Rab El Thalathine, resulting in two deaths and two injuries, according to the Lebanese news agency. There was also artillery shelling on the town of Rab El Thalathine and the Taybeh Project, a water pumping station located in the town of Taybeh.
- Israeli forces also attacked the vicinity of the towns of Bani Haiyyan and Markaba.
- In the city of Marjayoun, the Israeli army fired an artillery shell and targeted several neighborhoods of the city with machine gunfire, preventing residents from checking on their homes and properties.
- In the Bint Jbeil district, Israeli forces carried out incursions in the town of Aytaroun, where movements of Israeli vehicles and soldiers were observed in some areas of the town, with soldiers setting fire to a car.
- An Israeli Merkava tank also crushed several cars and surrounded some families in the same town, before the International Committee of the Red Cross intervened to evacuate them.
- In Aytaroun, Israeli soldiers raised barricades on several roads in the area of Marj al-Abd and destroyed roads in the al-Mtayt area.
- In the town of Chaqra, residents reported an Israeli airstrike at dawn on the outskirts of the town, and the same area was subjected to intermittent artillery shelling.
- In the city of Bint Jbeil, Israeli soldiers stationed at the outskirts of the town of Maroun al-Ras opened machine gunfire at the Bint Jbeil central government building, while Lebanese gendarmerie were inspecting the damages.
- Israeli soldiers stationed at the same location also fired at city of Bint Jbeil, preventing residents from returning to the city.
- Israeli soldiers also opened fire at the town of Maroun al-Ras.
- In the Tyre district, an Israeli drone struck a car in the town of Majdal Zoun, injuring three people, including a child, according to the Ministry of Health.
- In the Sidon district, Israeli warplanes carried out two airstrikes on the Tibneh area in the town of Beisariyah, injuring one person, according to the Ministry of Health.
- In the Baalbek district, Israeli drones flew at low altitude over the city of Baalbek, the center of the district, and neighboring towns.
- The Israeli army, meanwhile, claimed to have attacked four targets in southern and central Lebanon on the same day, alleging they posed a "threat" to Israel.
- It mentioned that an Israeli warplane struck a vehicle in an undisclosed area in southern Lebanon, claiming that "militants were transporting military equipment."
- The army also stated that one of its units attacked a number of individuals after they reached a building in an undisclosed area in southern Lebanon, alleging that the force "found weapons" after searching the location.
- The Israeli army further claimed that one of its warplanes also bombed what it called "rocket platforms in a Hezbollah site in the Sidon district" of southern Lebanon.
- Additionally, it claimed that one of its drones attacked a military vehicle in an undisclosed location deep in Lebanon, alleging that it "was working within Hezbollah's missile production infrastructure."
Since the early hours of Wednesday, a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Lebanon has been in effect, halting mutual bombardment that began on Oct. 8, 2023.
On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, the Israeli army committed 38 violations of the agreement.
Under the terms of the cease-fire, Israel will withdraw its forces south of the Blue Line de facto border in a phased manner, while the Lebanese army will deploy its forces in southern Lebanon within 60 days.
Implementation of the agreement is to be overseen by the US and France, but details on enforcement mechanisms remain unclear.
More than 3,960 people were killed and more than 16,500 injured in Israeli attacks in Lebanon and over 1 million displaced since October last year, according to Lebanese health authorities.
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala