Israel Warns Residents of Southern Lebanon; Macron Calls for Adherence to Ceasefire

The Israeli army has warned residents in certain areas of southern Lebanon to refrain from returning to their homes until further notice; meanwhile, the French President has urged the parties involved in the Lebanese ceasefire to fulfill their commitments as soon as possible. According to a statement from the French Presidency, Emmanuel Macron emphasized during a phone conversation on Saturday, January 26, with his Lebanese counterpart, Joseph Aoun, that he is making efforts to maintain the ceasefire. According to AFP, Macron called on all parties to comply with their obligations under the ceasefire agreement as soon as possible. Under the ceasefire agreement, the 60-day deadline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon ends today (Sunday, January 26); during this period, Hezbollah was supposed to withdraw to the north of the Litani River, and Lebanese army forces were to be stationed in these areas. Israel announced on Saturday that due to the incomplete implementation of the ceasefire terms by Beirut, its forces would temporarily continue to be present in southern Lebanon after Sunday. The White House also supported Israel's decision and called for an immediate extension of the ceasefire. The U.S. stated that extending the ceasefire in Lebanon is an urgent necessity. Lebanese officials have accused Israel of 'delaying' the withdrawal and implementation of the agreement. Israel and the Hezbollah group, which is supported by Iran, reached a ceasefire agreement on November 28 after about two months of full-scale war, mediated by the U.S. and France. Meanwhile, the Israeli army has asked residents of dozens of villages in southern Lebanon to refrain from returning to their homes until further notice. Avichai Adraee, the Arabic-speaking spokesperson for the Israeli army, released a map and a video message on social media platform X stating that 'no return to the villages marked on the map is permitted until further notice.' According to the map released by the Israeli army spokesperson, these villages extend from Shebaa (about two kilometers from the border) to Al-Mansouri (about ten kilometers from the border of the two countries). Previously, the Israeli army had stated that in recent days it had identified and targeted several active Hezbollah weapons storage centers and observation posts in southern Lebanon. On the other hand, the Lebanese army has also urged residents of southern Lebanon to wait to return to their homes due to the presence of Israeli mines and unexploded ordnance. The Lebanese army also emphasized that since the beginning of the ceasefire, it has continued to deploy its forces in the south of the Litani River, attributing some complexities and delays in this deployment to Israel's 'delay.' The war between Israel and Hezbollah has displaced over one million people in Lebanon. Israel has stated that the purpose of its operations in Lebanon is to confront Hezbollah and ensure border security for the return of tens of thousands of Israelis to their homes.