BEIRUT: Lebanese official media said the Israeli army handed over seven people to United Nations peacekeepers at the border on Sunday, amid a delicate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
“The Israeli enemy handed over seven freed citizens, who were detained by the enemy after the ceasefire,” the official National News Agency (NNA) reported.
Israel stepped up its campaign in south Lebanon in late September after nearly a year of cross-border exchanges begun by Hezbollah in support of Hamas following its Palestinian ally’s October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel.
A ceasefire came into effect on November 27. Both sides have accused the other of repeated violations.
The NNA said the seven were handed over to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) at Ras Naqura on the border, then transported to hospital for check-ups by the Lebanese Red Cross, accompanied by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
They were subsequently transferred by “military intelligence” to a headquarters in the southern city of Sidon for investigation, the NNA said.
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A UNIFIL spokesperson confirmed the Israeli army released seven civilians at the force’s Ras Naqura position, in coordination with the Lebanese Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The Israeli army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The November 27 ceasefire put an end to more than a year of hostilities including two months of all-out war between the Israeli army and Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Under the terms of the truce, the Lebanese army is to deploy in south Lebanon alongside UN peacekeepers as the Israeli army withdraws over a period of 60 days.
Hezbollah is required to withdraw its forces north of the Litani river, about 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border, and dismantle its military infrastructure in the south.
The NNA reported Sunday that the Israeli army “carried out major bombing operations in the town of Kfar Kila”, and also said the military “blew up a number of houses” in the Bint Jbeil district, decrying “repeated attacks on occupied southern villages”.
The Israeli army said in a statement on Sunday that soldiers “located and destroyed a combat compound containing eight weapon storage facilities” in south Lebanon, “acting in accordance with the ceasefire and understandings between Israel and Lebanon”.
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