By Abdul Adil
(AA, Al Jazeera, NNA, Wafa, The Muslim News):
LEBANON
After killing at least 24 people and injured 134 in southern Lebanon on Sunday by Israeli forces and, Israeli forces so far today have shot and killed two people and wounded 17, including a child and a paramedic, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Here are the latest updates, as reported by the National News Agency of Lebanon:
One person killed and three wounded in Odaisseh
One person killed and two wounded in Bani Haiyyan
Two people wounded in Burj al-Muluk
Six people wounded in Hula
Three people wounded in Markaba
One person wounded in Yaroun
The state-run National News Agency reported that an Israeli drone dropped a bomb near the civilians this afternoon, attempting to intimidate them without causing injuries.
Lebanon denied reports that Israel had informed it of a decision to keep its forces at five border points for an additional 15 days beyond the Sunday deadline set out in a US-brokered ceasefire.
“The information circulated by some media outlets claiming that the Israeli enemy informed Lebanon that it will remain at five border points for 15 days is false,” said a statement issued by the Lebanese presidency’s media office.
President Joseph Aoun informed the ceasefire monitoring committee of his rejection of this matter, the statement added.
“President Aoun continues his internal and external communications with the parties concerned with the ceasefire agreement to ensure the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the remaining occupied southern villages,” it added.
Earlier in the day, the Lebanese army announced its support for the residents of border towns in southern Lebanon in their confrontation with the Israeli army.
Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Monday strongly expressed that there was no justification for extending Israel’s deadline to withdraw from South Lebanon.
Qassem made the statement during a televised address, saying that his group will not accept any further delay of the withdrawal process.
“The agreement’s deadline expired on Sunday, and there is no reason for any extension,” Qassem said, referring to the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel. “While Hezbollah adhered to the terms of the agreement, Israel violated it 1,350 times,” he added.
Qassem highlighted that despite these violations, Hezbollah initially refrained from retaliating. “At one point, we considered responding to Israel’s aggressions, but the Lebanese authorities urged patience,” he explained.
“While the Israeli violations were painful, we decided to be patient, leaving the responsibility to the state, as it should be the primary authority in confronting Israel.”
The statements follow the White House’s Sunday announcement of an alleged ceasefire extension between Lebanon and Israel until Feb. 18. The extension grants Israel additional time to withdraw from southern Lebanon, exceeding the original Jan. 26 deadline set under the 60-day withdrawal timeline agreed upon in November 2024. This was denied by Lebanese government.
Despite this timeline, Israel delayed its pullout, citing ambiguities in the agreement.
The Lebanese army said Monday that it deployed units in Deir Mimas, a town in the Marjayoun district of southern Lebanon, and other border areas following the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
The army stated that the units were stationed in Deir Mimas and other southern Litani border regions as part of an operation coordinated with the Five-Party Committee overseeing the ceasefire agreement, comprising Lebanon, Israel, the US, France, and UNIFIL.
The army emphasized its continued role in assisting residents returning to their villages and maintaining close coordination with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon UNIFIL to stabilize the area under UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
Resolution 1701, adopted on August 11, 2006, mandates a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, establishing a weapons-free zone between the Blue Line (marking Israel’s 2000 withdrawal from Lebanon) and the Litani River, with exceptions for Lebanese army and UNIFIL forces.
Israeli forces also seized a Lebanese citizen in the town of Wazzani and opened fire toward local residents, NNA said.
The Israeli army also fired at Lebanese soldiers stationed west of Meiss El-Jabal in southern Lebanon, the same source said.
Israeli drones also flew at medium altitude over Tyre in southern Lebanon while soldiers opened fire at residents in Zahajra town. No injuries were reported.
UN said Sunday that the deadline set under the Nov. 27 ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel has not been honored.
The Israeli army remained in the Lebanese territory after a 60-day deadline for its withdrawal from southern Lebanon passed on Sunday.
“The timelines envisaged in the November Understanding have not been met,” reads a joint statement by UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lazaro.
“As seen tragically this morning, conditions are not yet in place for the safe return of citizens to their villages along the Blue Line,” the statement said.
“Displaced communities, already facing a long road to recovery and reconstruction, are therefore once again being called on to exercise caution. Also, violations of United Nations Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) continue to be recorded daily.”
The UN said that compliance by both Israel and Lebanon to their obligations and the full implementation of UN Resolution 1701 “constitute the only way to bring closure to the recent, dark chapter of conflict and open a new one, heralding security, stability and prosperity on both sides of the Blue Line.
GAZA
A child was killed and several other civilians were injured on Monday night after Israeli forces shelled a cart drawn by an animal west of the Al-Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
Al-Awda Hospital in Gaza reported that the body of five-year-old Nadia Mohammed Al-Amoudi, along with three other injured civilians, all from the Al-Jisr area west of the camp, were brought to the facility, after Israeli shelling targeted displaced families returning to northern Gaza.
Thousands of displaced residents began returning to Gaza City and the northern Strip Monday via the coastal Al-Rasheed Street in central Gaza, after being forcibly displaced by the Israeli military during the ongoing offensive.
“Vehicles carrying displaced people and their belongings began to pass through the Netzarim Corridor via Salah al-Din Street, after undergoing a security inspection,” an eyewitness told Anadolu.
It came hours after tens of thousands began to return on foot via the coastal Al-Rashid Street to northern Gaza under a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Over 300,000 displaced Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the Gaza Media Office said Monday.
“More than 300,000 displaced people from the southern and central Gaza governorates returned to Gaza and Northern governorates today via the Rashid (west) and Salah al-Din (east) streets, after 470 days,” the office reported in a statement.
The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor expressed “deep concern” Sunday over US President Donald Trump’s proposal to resettle Gazans in Jordan and Egypt, calling for a regional and global stance opposing it.
Describing Gaza as a “demolition site,” Trump said Saturday that “we (should) just clean out” the Palestinian enclave and resettle Palestinians in Jordan and Egypt.
The Geneva-based group said these remarks, which were made after Israel egregiously violated international law by committing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza, are “deeply concerning.”
WEST BANK
Two Palestinians in their early 20s were killed and four others were injured when the Israeli occupation forces bombed a vehicle at the entrance to Nur Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarm, according to the Ministry of Health.
It said that two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli drone strike that targeted a vehicle while it was passing through Nablus Street at the entrance to the camp, causing it to catch fire.
Additionally, four local residents sustained light to moderate injuries in the attack and were rushed to the hospital for treatment.
The ministry identified the two slain Palestinians as Ramzi Bassam Dumeiri, 24, and Ihab Mohammed Etewy, 23.
Following the attack, ambulances and civil defense vehicles rushed to the scene.
Israeli forces targeted an electricity transformer in the western neighborhood of Tulkarem city on Monday evening, causing a widespread power outage in various parts of the city and its refugee camp.
WAFA correspondent reported that Israeli snipers, positioned in a building in the western neighborhood, opened heavy fire and struck the transformer, resulting in a power outage.
Israeli forces have continued their onslaught on Tulkarem city and its camp since early afternoon. The occupation troops deployed foot patrols across various areas of the city, particularly the western, eastern, southern and central districts. Forces also turned several residents’ homes into military outposts and sniper positions, firing live ammunition at any moving object.
The ongoing aggression has also caused significant damage to infrastructure, including water, internet, and electricity networks, as well as to citizens’ properties, including vehicles and commercial shops.
Israeli forces continued tonight their siege on the Martyr Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital and Al-Israa Specialized Hospital, obstructing the movement of ambulances and medical teams by stopping and inspecting the vehicles and subjecting their staff to interrogation.
Meanwhile, illegal Israeli settlers today attacked several Palestinian homes in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah.
An activist against settlements in the town, Ayed Ghafri, said that a group of settlers from the illegal colony of Ma’ale Levona attacked several homes south of the town before withdrawing from the place.
The Israeli army on Monday continued its offensive in the West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp for the seventh day.
Witnesses said the Israeli army was still cordoning off the refugee camp from all directions, and clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters along with sounds of explosions were reported.
The Israeli army also continued to demolish homes in the camp, sources said.
Mohammad Jarrar, the mayor of Jenin, on Sunday said some 15,000 people were forced to flee their homes and areas in the camp due to Israeli attacks.
He added that according to initial estimates, the Israeli army completely demolished between 30 and 40 homes in Jenin, besides hundreds of others being partially damaged.
“The Israeli army is bulldozing and destroying streets and infrastructure, creating pathways for its vehicles through the rubble of demolished Palestinian homes,” he added.
Israeli forces launched the military operation on Tuesday, and has since killed at least 16 people and injured 50 others, according to Palestinian figures.
[Photo: A view of civilian destruction by Israeli forces and the Israeli tanks are still seen despite the ceasefire agreement reached between Lebanon and Israel, at some of the areas of Aitaroun town in Nabatiyah to vacate south Lebanon on January 27, 2025. Photojournalist: Houssam Shbaro/AA]
