00:00One year after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the Israeli army still maintains
00:08five positions in South Lebanon, with fortifications and widened access routes,
00:14according to satellite images analysed by AFP. The November 27, 2024 truce, which sought to end
00:22more than a year of hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group, required
00:28Israel to fully withdraw troops from Lebanon within 60 days. Hezbollah was to pull its forces
00:34north of the Litany River, some 30 kilometres from the Israeli border, and its military infrastructure
00:40in the area was to be dismantled. Israel has kept troops in five positions that it deems
00:47strategic, saying it wants to ensure Hezbollah does not carry out any military activities
00:52in South Lebanon. AFP was able to pinpoint these bases through satellite images from Planet Labs
01:00PBC. Located on ridges across the Blue Line, the de facto border, these positions allow the Israeli
01:07army to control a series of Lebanese border villages, a move it considers key to protecting
01:13nearby Israeli communities. The positions offer a direct view of the towns and villages of Kfar
01:19Kila, Aita al-Shaab, Maroon al-Ras, Aitaroon, Bleda, Markaba and Hula, among the most destroyed
01:27by Israeli strikes and ground operations. Satellite images show that all buildings near the
01:33Hatsivoni military outpost between Hula and Markaba have been destroyed. Surrounded by fortifications,
01:40including those made of earthen embankments, the positions of approximately one to two hectares in size
01:47are usually made up of a larger section housing temporary buildings and a smaller part generally
01:52for military vehicles. The westernmost outpost in La Bonnet appears to have been built around 150 meters
02:00from a United Nations peacekeeper's base and the Blue Line. The easternmost base, on the Hammamaze hill,
02:07is the deepest position in Lebanese territory, located around 1.5 kilometers from the border.
02:14Satellite images also show that the access roads to these positions have been significantly widened
02:20to facilitate vehicle movement. As in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army has carried out the systematic
02:26demolition of buildings and infrastructure in villages closest to the border, an area that was also
02:34heavily bombed. According to a comparison of satellite images by American researchers Corey Scherr
02:40and Jamin van den Hoek from the University of Oregon, last updated in late January, the village of
02:47Kafar Kila had been 65% destroyed, with Aita al-Shaab and Yarin at 57% and 55% destroyed respectively.
Comments