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
01:07Israeli army to control a series of Lebanese border villages, a move it considers key to
01:13protecting nearby Israeli communities. The positions offer a direct view of the towns
01:18and villages of Kfar Kila, Aita al-Shaab, Marun al-Ras, Aitarun, Bleda, Markaba and Hula,
01:26among the most destroyed by Israeli strikes and ground operations. Satellite images show that all
01:32buildings near the Hatsivoni military outpost between Hula and Markaba have been destroyed.
01:38Surrounded by fortifications, including those made of earthen embankments,
01:43The positions of approximately one to two hectares in size are usually made up of a larger section
01:49housing temporary buildings and a smaller part generally for military vehicles.
01:54The westernmost outpost in Labounet appears to have been built around 150 meters from a United
02:01Nations peacekeepers 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
02:26systematic demolition of buildings and infrastructure in villages closest to the border, an area that was
02:33also heavily bombed. According to a comparison of satellite images by American researchers Corey Schur
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 percent destroyed, with Aita al-Shaab and Yarin at 57 percent and 55 percent
02:56destroyed respectively.
Comments