The army said these actions hinder the full deployment of forces in accordance with the agreement reached with Israel last month.
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“Israeli occupation forces continue their attacks and violate existing agreements and international law, systematically destroying and demolishing homes, bombing and firing automatic weapons in several southern territories,” the army statement said.
“The continuation of these attacks prevents the army from fully deploying in accordance with existing agreements and prevents residents from returning to their villages and towns,” it added.
Under the US-backed agreement signed last month, the Lebanese army is to disarm Hezbollah, and the Israeli army is to withdraw from “test zones” where Lebanese forces will later be deployed.
The agreement was reached more than three months after Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war by firing rockets at Israel in support of Tehran. This provoked large-scale Israeli air strikes and a ground invasion, which, according to Lebanese authorities, killed more than 4,300 people.
The Lebanese army also accused Israeli soldiers of “firing near army positions in Kfar Tibnit, Nabatiyeh al Fauqwa and Zawtar al Gharbiya, which hinders its missions.”
Although violence has decreased after last month’s US-Iran memorandum on the regional conflict and the Lebanon-Israel agreement, Lebanon continues to report isolated Israeli strikes and artillery shelling in the south, as well as the demolition of buildings in southern villages.
This week, the Lebanese army began deployment in Zawtar al Gharbiya – one of the “test zones” under the agreement, and in recent days, local residents have begun inspecting their homes.
Israeli forces were previously located on the outskirts of the village.
An AFP correspondent on Sunday saw extensive destruction and Lebanese soldiers in the streets, while some residents inspected their homes.
“When I entered my home, I felt sadness. The destruction hurt me,” said resident Ihsan Yaghi, surrounded by fire-blackened walls and rooms covered in debris and rubble.
“Our homes used to be full of life,” she told AFP, but promised that “we will rebuild.”
“We support the (Lebanese) army,” she said, adding that “we want to feel safe. It’s time for the state to take care of us, we are tired.”
The army statement said its soldiers “continue to escort residents’ return” to Zawtar al Gharbiya.
The army’s deployment in the south is an important test for the government, as Hezbollah refuses to disarm.
This week, in a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun emphasized “the urgent need for a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory.”
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