Lebanon08 October, 20262 min read
Israeli Patrols And Drones Continue In Zuțūr Al-Gharbiyah As EU Extends UNIFIL Mandate
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Israeli patrols pass close to Zuțū Al-Gharbiyah as drones dominate the skies. EU extends UNIFIL mandate in Lebanon.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Hezbollah Announces Up To $14,000 Housing Allowances For Displaced People In Lebanon →
No return, no withdrawal
Maryam al-Yagi described daily life in southern Lebanon’s Zuțūr al-Gharbiyah as Israeli patrols pass close to her home and a small Israeli surveillance drone is often overhead in her garden.
Maryam al-Yagi said Israeli forces had withdrawn from Zuțūr al-Gharbiyah in July last year, but she described the situation as one she has grown used to from just a few hundred meters away.
An Israeli army spokesman told Reuters that work to remove the threat posed by Hezbollah’s weapons is not yet complete, and he said drones are used to monitor threats.
The spokesperson for the U.S. State Department told the agency that the experimental-area process represents “the only viable path” to security for Lebanon and Israel, and he said disarming Hezbollah “is an integral part of this process.”
UNIFIL mandate and EU push
The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told AFP that the EU was in favor of extending the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, Finul, and she said member states are concerned about the end of the Finul mandate. Kaja Kallas said a renewal of the mandate, which expires on December 31, 2026, would be extremely welcome, and she urged that someone verify that the parties are respecting their commitments.
UNIFIL has about 7,500 personnel from nearly 50 countries, and the UN Security Council decided in August 2025 under pressure from the United States to terminate UNIFIL’s mandate on December 31 of the following year. UNIFIL’s position near the border with Israel was subjected to fire with light weapons, and UNIFIL said in a statement that it opened an investigation into the incident.
Stakes for sovereignty
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Thursday that Israel is violating the contents of the “Framework Agreement” signed between Beirut and Tel Aviv under American mediation, and he said Israel continues aggressive actions in villages and towns of southern Lebanon.
Joseph Aoun told a meeting with U.S. Senator James Klannford of Oklahoma that Lebanon needs to stop Israel from destroying homes and properties in occupied villages and towns and to complete the return of prisoners.
An Israeli military source said Israel does not plan to withdraw from southern Lebanon at this time, and the source said the process of identifying and dismantling Hezbollah’s infrastructure will take years.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stressed that the Constitution forms the framework on which the existence of the Lebanese state is organized, and he said sovereignty is not complete if decisions of war and peace are made outside constitutional institutions.