Norwegian Refugee Council Says Israeli Military Zones Keep Lebanon Civilians From Returning Home

Ceasefire extensions have reduced the scale of attacks, but civilians in Lebanon remain unable to return safely because Israeli-declared military zones, unexploded ordnance, and access restrictions are keeping many families from going back home.

NRC Country Director in Lebanon Maureen Philippon said, “When homes, roads, water systems, health facilities, schools and civilian infrastructure are destroyed, it means longer displacement, lost livelihoods, disrupted education, and families pushed deeper into debt.”

Al Jazeera

The Norwegian Refugee Council reported that initial building damage assessments indicate that the cost of direct building damage south of the Litani River alone has reached 1.38 billion US dollars.

Afaf, who recently returned to her village of Sohmour in West Bekaa, said, “Honestly, we don’t feel like there’s a ceasefire. We still hear drones flying overhead all the time, as if nothing has changed.”

The NRC said return is also blocked because homes have been destroyed or basic services are unavailable, leaving families trapped between unsafe return, destroyed homes, and prolonged displacement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told troops in the southern Lebanon security zone that Israel’s military presence would continue “as long as Hezbollah remains here, armed and threatening us.”

Netanyahu said, “we will not leave southern Lebanon until the threat has been eliminated. And as long as Hezbollah remains here, armed and threatening us, we will remain here as well.”

Al Jazeera

The Times of Israel reported that Netanyahu credited soldiers’ work for a recent agreement between Israel, Lebanon, and the US that demands Hezbollah’s disarmament to enable an Israeli withdrawal, and the visit included Defense Minister Israel Katz and Deputy IDF Chief of Staff Tamir Yadai.

The same report said Defense Minister Katz stated Israel has “no territorial ambitions in Lebanon,” but that the IDF will not withdraw “a millimeter” until the terror group is disarmed.

In parallel, the report said Lebanese state media claimed an Israeli strike hit the country’s south between the towns of Qantara and Deir Seryan, while the IDF said a Hezbollah operative was killed in a strike near the village of Manzleh.

A UNIFIL peacekeeper was killed and two others were wounded after artillery fire struck his base near Marjayoun in southeastern Lebanon, with the UNIFIL mission describing the attacks against the Blue Helmets as grave violations of international humanitarian law and Security Council Resolution 1701.

UNIFIL said the peacekeeper was a Serbian national who received emergency medical care after the attack and was evacuated by helicopter to a hospital in Beirut, where he died, according to a statement.

The French Foreign Ministry expressed its deep distress and called on all parties to refrain under all circumstances from endangering the safety of United Nations personnel, while UNIFIL said the circumstances and responsibilities are the subject of an investigation led by UNIFIL.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the killing as “murder,” calling for respect of the ceasefire, according to his spokesman.

The report said UNIFIL has lost seven peacekeepers in Lebanon since the resumption of hostilities in March, and it noted that the source of the artillery fire was not clear while exchanges of fire between the Israeli army and Hezbollah fighters intensified.