On Tuesday morning, the Israeli occupation forces penetrated towards the banks of the Litani River in southern Lebanon, in a new incursion into the Lebanese interior about a week before the end of the sixty-day deadline for withdrawal from Lebanon, while they carried out an explosion of a house in the town of Burj al-Muluk, which is inhabited by a Christian majority, which is one of the rare times that houses are blown up in Christian villages.

The official Lebanese National News Agency reported that the Israeli army "burned a two-story house in Burj al-Muluk, and also burned machinery and equipment belonging to the Ward Company, which is responsible for the Litani Project, Project 800."

Burj al-Muluk is located on a hill to the west of the border town of Kfar Kila, and enjoys a strategic location as it separates the border villages from the Litani River. Israeli forces advanced into it for the first time two weeks before the ceasefire agreement came into effect, after taking control of Kfar Kila.

The Israeli incursion continued southward, as Israeli forces entered at dawn from the town of Bani Hayyan towards Wadi al-Saluqi, and carried out massive bombing operations in Wadi al-Saluqi towards the town of Taloussa in Marjeyoun District. An Israeli mechanized force penetrated from the town of al-Taybeh towards the town of Adshit al-Qusayr, located on the banks of the Litani River from the direction of Wadi al-Hujayr.

It is known that Wadi al-Hujayr is of strategic importance to both Hezbollah and Israel, given its location in the central sector of southern Lebanon, which includes the villages of Taybeh, Adshit al-Qusayr, Deir Siryan and Qantara on the eastern side of the valley. It is connected to the west by the villages of Frun and al-Ghandouriya, and is bordered to the north by the Litani River at a distance of 2 kilometers, while Adaisseh and Rab Talatin are located on its southern border with the Galilee.

These villages are called in military terms "the single axis of advance", so whoever controls Wadi al-Hujayr must hold these villages and their hills together. Wadi al-Hujayr is located on the borders of the Litani River, and is the second closest region to the border with Israel, and there are several strategic heights in the surrounding area.

Withdrawal from Bint Jbeil

Despite field information indicating that Israeli forces had begun withdrawing from the southeastern outskirts of Bint Jbeil towards the town of Maroun al-Ras, after 4 hours of incursion and assault on citizens’ property, the Israeli side carried out a massive bombing operation in the town of Bani Hayyan, the echoes of which were heard in many southern areas, according to the National News Agency.

In Bint Jbeil district, the Israeli army blew up a number of houses in the town of Yaroun in Bint Jbeil district. Lebanese media reported seeing smoke billowing from the center of the town, while explosions were heard throughout the villages of the district. Drones and reconnaissance aircraft were also present in the skies of the western and central sectors.

New Israeli Sites

On the other hand, the newspaper "Israel Today" reported that along the border with Lebanon, preparations are continuing to deploy new sites where Israeli army forces will be stationed, and construction teams are still preparing new sites. According to the Northern Command plan, most of the sites will be established between the settlements and the border fence.

The ceasefire went into effect on November 27, 2024, after a confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah. The agreement, brokered by the United States, stipulates that the Israeli army will withdraw from the areas it has entered within a 60-day period ending on January 26, while the Lebanese army and the United Nations peacekeeping force (UNIFIL) will reinforce their deployment in place of the Israeli forces and Hezbollah.

Under the agreement, the party must withdraw its forces to the north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers from the border with Israel, and dismantle any military infrastructure there.

Under the agreement, a five-member committee, including the United States, France, Lebanon, Israel, and UNIFIL, will monitor compliance with its provisions and deal with violations reported by any of the conflicting parties.