BEIRUT: An Israeli force on Wednesday advanced into the Lebanese town of Taybeh, conducted extensive searches in the area up to Adchit Al-Qusayr and set fire to several homes.

Separately, an Israeli drone struck an area between Wadi Khansa and Al-Majidiya in the Hasbaya district.

The Israeli army is using the remaining time in the ceasefire deal with Hezbollah to establish control over the Lebanese border area.

A security source reported that the Israeli army reinstalled surveillance cameras and listening devices along the border.

The official National News Agency reported that the Israeli army “completed the construction of the concrete separation wall along the Blue Line from Yarin to Dahira.”

As the Lebanese army continues to establish positions in areas vacated by the Israeli army and prepares to enter the town of Hanine in the Bint Jbeil district, a number of residents from the towns of Al-Bayyadah, Shamaa, Alma Al-Shaab and Naqoura in the western sector were permitted to visit their hometowns.

Activists on social media circulated statements urging local populations to “prepare for Sunday, the date by which, according to the ceasefire agreement, the Israeli withdrawal from the border area should have occurred, allowing people to return to their towns.”

However, the Israeli army has continued to prohibit locals from entering the towns, using gunfire as a warning.

A statement issued to residents of Khiam urged caution and advised against hasty returns, “pending an official announcement from the relevant authorities to assess the security situation, as well as from the Lebanese Army, which is expected to clarify the situation on Saturday evening and determine whether a safe return is feasible.”

The statement said: “We are dealing with a treacherous enemy. Do not grant them the opportunity for betrayal, aggression, murder, bombardment and destruction once again.”

In support of the Lebanese Army, the European Council approved on Wednesday a third aid measure under the European Peace Facility, amounting to €60 million ($62 million) for the army.

The measure, according to a statement, “contributes to enhancing the capabilities of the Lebanese army to enable it — in line with Resolution 1701 — to redeploy and secure and maintain stability in the South Litani sector.

“This contributes to protecting the civilian population in the area, and works to enhance the operational capabilities and effectiveness of the Lebanese army, to contribute to national and regional security, thus allowing displaced civilians on both sides to return to their homes.”

Kaja Kallas, EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, said: “This new assistance represents a significant increase in the EU’s support to the Lebanese Armed Forces within the framework of the European Peace Facility, at a crucial stage in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel.

“The Lebanese Armed Forces are essential for regional and local stability, and deserve our full support in carrying out their sensitive mission. The EU and its member states remain strongly committed to supporting Lebanese state institutions and renewing the EU-Lebanon partnership.”

The resolution affirmed “the EU’s commitment to supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces’ capacity to redeploy in the South Litani sector, particularly following the 60-day ceasefire agreement.

“The Lebanese Armed Forces’ plan to redeploy in the South Litani sector is essential to accompany international efforts to achieve a permanent ceasefire and implement resolution 1701,” it said.

“The Lebanese Armed Forces is the main guarantor, alongside UNIFIL, to create the necessary security conditions to restore stability and security for the population on both sides of the border.”

Meanwhile, Sheikh Mohammed Khalil Hamadeh, a Hezbollah official in Western Bekaa, was shot in front of his home by unknown assailants on Tuesday evening. He was hit by six bullets and died in hospital.

It was the first assassination in Lebanese territory since a ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel went into effect 57 days ago.

An investigation has been launched to identify the perpetrators and the motives of the assassination, especially as Sheikh Hamadeh was a well-known figure in the region.

In a statement, Hezbollah mourned Hamadeh, describing him as “a leader and a warrior, who was martyred.”

Security information said that the gunmen who assassinated him were “driving a civilian car with tinted windows.”

Bekaa MP Ghassan Skaf did not rule out the potential involvement of Israeli spy agency Mossad, “which operates without being bound by any truce.”

He said: “The last war proved that the number of agents inside Lebanon, especially within the supportive environment of Hezbollah, was greater than even the party itself expected. Therefore, even if Israel were to withdraw completely from Lebanon, it would not halt its policy of assassinations.”

In another development, Layal Alekhtiar, Al Arabiya channel’s anchor, landed in Beirut on Wednesday and was accompanied by security forces from the airport to the Justice Palace in Beirut.

A search and arrest warrant was issued against her in November 2023 by the Lebanese Military Public Prosecution.

The warrant followed an inquiry initiated at the behest of individuals close to Hezbollah, following Alekhtiar’s live interview with Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee on Al Arabiya.

Lebanese law forbids interactions with Israelis.

A Lebanese security source said: “Alekhtiar was immediately referred to the first investigative judge in Beirut Fadi Sawan at the Justice Palace. Following the interrogation, Alekhtiar was released on bail for 50 million Lebanese pounds ($558).”

Two months after Hezbollah opened a front to support Hamas, Alekhtiar sparked outrage among Hezbollah supporters when she interviewed Adraee on Al Arabiya and addressed him as “ustaz” (mister) and thanked him as “the Israeli army spokesman.”

Alekhtiar had described the complaint against her on social media as “a blatant political persecution in the form of judicial repression,” adding that “this has nothing to do with truth and justice.”

She addressed those who filed the complaint, saying: “They are the ones who plundered the state, bankrupted the people, and gave up the nation’s sovereignty and wealth. They are now covering up their crimes with fabrications to suppress freedoms.”

She added: “You will never affect my freedom, my dignity and my convictions no matter what you do.”

JENIN: A Palestinian official reported shooting and explosions in the flashpoint West Bank town of Jenin on Wednesday as Israeli forces pressed a raid that the military described as a “counterterrorism” operation.
“The situation is very difficult,” Kamal Abu Al-Rub, the governor of Jenin, told AFP.
“The occupation army has bulldozed all the roads leading to the Jenin camp, and leading to the Jenin Governmental Hospital... There is shooting and explosions,” he added.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces launched an operation in Jenin which Palestinian officials said killed 10 people, just days after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in the Gaza Strip.
According to Abu Al-Rub, Israeli forces detained around 20 people from villages near Jenin, a bastion of Palestinian militancy.
The Israeli military said it had launched a “counterterrorism operation” in the area, and had “hit over 10 terrorists.”
“Additionally, aerial strikes on terror infrastructure sites were conducted and numerous explosives planted on the routes by the terrorists were dismantled,” it said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The Israeli forces are continuing the operation.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed to continue the assault.
“It is a decisive operation aimed at eliminating terrorists in the camp,” Katz said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the military would not allow a “terror front” to be established there.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military and the Shin Bet security agency announced that, in coordination with the Border Police, they had launched an operation named “Iron Wall” in the area.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the raid aimed to “eradicate terrorism” in Jenin.
He linked the operation to a broader strategy of countering Iran “wherever it sends its arms — in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen,” and the West Bank.
The Israeli government has accused Iran, which supports armed groups across the Middle East, including Hamas in Gaza, of attempting to funnel weapons and funds to militants in the West Bank.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “maximum restraint” from Israeli security forces and expressed deep concern, according to his deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq.
Jenin and its refugee camp are known strongholds of Palestinian militant groups, and Israeli forces frequently carry out raids targeting armed factions in the area.
Violence has surged throughout the occupied West Bank since the Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 848 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza conflict began.
Meanwhile, at least 29 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the territory during the same period, according to official Israeli figures.