BEIRUT: Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun received a written message from Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Monday, who affirmed his “readiness to work with Lebanon to develop the friendly relations between the two countries and to support cooperation in a way that better serves both peoples.”

The Chinese president emphasized in the message, delivered by the Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Qian Minjian, “the unwavering support of his country for Lebanon in maintaining its sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as providing assistance to the Lebanese side in economic development and improving the living conditions of its people.”

Forming the first government under Aoun remains a subject of consultations between the designated Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and the relevant parties.

Aoun has said “the swift formation of the government sends a positive signal to the outside world that Lebanon is on the right track.”

Israel, meanwhile, continued demolishing homes and infrastructure in several border areas of Lebanon.

Israeli tanks and bulldozers blocked the Wadi Saluki road on Mondah, which connects the border towns of Bani Hayyan and Qabrikha.

An Israeli tank stationed itself in the town of Tallousa, prompting the Lebanese Armed Forces to postpone redeployment in the town.

The Israeli activity has escalated five days before the expiration of the 60-day deadline for a complete withdrawal from the southern border area under the ceasefire agreement.

Israeli forces also bulldozed a cemetery in the town of Dhayra and uprooted trees in its vicinity.

Troops also advanced to Mays Al-Jabal, demolishing industrial and sports facilities, farms, and roads with bulldozers.

The Israeli military conducted an extensive sweep operation in the town of Khiam, setting properties on fire, with smoke rising in the area.

Three Lebanese farmers were arrested between Ain Arab and Wazzani, while artillery shelling targeted the Sadana area in the Shebaa Farms and the outskirts of Kafr Shuba.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese military reinforced its units in the city of Bint Jbeil, repositioning in Al-Dora area in the direction of the border town of Yaroun.

It established a presence at 10 sites along the main and secondary roads from Bint Jbeil to Yaroun, Maroun Al-Ras, and Aitaroun, areas where Israeli forces are still present.

Lebanese Army Command announced that “some units are continuing to reinforce their deployment in the towns of Ain Ebel, Dibel and Rmeish, the Bint Jbeil area in the western sector, and the towns of Bint Jbeil and Ainatha in the central sector, following the withdrawal of the Israeli forces.”

The operation was being conducted in coordination with UNIFIL and the Quintet Committee, which is supervising the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.

The Army Command said specialized units were conducting engineering surveys, clearing roads, removing debris, and addressing unexploded ordnance and suspicious objects left behind by Israel.

The Lebanese Army prohibited citizens from approaching the area, urging them to “adhere to the instructions of military units until the deployment is completed.”

The municipality of Bint Jbeil has urged residents to delay their return to the city and the town of Ainata.

Civil defense teams are still working to retrieve the bodies and remains of Hezbollah fighters killed during clashes with the Israeli army in advanced positions in the south.

Remains were retrieved in Khiam, and a body was recovered in the town of Maroun Al-Ras.

The General Directorate of General Security, meanwhile, warned citizens in a statement on Monday of “the dangers of interacting with the SAWA page on Facebook, as it is likely linked to Mossad and aims to recruit Lebanese citizens to work for it.”

Last Friday, the Lebanese Army announced “the arrest of a Lebanese citizen from the southern town of Beit Lif on suspicion of being recruited by Israeli Mossad through Facebook.”

Security information indicated that the suspected agent “headed to Israel with the help of an Israeli drone that hovered above him and guided him to the path leading to crossing the Lebanese border. His mission involved photographing Hezbollah sites in exchange for monetary payments.”

A Lebanese person from the town of At-Tiri, who is a former combat medic for Hezbollah and served as a nurse at the party’s Al-Rasoul Al-Azam Hospital, was previously arrested after being recruited by Mossad through Facebook.

GAZA/CAIRO: Palestinians began searching on Monday for thousands of Gazans believed still buried under rubble, as residents expressed shock at the devastation wrought by 15 months of war on the enclave on the second day of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The truce in the 15-month-old conflict, which has laid waste to the Gaza Strip and inflamed the Middle East, took effect on Sunday with the release of the first three hostages held by Hamas and 90 Palestinians freed from Israeli jails.
Now attention is starting to shift to the rebuilding of the coastal enclave which the Israeli military has demolished in retaliation for a Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
That assault killed 1,200 people with around 250 hostages taken into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. In the subsequent conflict, more than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed, Gaza’s health ministry says.
“We are searching for 10,000 martyrs whose bodies remain under the rubble,” said Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson of the Palestinian Civil Emergency Services.
At least 2,840 bodies were melted and there were no traces of them, he said.
Displaced Gazan Mohamed Gomaa lost his brother and nephew in the war.
“It was a big shock, and the amount (of people) feeling shocked is countless because of what happened to their homes — it’s destruction, total destruction. It’s not like an earthquake or a flood, no no, what happened is a war of extermination,” he said.
With a growing flow of aid into the Palestinian enclave, residents flocked into markets, with some expressing happiness at the lower prices and the presence of new food items like imported chocolates.
“The prices have gone down, the war is over and the crossing is open to more goods,” said Aya Mohammad-Zaki, a displaced woman from Gaza City, who has been sheltering in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza Strip.
The deal requires 600 truckloads of aid to be allowed into Gaza every day of the initial six-week ceasefire, including 50 carrying fuel. Half of the aid trucks would be delivered to the north, where experts have warned famine is imminent.
Warning shots
Residents and medics in Gaza said that for the most part the ceasefire appeared to be holding, although there were isolated incidents. Medics said eight people had been hit by Israeli fire since Monday morning in the southern city of Rafah, without giving details of their condition.
The Israeli military said it fired warning shots against suspects who approached troops deployed according to the ceasefire agreement.
One of the Israeli women hostages released on Sunday, Emily Damari, posted a message on Instagram on Monday.
“I have returned to life, my loved ones,” she wrote, “I am the happiest in the world, to just be,” said Damari, a British-Israeli citizen.
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where most of the freed Palestinian detainees returned, Nidaa Zaghebi was finally able to embrace her three children who she had left behind after her arrest by Israeli forces.
Zaghebi’s daughters Sadan and Cilla were in tears as they hugged their mother when she arrived at their home, wearing a crown of flowers and wrapped in a traditional Palestinian scarf.
“I used to dream of them every night, and imagine what they were doing. I know the family here were very supportive and took good care of them, but motherhood overcomes all other feelings,” she told Reuters.
Billions of dollars will be needed to rebuild Gaza after the war. A UN damage assessment released this month showed that clearing over 50 million tons of rubble left in the aftermath of Israel’s bombardment could take 21 years and cost up to $1.2 billion.
A UN report from last year, said rebuilding Gaza’s shattered homes could take at least until 2040, but could drag on for many decades. The debris is believed to be contaminated with asbestos, with some refugee camps struck during the war known to have been built with the material.
A UN Development Programme official said on Sunday that development in Gaza has been set back by 69 years as a result of the conflict.
Israel said its goal in the war was to eradicate Hamas and destroy the tunnel network it built underground.