Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, issued a post on the X platform this morning (Thursday), addressing Lebanese citizens. He reminded them of the prohibition against moving south, in line with the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon.
In his Arabic-language post, which began with “Urgent,” Col. Adraee urged Lebanese residents not to cross south of a line encompassing several villages, including Shebaa, Habbariya, Marjayoun, Arnoun, Yahmur, Al-Qantara, Shakra, Baraachit, Yatar, and Al-Mansouri.
“The IDF does not intend to harm you,” emphasized Adraee. “At this stage, it is forbidden to return to your homes south of this line until further notice.” He added, “Anyone who crosses south of this line will endanger themselves.”
#عاجل سكان لبنان, أذكركم انه حتى إشعار آخر يحظر عليكم الانتقال جنوبًا إلى خط القرى التالية ومحيطها: شبعا، الهبارية، مرجعيون، أرنون، يحمر، القنطرة، شقرا، برعشيت، ياطر، المنصوري
⭕️جيش الدفاع لا ينوي استهدافكم ولذلك يحظر عليكم في هذه المرحلة العودة إلى بيوتكم من هذا الخط جنوبًا… pic.twitter.com/6oB58ENoD2— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) December 5, 2024
Intelligence Report: Hezbollah Seeks to Rebuild
Adraee’s warning follows U.S. intelligence assessments published yesterday by Reuters, indicating that Hezbollah is exploiting the ceasefire to recover from the severe blows inflicted by the IDF. The group’s recovery efforts include ramping up weapons production and seeking creative methods to smuggle arms through Syria under increasingly challenging conditions.
It remains unclear how much Hezbollah’s recovery efforts have been curtailed since the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, which limits the group’s rearmament capabilities. However, recent Israeli airstrikes targeted Hezbollah assets, including a border crossing with Syria and weapon shipments moving southward.
According to Reuters, U.S. intelligence suggests that Hezbollah is operating at minimal capacity with limited firepower, having lost approximately 50% of its weapons stockpile, thousands of fighters, and most of its military command structure during the war.
Hochstein’s Successor: Ceasefire Should Apply to All of Lebanon
Earlier this week, Massad Boulos, President-elect Donald Trump’s newly appointed special envoy to the Middle East, gave an interview to the French newspaper Le-Point. In the interview, Boulos stated that the ceasefire agreement should apply to all of Lebanon, not just south of the Litani River.
Boulos further clarified, “The agreement is comprehensive and addresses all critical points. Initially, there was some misunderstanding, especially in Lebanon, with some believing the document applied solely to the area south of the Litani River. This is not correct. The agreement encompasses the entire country and addresses the issue of disarming all armed militias or semi-military groups.”
