Israel issues warning to against approaching the border.

 The Israeli military reports that it has been confiscating Hezbollah weapons and dismantling its infrastructure in southern areas.

The Israeli army on Saturday advised residents of dozens of Lebanese villages near the border not to return home until further notice. This announcement came a day after Israel declared its forces would remain in southern Lebanon beyond a Sunday deadline for withdrawal.

A ceasefire that ended last year’s war between Hezbollah and Israel had stipulated that Israeli troops would withdraw once Hezbollah’s weapons and fighters were removed from the south, allowing the Lebanese army to take over. The agreement, brokered by the U.S. and France, set a 60-day deadline, which expires on Sunday.

However, on Friday, Israel stated that the terms of the agreement had not been fully enforced by the Lebanese state, necessitating its troops’ continued presence in the area, without specifying how long they would stay. Lebanon’s U.S.-backed military accused Israel of delaying the withdrawal.

On social media platform X, the Israeli military shared a map of southern Lebanon, marking dozens of villages and warning residents against returning. “Anyone who moves south of this line puts themselves in danger,” the statement read. The demarcated line stretches from Shebaa in the east, about 2 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the border, to Mansouri in the west, approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) away.

The ceasefire had ended over a year of hostilities, which escalated following the Gaza war and peaked with a major Israeli offensive against Hezbollah. The conflict displaced over a million people in Lebanon and left Hezbollah significantly weakened. Israel has since claimed its operations in southern Lebanon are aimed at dismantling Hezbollah’s infrastructure and seizing its weapons.

On Friday, the White House called for a brief extension of the ceasefire, emphasizing the urgency of maintaining calm. French President Emmanuel Macron informed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun of his efforts to uphold the ceasefire and ensure the agreement’s full implementation. In response, Aoun stressed the need for Israel to adhere to the deal to preserve stability in the south.

Hezbollah, which suffered significant setbacks in the war, warned on Thursday that any delay in Israel’s withdrawal would be an unacceptable breach of the agreement. The group called on the Lebanese state to address the violation “through all means and methods guaranteed by international charters.”

Israel, meanwhile, justified its continued presence by stating its goal was to secure the safe return of thousands of northern Israeli residents displaced by Hezbollah rocket attacks.

The Lebanese army on Saturday urged residents to postpone returning to the border region due to the risk posed by mines and unexploded Israeli ordnance. The army noted it had been implementing plans to strengthen its deployment south of the Litani River since the ceasefire began. However, it attributed delays to Israel’s slow withdrawal, which has complicated its deployment efforts. The army affirmed its readiness to complete its deployment as soon as Israeli forces vacate the area.