NAQURA, Lebanon — Israeli forces maintain a presence in a security zone extending roughly 10 kilometers into southern Lebanon, near the coastal town of Naqura, where Israeli flags fly alongside fortifications and checkpoints. This area, designated by Israel following recent hostilities, remains a point of tension and limited civilian access.
On a visit organized by a Christian humanitarian group, journalists witnessed Israeli soldiers stationed near Naqura, more than five kilometers beyond the last Lebanese army position. The convoy, which included representatives from international media and was coordinated with United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers, was ordered to turn back by Israeli troops through loudspeaker warnings. Israeli soldiers were observed monitoring the area from fortified positions, some equipped with protective netting likely intended to counter drone threats associated with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group.
The visit followed a period of restricted access due to recent clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli forces that left much of the local landscape marked by remnants of conflict. Faded and torn Lebanese flags and Hezbollah banners still flutter along the roadside, underscoring the enduring tensions in the region. UNIFIL patrols remain sporadic amid this contested zone.
The Catholic organization L’Oeuvre d’Orient had intended to deliver aid and inaugurate a new sports facility in southern Christian villages including Debl, Rmeish, and Ain Ebel. The project, partly funded by the French UNIFIL battalion, aims to support the area’s remaining youth and preserve the dwindling Christian presence in a predominantly Shiite-majority region. However, Israeli authorities denied permission for the humanitarian convoy to proceed beyond the checkpoint, forcing them to halt and subsequently dispatch the French battalion alone to carry out the opening.
Leaders of the organization expressed disappointment, emphasizing the importance of maintaining ties with these communities. Vincent Gelot, director of the group’s Lebanon office, highlighted the villages’ significance as the last inhabited Christian localities in the south, underscoring their symbolic and demographic importance to the wider Lebanese identity.
The current dynamics follow a framework agreement brokered in late June between Lebanon and Israel under U.S. auspices. The deal outlines an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, allowing Lebanese army deployment in two pilot zones. Washington announced plans to begin implementing the agreement early this week. Nonetheless, Israeli officials have linked withdrawal to Hezbollah’s disarmament, a condition viewed skeptically by regional analysts and Lebanese authorities.
Colonel Maxime Laudet, representing the French UNIFIL battalion, remarked on the local residents’ simple desire: “to live” without conflict or displacement. As the implementation of the agreement unfolds, the region’s future stability remains uncertain amid competing security concerns and the legacy of recent hostilities.