Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

Beirut, Aug 5: The Israeli military has begun extensive fortification work on five key positions it continues to occupy along southern Lebanon’s border, despite a US and France-brokered ceasefire agreement mandating full withdrawal by February 2025.

According to Lebanese security sources and eyewitnesses, Israeli work crews, protected by Merkava tanks and intense drone surveillance, have been reinforcing the sites with a combination of earthen berms, concrete barriers, vehicle shelters, and barbed wire fencing.

The positions, located on strategically elevated hills, offer Israel commanding views for surveillance and firepower, military sources said. One of the latest additions is a new observation post on Al-Hamamis Hill, situated in the eastern sector of the border region.

Villagers near the frontier confirmed that Israeli construction activities are clearly visible from the Lebanese side, indicating heightened military entrenchment.

The reinforcement comes in the wake of recent Israeli airstrikes that killed four Hezbollah fighters and targeted multiple Hezbollah positions in eastern Bekaa and southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. A total of 18 strikes were carried out last Thursday alone.

The ceasefire, which came into effect on November 27, 2024, was intended to halt cross-border hostilities linked to the Gaza conflict and required Israel’s full withdrawal from occupied southern Lebanese territory. However, the continued occupation and military buildup have raised tensions, with Israel justifying its actions as a response to ongoing security threats from Hezbollah.

Lebanese authorities have not officially responded to the latest developments, but the visible militarisation of the border zone has heightened fears of renewed conflict in the already volatile region.