Latest news with #Kfarchouba
LBCI
4 days ago
- General
- LBCI
Amid security risks, south Lebanon's farmers face uncertainty as agriculture ministry pushes to revive farming
Report by Lara El Hachem, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian Lebanese farmers in the Mazraat Sardah and Marjayoun plain areas live at the mercy of Israeli forces stationed on El Hamames Hill in Lebanon. Half of the Marjayoun plain—about 17 million square meters—is off-limits due to the ongoing threat of Israeli military patrols, the latest of which residents documented on Friday. This marks the third consecutive season that southern farmers have faced uncertainty and fear. In response, the Ministry of Agriculture launched an initiative to revive the sector by securing safety guarantees for farmers who wish to return to their land. Under the plan, interested farmers must file a request with their local municipality, including their name, phone number, land registration area, and type of agricultural activity. These requests will be forwarded to the ministry, which will coordinate with the Lebanese army and UNIFIL to obtain safety assurances for the farmers. The ministry aims to secure ongoing access, requiring farmers to specify the number of planned visits based on the crop type and growing season. Agricultural losses in front-line villages—from Kfarchouba to Naqoura—have exceeded 80% due to wildfires and bulldozing operations. The Agriculture Ministry attempted to offset some of these losses by planting olive trees with support from international organizations. Beyond crop damage, livestock losses have been devastating—even in second-line villages. Many farms have been destroyed, and numerous herders were forced to sell their animals at a loss to survive. While this initiative is a first step toward recovery, results are far from guaranteed as long as Israel continues to dictate the fate of Lebanon's southern border communities through force, intimidation, and violence.
Al Jazeera
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israeli army fire hits UN south Lebanon base for first time since ceasefire
Direct fire from the Israeli military hit the perimeter of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon's (UNIFIL) peacekeeping positions in south Lebanon, the mission said. In a statement on Wednesday, UNIFIL added that the incident on Tuesday was the first of its kind since Israel and Lebanese-armed group Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire last November. UNIFIL said one of its bases in the village of Kfarchouba in southern Lebanon was hit. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army. 'In recent days, UNIFIL has also observed other aggressive behaviour by the [Israeli military] towards peacekeepers performing operational activities in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1701,' it said in a post on X, referring to a UN resolution originally adopted in 2006 to end hostilities between Israel and incident occurred near the Blue Line, a UN-mapped demarcation separating Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, it added. Any unauthorised crossing of the Blue Line by land or by air from any side constitutes a violation of Security Council Resolution 1701. UNIFIL cited other alleged incidents it blamed on the Israeli army, including being targeted by lasers while it was performing a patrol with the Lebanese army in the southern border town of Maroun al-Ras on Tuesday. 'UNIFIL protests all such and we continue to remind all actors of their responsibility to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN assets and premises at all times,' it added. Separately on Wednesday, Israel's military said it killed a Hezbollah fighter in a strike on southern Lebanon. 'Earlier today [Wednesday], the [Israeli military] struck in the area of Qaaqaaiyet El Jisr in southern Lebanon, eliminating a Hezbollah terrorist who held the position of the commander of the Qabrikha area within the Hezbollah terrorist organisation,' a military statement said. The November ceasefire ended a conflict in which Israel attacked Lebanon by air and invaded the country, devastating vast swaths of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah's longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli attack in September. The ceasefire terms require that neither Hezbollah nor any other armed group have weapons in areas near the border south of the Litani River, which flows into the Mediterranean some 20km (12 miles) north of the Israeli border. They require Israel to withdraw troops from the south and the Lebanese army to deploy into the border region. Although the truce officially ended hostilities, sporadic cross-border attacks have continued. Israel has regularly broken the truce and carried out air raids across southern Lebanon, also hitting neighbourhoods in Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah retains strong support. Israel still occupies five strategic hilltops along the border. While rockets have been fired into Israel from Lebanese territory on two separate occasions, Hezbollah has denied involvement. Hezbollah's leader, Naim Qassem, has maintained that the group no longer keeps weapons in the border zone, in accordance with the truce.
LBCI
14-05-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Israeli gunfire hits perimeter of UN peacekeeping post in Lebanon, UNIFIL says
The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Wednesday that direct fire from the Israeli army had hit the perimeter of one of its peacekeeping positions in south Lebanon. In a statement, UNIFIL said the incident on Tuesday was the first of its kind since Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire last November. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on the incident, in which UNIFIL said one of its bases in the village of Kfarchouba in southern Lebanon was hit. "In recent days, UNIFIL has also observed other aggressive behaviour by the Israeli military towards peacekeepers performing operational activities in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1701," it said, referring to a U.N. resolution originally adopted in 2006 to end hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Tuesday's incident occurred near the Blue Line, a U.N.-mapped demarcation separating Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Any unauthorised crossing of the Blue Line by land or by air from any side constitutes a violation of Security Council Resolution 1701. UNIFIL cited other alleged incidents it blamed on the Israeli army, including being targeted by lasers while it was performing a patrol with the Lebanese army in the southern border town of Maroun al-Ras on Tuesday. Israel has continued to occasionally strike areas in south Lebanon, saying that it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure. It has also struck the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut several times. The ceasefire terms require that neither Hezbollah nor any other armed group have weapons in areas near the border south of the Litani river, which flows into the Mediterranean some 20 km (12 miles) north of the Israeli border. They require Israel to withdraw troops from the south and that the Lebanese army deploy into the border region. Reuters
