BEIRUT, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- From a small square near the municipal center of Taybeh, a town near the Israel-Lebanon border, 50-year-old farmer Jawad Fayyad watches Israeli drones circle overhead as he makes brief daytime visits to inspect his damaged fields and a home destroyed in an airstrike.
Living in constant fear, Fayyad now avoids staying after sunset. "With this uncertain situation, I finish what work I can quickly and leave before evening," he said.
The Lebanese government said it has completed the first phase of demilitarizing areas south of the Litani River, but residents say conditions on the ground remain volatile as Israel continues near-daily airstrikes along the border.
"Disarming illegal weapons south of the Litani is a positive and important step," Fayyad said. "But calm cannot return as long as Israeli forces remain inside key positions along the border."
Similar scenes are unfolding across villages along the Litani, Lebanon's longest river, which runs roughly parallel to the frontier. In Aitaroun, 40-year-old Nawal Sheet has reopened a small shop selling bread and canned goods from a room in her damaged home.
"People want to rebuild, but insecurity holds them back," she said. "They are waiting for the Lebanese army to complete its deployment across the entire area."
Roads leading to border villages pass damaged homes, shuttered shops, and olive groves cut off by earth berms. At the entrances to Adaisseh, Kafr Kila, and Houla, ruined buildings mark checkpoints where access requires coordination between Lebanese army patrols, UN peacekeepers, and Israeli authorities.
Under a ceasefire that took effect on Nov. 27, 2024, Israeli forces were due to withdraw by Feb. 18, 2025. However, Israel has kept troops at five positions, saying the presence is temporary and necessary until security threats, including from Hezbollah, are removed. Israel has continued intermittent strikes in Lebanon since the ceasefire took effect.
At a Lebanese army checkpoint in Adaisseh, a colonel, who requested anonymity, said troops are ready to deploy throughout the area south of the Litani but cannot advance while Israeli forces remain in place. The army is awaiting meetings of a joint mechanism committee tasked with securing a full Israeli withdrawal, he said.
Around 10,000 Lebanese troops are currently deployed south of the Litani, according to the officer. Working with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the army has reopened military roads, reactivated observation posts, and carried out field surveys over the past year.
In the Arqoub region, Kfarchouba Mayor Qassem Qadri said the army has helped reopen roads, secure access for farmers, and support civil defense teams clearing rubble around schools and health centers.
"The deployment has restored an initial sense of the state's return," he said, adding that progress remains fragile without full border control.
Political analyst Nidal Issa described the situation as a "limited sovereignty vacuum." Schools operate intermittently, clinics run reduced hours, and farmers such as Hassan Daher from Kafr Kila can only access land deemed safe.
"The land is liberated on paper," Daher said, referring to orchards near the Blue Line, the UN-demarcated withdrawal line. "But people cannot reach their orchards, and any movement near the line carries unpredictable risks." Enditem
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