The leader of a significant Christian Lebanese political party blamed the Hezbollah terrorist organization for the incident in which about 24 people were killed by IDF fire when they attempted to return to their homes in southern yesterday (Sunday).
Samir Geagea, the leader of the Lebanese Forces party, wrote on X, "Once again, the current government proves that it does not exist, and the axis of resistance proves that it does not value people’s lives. It does not hesitate to fabricate events on a daily basis that it wants to use to cover up the tragedies and losses of lives and property it has caused."
Geagea made similar remarks to the Lebanese Nidaa al-Watan newspaper. He stated that the Lebanese government should “inform residents about the sites from which the Israeli army will withdraw and those from which it will not, rather than allowing some parties to exploit the scenes [of returning residents] for self-interest, causing the death of citizens.”
In addition, he said that the government should have instructed the military "to organize the entry of citizens into safe villages, and prevent them from reaching areas that the Israeli army still occupies, because protecting people’s lives is the responsibility of the Lebanese government, not Israel’s."
According to him, Hezbollah "exploited this vacuum and pushed citizens into imminent danger, not caring who would be killed or injured. It knows that throwing over 20 citizens into certain death is pointless and will not yield any results, and will not make Israel change its position."
He said that in the new Lebanon, there is room for only one military force, the official armed forces of the State of Lebanon.
Dozens were killed yesterday and over 100 were injured when hundreds of Lebanese residents attempted to enter Shi'ite villages close to the border with Israel in southern Lebanon over the past few days, in defiance of warnings from the IDF to keep away.
The majority seemingly didn't intend to settle in ruined houses or areas devoid of infrastructure, suggesting the movement aimed to provoke Israeli soldiers still operating in the area.
In various locations, including the village of Maroun al-Ras, Lebanese citizens were seen carrying signs, pictures of Hassan Nasrallah, and Hezbollah flags, approaching close to IDF positions – sometimes within a few meters, at the end of the 60-day ceasefire. IDF forces were supposed to withdraw from the area today.
The IDF responded with warning shots using machine guns and tanks toward residents who approached. Lebanese army and UNIFIL forces were present but were unable to disperse the crowd.
The IDF also warned Lebanese residents this morning against returning to areas close to the border.