Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) not to allow Lebanese people "to enter the area of the villages near the border in southern Lebanon," Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Wednesday.
"This is in accordance with the first stage in implementing the ceasefire outline," the prime minister's office stressed.
Previously, IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee warned the Lebanese people against returning to their homes in southern Lebanon, adding that "it is absolutely forbidden" to cross the Litani River until 7:00 am on Thursday. "We remind you that the IDF is still deployed in its positions in southern Lebanon in accordance with the terms of the ceasefire agreement, and our forces will deal firmly with any movement that violates this agreement," he added. Under the ceasefire deal, the Israeli military has 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
