BEIRUT: The death toll in Lebanon in more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has reached 4,047, most of them since violence escalated in September, Lebanese Minister of Public Health Firass Abiad said on Wednesday.
A week after a ceasefire took effect he said that “until now ... we have recorded 4,047 dead and 16,638 wounded.”
He said 316 children and 790 women were among those killed.
Most of the deaths occurred after Sept. 15, he said, adding that “we believe the real number may be higher” because of unrecorded deaths.
During the fighting, according to Abiad, there were “67 attacks on hospitals, including 40 hospitals that were directly targeted,” killing 16 people.
“Seven of these hospitals are still closed,” the minister said.
“There were 238 attacks on emergency response organizations, with 206 dead,” he said, adding that 256 emergency vehicles, including fire trucks and ambulances were also targeted.
The Lebanese army at noon on Wednesday redeployed in the border town of Shebaa after withdrawing from the area following the Israeli army incursion on Oct. 1 during the war between the Israeli army and Hezbollah.
The Lebanese army established positions in its previous locations in Shebaa, extending to the public school south of the town.
The redeployment, however, did not include border posts, such as Birkat Al-Naqar and the Kfarchouba Heights, pending the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area.
The Israeli army is expected to evacuate the areas it infiltrated within a 60-day timeframe, as stipulated by the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon.
This step is the first phase of the agreement, focusing on security and border arrangements between Lebanon and Israel.
The five-party committee responsible for monitoring the ceasefire in Lebanon is expected to hold its first meeting within the next 24 hours, under the leadership of US General Jasper Jeffers.
The venue for the meeting, whether in Ras Al-Naqoura or the UNIFIL headquarters in the town of Naqoura, has not yet been announced.
In addition to the US representative, the committee includes representatives from France, Lebanon, Israel and UNIFIL.
The French military delegation representative is expected to arrive in Beirut within hours.
A military source said that the Lebanese army had appointed Brig. Gen. Edgar Lowndes, commander of the South Litani Sector, to represent Lebanon on the committee.
The US military delegation inspected the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura and held a meeting with the UNIFIL commander.
The invading Israeli forces, meanwhile, continued to demolish residential buildings and facilities in the towns they entered.
The Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar TV reported that “an armored force supported by Merkava tanks was observed advancing into neighborhoods within the town of Yaroun, coinciding with the movement of an Israeli force inside Maroun Al-Ras and intermittent machine-gun fire toward the city of Bint Jbeil.”
Residents of towns near the border area heard loud explosions, suspected to be caused by the rigging and detonation of explosives in dozens of buildings in Khiam as part of Israel’s scorched-earth policy.
On Wednesday, the Israeli army renewed for the sixth time its warning to residents of more than 50 border towns against trying to return to their homes “until further notice.”
Lebanon’s Minister of Public Works Ali Hamieh said on Wednesday that several international airlines that suspended their flights to Lebanon during the war had sought permission to resume flights to and from Beirut, and approvals were being granted on the same day.
The minister said he expected most flights by Arab and foreign companies to return to a regular schedule by the middle of this month in time for Christmas and New Year.
Hamieh said that Lebanon’s seaports had continued to operate “diligently during and after the war, and we are still committed to the same principle of providing prompt service to all traders across the nation.”
The minister indicated that ministry teams were trying to reopen all roads blocked by debris resulting from the destruction of buildings.
He said teams were still active in Nabatieh and the southern regions, and work had begun in the southern suburbs of Beirut, as well as in the Baalbek-Hermel area and Western Bekaa.
He said that nearly all roads in Lebanon are now accessible.
The minister said that the Masnaa Border Crossing between Lebanon and Syria was now open, and work was underway on the crossings in the northern part of the country. A series of Israeli airstrikes struck the Masnaa Border Crossing, resulting in craters that hindered the passage of vehicles.
Consequently, the movement was limited to foot traffic under the surveillance of Israeli reconnaissance aircraft, which the Israelis justified by claiming the action was to prevent weapons being smuggled to Hezbollah.
Former Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, meanwhile, urged Hezbollah to explore its future role and how to engage with the president — who will be elected on Jan. 9 — and the new government.
Hezbollah, he said, should also find ways to address its weapons after evaluating the fall-out from the war in support of Gaza, and its impact on the south, Lebanon, its people and institutions, Gaza, Palestine, Syria, and Iran.
Suleiman said: “We call on the authorities, politicians, citizens, and civil society organizations to speak out — without flattery or shame — and tell Hezbollah and its supporters that Lebanon does not want war, nor does it want to offer support.
“Tell Hezbollah that you wish to preserve the youth of Lebanon by ending brain drain, martyrdom, disability, or death caused by their inability to access medical care or meet basic needs such as tuition fees, housing costs, or even just adequate nutrition.”
Suleiman called on the incoming president to “establish a national dialogue entity focused on creating a timetable for Hezbollah to disarm and dissolve its armed factions within a maximum of one year.
“This process should occur through a national strategy, agreement, solution, or a Cabinet decree.
“If an agreement cannot be reached, the president must return to Parliament with a constitutional message and decide on the next course of action to fulfill his duties.”
