Israel has imposed new restrictions on movement in three besieged Christian towns in southern Lebanon, requiring residents to travel in prearranged convoys and use a single route through the coastal town of Naqoura to reach the rest of the country, according to local sources cited by Asharq Al-Awsat.

Residents of Rmeish, Debel and Ain Ebel are now required to register their vehicles and provide the names and details of passengers before traveling in or out of the towns, which remain surrounded by Israeli forces occupying neighboring areas. Humanitarian and medical supplies are delivered from elsewhere in Lebanon in convoys escorted by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). 

Local sources in Rmeish said no vehicle is allowed to make the journey independently. At least one convoy, comprising several cars or buses, leaves one of the three towns each day, either toward the rest of Lebanon or toward other inhabited communities in the south.

The Lebanese army and UNIFIL coordinate the convoys. They are required to travel along the coastal road south of Tyre toward Naqoura before heading east to the Christian towns in the Bint Jbeil district.

The Lebanese army escorts the convoys to the Qlaileh area, about 15 kilometers from the Israeli border, after which UNIFIL vehicles take over the escort to the villages.

Residents seeking to enter or leave must submit their vehicle details and the identities of travelers to UNIFIL in advance. Their documents are checked and their vehicles searched as part of coordination with Israeli forces to secure permission for them to pass, the sources said. Similar restrictions and advance coordination have been documented for access to the three communities. 

The restrictions have also prompted the Vatican, through its ambassador to Lebanon, to approach the United States over the issue, seeking to prevent Israel from imposing further limits on the movement of residents of the Christian villages, according to the sources cited by Asharq Al-Awsat.

Rmeish, Dbel and Ain Ebel are among the few communities that remain inhabited inside the Israeli-controlled area of southern Lebanon. Around 7,000 people remain in the three towns, according to recent reporting, despite their isolation from the rest of the country. 

The communities have faced severe difficulties in maintaining regular links with northern Lebanon, with residents relying heavily on humanitarian convoys and UNIFIL for access and supplies.

The restrictions have made everyday activities more difficult, including access to medical care and agricultural land. Residents have described the situation as one of confinement, with permission to leave or enter dependent on coordination with Israeli forces. 

Different rules in Marjayoun

The movement restrictions do not apply in the same way to Christian communities in the Marjayoun district, according to local sources.

Residents and visitors can move between Qlaiaa, Jdeidet Marjayoun, Burj al-Muluk and Deir Mimas and travel to and from the rest of Lebanon via routes through the western Bekaa toward Hasbaya and the Ibl al-Saqi-Dabbin-Marjayoun road.

The towns continue to receive visits from their residents, but local sources said they are barred from hosting displaced people from surrounding villages and towns. Journalists visiting the area are also prohibited from photographing the town of Khiyam on the opposite side.

Israeli forces stationed in Kfarkila and Tall al-Nahas on Tuesday also built an earthen barrier at the Deir Mimas-Burj al-Muluk-Kfarkila junction toward Tall al-Nahas, around 150 meters from inhabited homes in Burj al-Muluk. Another barrier was erected near the Deir Mimas-Burj al-Muluk-Houra junction.

Destruction continues in Mays al-Jabal

Meanwhile, Israeli forces continue to demolish infrastructure and homes in towns located within the area known as the Yellow Line, according to Lebanese sources.

A senior security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israeli forces had recently used trucks carrying crates filled with explosives alongside armored patrols. The explosives were unloaded and placed around homes in occupied towns after the properties were allegedly looted, in preparation for their demolition.

The source said the practice had been used in the border town of Mays al-Jabal, one of the largest communities in the Marjayoun district, where the destruction of homes has continued.

“Only dozens of housing units remain in Mays al-Jabal at this point,” the source said, adding that more than 5,000 housing units and commercial properties had been destroyed.

Among the latest sites demolished was a school complex made up of prefabricated buildings that had been provided with assistance from the Iraqi government. The complex stood on the outskirts of the town near Doubeih Castle, which links Mays al-Jabal with Shaqra, along with surrounding homes.

The source also said the Israeli army had brought in specialized machinery to break down concrete and reduce it to rubble and soil, allowing groups brought in for the purpose to recover steel from demolished buildings and transport it into Israel.