UN says nearly 50,000 return home in south Lebanon

Nearly 50,000 people have returned home in Lebanon, though more than 100,000 remain in collective shelters across the country, the UN said Thursday.

"Nearly 50,000 people have now returned to their homes in Nabatieh and South governorates," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters, citing data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "However, more than 106,000 people remain in collective sites across the country, with many others seeking shelter elsewhere."

Dujarric said humanitarian partners "warn that continued insecurity, widespread destruction, limited access to basic services are continuing to prevent many people from returning home."

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) observed 143 trajectories of projectiles on Thursday, with 19 attributed to Israeli forces and the remainder to Hezbollah, said Dujarric.

The previous day, the mission recorded 364 trajectories, of which 330 were attributed to Israeli forces and 34 to Hezbollah.

UNIFIL also reported 38 violations of Lebanese airspace Wednesday, though none Thursday within its area of operations.

Peacekeepers continued to observe "extensive IDF (Israeli military) ground activity throughout the mission's area of operations," said Dujarric.

He cited an incident Wednesday in which a UNIFIL convoy was obstructed by two Israeli tanks north of Tyre.

"During the encounter, one of the tanks aimed its weapon at a UNIFIL vehicle," he said, adding that Israeli personnel signaled the convoy to halt, forcing the patrol to stop and reverse before being allowed to take an alternate route.

"We reiterate once again that UNIFIL peacekeepers must have unrestricted freedom of movement throughout their area of operations as they are doing their work on behalf of the Security Council," said Dujarric.

The remarks came after the US and Iran electronically signed the "Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding," which halts military operations on all fronts in the war initiated by Israel and the US against Iran on Feb. 28, including in Lebanon.