STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Over the summer, the United States reached a ceasefire with Iran that has turned out to involve a good deal of firing. Same seems to be true in Lebanon. The U.S. ally Israel has been seizing territory and destroying villages after a U.S. brokered ceasefire there, which involves Hezbollah, the Lebanese group backed by Iran. NPR's Jane Arraf and Jawad Rizkallah got unusual access to the Israeli-occupied part of Lebanon, and Jane's here to talk about it. Hi, Jane.
JANE ARRAF, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve.
INSKEEP: How'd you get in?
ARRAF: Well, we were traveling with U.N. peacekeepers. They're called UNIFIL. And we were with a quick reaction force - Finnish peacekeepers, a Finnish contingent and French medical personnel. And, Steve, their mission was to scout out new roads in areas that are now under Israeli control. They were scanning for roadside bombs and other hazards. So we're going along these destroyed roads, and we were able to stand up in the turret of the armored vehicle we were in. Here's a bit of what we were seeing.
We're now a few miles into Israeli-occupied Lebanese territory, and I don't think we've seen a single person in miles. You can see evidence that Israel is indeed here. There are two Israeli flags flying from a building we just passed, fluttering over a completely devastated landscape - burned fields, demolished homes.
We saw Hebrew road signs and Israeli military vehicles parked behind netting, netting meant to deter Hezbollah drones. Steve, we've traveled through a lot of the south over the past two years since the war began, and these Israeli demolitions after the ceasefire has made that border area unrecognizable. Israel's defense minister says the destruction is to prevent threats, and he's made clear that Israel wants to ensure that Lebanese residents have nowhere to return to.
INSKEEP: And even as this is happening, I know that there's still fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Did you see that?
ARRAF: Well, that fighting is centered in territory that's still contested further south. The Lebanese government says at least 28 people, and that includes women and children, were killed in Israeli attacks over the last week. We saw smoke rising near the village of Mansouri and a drone. Lieutenant Vili Rivtanen (ph) and staff sergeant Ville Junnilainen (ph) from the Finnish contingent explain what's happening.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER #1: There's a drone right on top of Al-Mansouri.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER #2: You see the drone? Do you see it (ph)? There's been an explosion.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER #1: There is a smoke rising from there.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER #2: Yeah. Now we are photographing the drone and the surrounding area for a report.
ARRAF: So, Steve, for 48 years, UNIFIL's job has been to document ceasefire violations along that border. Their mission ends this year. Israel and the U.S. have made sure of that. And there are efforts to extend the mission, but it looks like those aren't going to be successful.
INSKEEP: What is that peacekeeping force saying about what's happening?
ARRAF: Well, the deputy commander, Herve Lecoq, says they've seen the Israeli military entrenching. He says they've established new semi-permanent positions, and he says they've also been denying requests to rebuild civilian infrastructure there.
INSKEEP: Long haul. NPR's Jane Arraf in Beirut. Thanks so much.
ARRAF: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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