NAQURA: On the road to south Lebanon's coastal town of Naqura, an Israeli flag hung over the deep blue sea, a stone's throw away from a metallic grid marking the Israeli-announced "security zone"."Turn around, you don't have permission to pass," an Israeli soldier said through a loudspeaker to a convoy of journalists, including AFP, who joined a Christian NGO on an organised tour of still-inhabited villages in the occupied area.The organisation, which regularly provides aid and support to Christian towns in southern Lebanon, had secured the required permits from United Nations peacekeepers (UNIFIL).AFP journalists witnessed for the first time - after previously being blocked by fighting - Israeli flags and soldiers on the road leading to Naqura, more than 5km from the last Lebanese army position.
Lebanese flags and yellow Hezbollah banners were also raised on the side of the road. They were torn, with their colours fading after months of war between Hezbollah and Israel.The area between the Lebanese and Israeli militaries resembled a no man's land, with only the occasional UNIFIL troop patrols.Near the newly erected yellow iron gate, with earth mounds blocking the road, an AFP team saw at least three Israeli soldiers on the balcony of a two-storey house.One ordered the convoy to turn back while another watched through binoculars. A third soldier appeared to be wearing a tallit, the Jewish prayer shawl.AFP photos showed netting surrounding the balcony, likely a precautionary measure against drones, which Iran-backed Hezbollah has increasingly used in its attacks against Israeli forces.
