Israeli Forces Abduct Olive Harvester, Block Access to Over Half of Deir Mimas Farmland

Israeli forces opened fire near a group of residents and subsequently abducted one individual while they were harvesting olives on the outskirts of Deir Mimas on Friday. The mayor, Tania Barnaba, informed The National that Israeli restrictions have rendered more than half of the southern Lebanese village’s olive groves inaccessible. Ms. Barnaba stated that the group was picking olives in an area that had been declared off-limits by Israeli troops, who then established a checkpoint on the village outskirts, preventing further access to the groves. The Israeli army had previously issued warnings against entering this specific area, which encompasses over half of the village’s olive cultivation. Despite these restrictions, villagers continued their efforts to harvest their olives, as Ms. Barnaba emphasized, “In the end, it’s their livelihood. Deir Mimas lives off its olives.” Deir Mimas is heavily reliant on olive cultivation and olive oil production, which serves as a primary income source for many residents. This incident underscores the increasing challenges faced by inhabitants of the few remaining inhabited villages within or near Israel’s self-proclaimed “security zone,” a territory approximately 10-12 km deep occupied by Israel. Ms. Barnaba noted that residents were informed that Deir Mimas is situated within the Israeli military's so-called “yellow line,” which demarcates areas of southern Lebanon occupied by Israel, where civilian access is restricted, from areas under Lebanese state control. “We found out that we're inside the yellow line,” she said, adding, “We don't know how or why. Nobody came and marked it out.” The National has previously documented a consistent pattern of Israeli expansion of control in south Lebanon, described by military analysts as a “mobile yellow line.” Ms. Barnaba explained that the notification of Deir Mimas’ status within the yellow line followed a confrontation between Israeli forces and the Lebanese Armed Forces in mid-September. On September 18, Israeli troops approached a newly established Lebanese army observation post near the village and deployed stun grenades in the vicinity, leading to the Lebanese army’s eventual withdrawal to their main post in the town. A Lebanese security source commented at the time that the coordinates of the yellow line appeared to be subject to daily changes. The Lebanese army’s observation post had been set up to support residents inspecting their agricultural land. However, Ms. Barnaba confirmed that the Lebanese army no longer maintains a presence within the village.