French U.N. peacekeepers patrol along the Lebanese-Israeli border in Kfra Kila village, south Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A French U.N. peacekeeper stands on a hill overlooking Kfar Kila, a Lebanese border village destroyed by Israeli airstrikes and a ground offensive, in south Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Israeli bulldozers work at one of five new positions the Israeli army established inside Lebanese territory along a road between Houla and Kfar Kila, border villages destroyed by Israeli airstrikes and a ground offensive, in south Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
French U.N. peacekeepers patrol the Saluki Valley in south Lebanon as they search for Hezbollah weapons, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A French U.N. peacekeeper inspects a destroyed Hezbollah position in the Saluki Valley, south Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)"
French U.N. peacekeepers patrol along the Lebanese-Israeli border in Kfra Kila village, south Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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A French U.N. peacekeeper stands on a hill overlooking Kfar Kila, a Lebanese border village destroyed by Israeli airstrikes and a ground offensive, in south Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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Israeli bulldozers work at one of five new positions the Israeli army established inside Lebanese territory along a road between Houla and Kfar Kila, border villages destroyed by Israeli airstrikes and a ground offensive, in south Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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French U.N. peacekeepers patrol the Saluki Valley in south Lebanon as they search for Hezbollah weapons, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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A French U.N. peacekeeper inspects a destroyed Hezbollah position in the Saluki Valley, south Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)"
SULUKI VALLEY, Lebanon (AP) — A convoy of armored vehicles carrying French peacekeepers barrels through southern Lebanon. Last year’s war between Israeli forces and Hezbollah left villages scarred and empty. Rubble lines the roads. Torn Lebanese flags and Hezbollah banners flutter from shattered buildings.
From a above Kafr Kila, the town below looks like a wasteland of crumpled concrete. Across the valley, bulldozers churn dust as they build new positions on land by Israeli forces despite the November ceasefire.
French peacekeepers trek up wooded slopes in the Saluki Valley, under the hum of an Israeli drone. Less than 200 meters in, they uncover remnants of a Hezbollah post: a cannon hidden among trees, an abandoned shack with blankets, playing cards, and books—frozen traces of fighters who once occupied the hillside.
Electrical wires snake toward destroyed rocket launchers. Empty rocket cartons and torn manuals litter the hillside.
“We find all kinds of weapons — rocket launchers, cannons, small arms, mines, IEDs, ammunition,†said Col. Arnaud de Coincy, commander of UNIFIL’s Force Commander’s Reserve, about 700 French and 200 Finnish troops.
Earlier this month, Lebanese soldiers were dismantling an arms depot. Their deaths underscore both dedication and the urgent need for support.
At a base in Deir Kifa, peacekeepers track Israeli overflights with a Mistral missile system. On this day alone, they counted more than 10 drones.
UNIFIL’s future depends on an upcoming Security Council . Critics call it costly and ineffective. Lebanon’s government says the force is vital.
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
