Hidden in the hills: photos of French peacekeepers uncovering Hezbollah’s remnants in Lebanon

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 UNIFIL base 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 held 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 killed 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 vote. Critics call it costly and ineffective. Lebanon’s government says the force is vital.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.