Two days after two women were detained by the SLA*, the occupation forces tightened their grip on Arnoun on Wednesday, sealing off the narrow path that allows residents access to Nabatieh.
The unexpected clampdown on Arnoun has raised speculation of an attempt to depopulate the village in line with a possible Israeli plan to redeploy from the northern sector as a precursor to a full withdrawal from the south.
SLA militiamen manning the outpost at the entrance to Arnoun used rocks to block the path leading through the barbed wire barricades which surround the town.
The path serves as a lifeline for residents who work in Nabatieh, 5 kilometers to the northwest, for farmers to reach their fields and for the few children remaining in the village to attend school in nearby Yohmor.
Arnouns remaining population of around 45 mostly elderly residents are now effectively trapped inside the village.
The only access out of the zone is by foot vehicles are banned in Arnoun along the 3-kilometer track to the crossing at Kfar Tibnit.
On Monday, SLA security agents arrested Samira Hassan Attieh, 25, and Shamlakan Hussein Assaf, 23, and took them to Khiam Prison. There was no explanation for the detentions.
Khalil Hamdan, an Amal official, claimed that the clampdown was intended to turn the village into a barracks.
Arresting women and children in Arnoun is an old trick used by the occupation forces to pressure the residents into leaving their homes, he said.
The Israelis annexed Arnoun into the occupation zone last April in a bid to thwart roadside bomb ambushes against troops manning Beaufort Castle, located on a hill overlooking the village.
Ambushes in the area have since declined, although there has been no cessation of long-range mortar attacks against Beaufort Castle.
Last month, SLA militiamen constructed a new observation post in the home of Ali Ghazali. The post allows the militiamen to scrutinize the open countryside between Arnoun and Kfar Tibnit.
Beaufort Castle and Arnoun could play a strategic role if the Israelis choose to stage a partial withdrawal prior to departing from the south.
The northern sector, the area of the zone lying north of the Litani River, has effectively become redundant as a strategic asset since the SLA retreated from Jezzine last June.
A withdrawal from the northern sector to the southern bank of the Litani would be coupled with a pullback in the eastern sector to a line running from Marjayoun to Kfar Shouba.
In such a scenario, the Israelis are expected to retain possession of Beaufort Castle despite the fact that it lies on the northern bank of the Litani River.
The castle, which has views of the south and northern Galilee, is considered too strategically important to be handed over prior to a full troop redeployment from the south. Therefore, retaining control of Arnoun would become more important than ever to prevent the resistance using the area to stage assaults on the castle.
Nonetheless, despite intense speculation to the contrary last month, there is no concrete evidence that the Israelis plan to redeploy to locations closer to the border anytime soon.
The Jezzine experience, in which the SLA were mauled by Hizbullah fighters during their retreat from the town, warned the Israelis that large-scale troop movements before a deal is cut with Syria is a risky endeavor.