Israel and Hezbollah exchange accusations of ceasefire violations
Israel and the Lebanon-based armed group Hezbollah have accused each other of breaching a ceasefire that was agreed by the two sides earlier this week and which took effect on Wednesday morning.
On Thursday, the Israeli military said the country’s air force had struck a facility allegedly used by Hezbollah to store mid-range rockets in southern Lebanon, marking the first attack since the US-brokered truce came into force. According to Lebanese security sources cited by Reuters, the strike took place near Baysariyah, north of the Litani River.
West Jerusalem also acknowledged that troops had opened fire at what it referred to as “suspects” in vehicles moving in several areas in the southern zone, where Israel has concentrated its military offensive, citing the arrival of cars as a breach of the ceasefire terms.
Senior Hezbollah politician Hassan Fadlallah also accused Israel of violating the deal, saying the Israeli military was “attacking those returning to the border villages.” The Lebanese Army reportedly claimed that Israel had violated the ceasefire several times on Wednesday and Thursday.
The armistice aimed at halting more than a year of fighting was announced by US President Joe Biden on Tuesday, hours after Israeli jets had shelled Beirut and other Lebanese cities, while Hezbollah fired rockets into the Galilee region of Israel.
Under the terms of the truce, the Lebanese Army and police agreed to deploy to the country’s border with Israel over the next two months, while West Jerusalem is expected to “gradually withdraw its remaining forces and civilians,” Biden said on Tuesday. He added that Hezbollah and “other terrorist organizations will not be allowed” into the area.
The fighting between Hezbollah and the IDF escalated in October 2023. Hezbollah claimed at the time that it would not end the hostilities until Israel stops the war with Hamas in Gaza.
Israel invaded southern Lebanon in early October, ramping up airstrikes on Beirut and other cities, and eliminating several high-ranking Hezbollah members, including the group’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
More than 60 people have been killed in Israel by Hezbollah attacks and more than 3,500 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon since October 2023, according to officials from both sides. Some 70,000 people in Israel and around 1.2 million people in Lebanon have been displaced.
Biden has also pledged to renew his push for a ceasefire agreement in Gaza after efforts to get Israel and Hamas to suspend the conflict failed. Israel declared war on the Gaza-based Palestinian group after its October 7, 2023 raid that resulted in the deaths of over 1,100 Israelis, while an estimated 250 were taken captive.
