Hezbollah and Israel accuse each other of violating the ceasefire.
Reuters, Beirut, November 28 Following accusations by both sides of violating a ceasefire intended to end more than a year of combat, the Israeli military claimed its air force hit a Hezbollah mid-range rocket storage facility in southern Lebanon on Thursday.
Israel said it violated the truce with Iran-backed armed organization Hezbollah, which went into effect on Wednesday, by firing on what it described as "suspects" with cars coming at several locations in the southern zone on Thursday.
Hassan Fadlallah, a politician for Hezbollah, responded by accusing Israel of breaking the agreement.
Fadlallah informed reporters that "there are violations today by Israel, even in this form," and that "the Israeli enemy is attacking those returning to the border villages."
Later, Israel was charged by the Lebanese army with repeatedly breaking the truce on Wednesday and Thursday.
The allegation exchange brought to light the brittleness of the truce negotiated between France and the United States to conclude the combat, which was waged concurrently with the war in Gaza. The goal of the 60-day truce is to achieve a lasting end to hostilities.
Israel launched its first airstrike since the truce went into force on Wednesday morning on Thursday. According to the Al Jadeed channel and Lebanese security officials, it happened north of the Litani River, close to Baysariyah.
Unauthorized military installations south of the Litani River must be demolished, according to the ceasefire agreement; however, military installations north of the river are not included.
According to Lebanese security officials and state media, Israeli tank fire earlier damaged five towns and several agricultural areas in southern Lebanon, injuring at least two persons.
Even after the agreement was reached, the Israeli military declared a certain region along the border a no-go zone, and all of the locations are located within 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) of the Blue Line, which marks the border between Israel and Lebanon.
In a statement, the Israeli military claimed to have discovered a number of questionable actions that were dangerous and violated the terms of the ceasefire deal.
"Any deviation from this agreement will be enforced with fire," declared General Staff Chief Herzi Halevi.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, stated later Thursday that he has instructed the military to be ready for fierce combat in the event that the ceasefire is broken.
Netanyahu stated, "We are enforcing powerfully," during an interview with Channel 14 in Israel. "But if needed I gave a directive to the IDF - be prepared in case there is a violation of the framework of the ceasefire, for an intense war."
Families from Lebanon who were forced from their houses close to the southern border have attempted to visit their homes to see how they are doing. However, Reuters reporters heard surveillance drones hovering over portions of southern Lebanon, and Israeli forces are still present in villages along the border.
A curfew that limits the mobility of people in southern Lebanon south of the Litani River between 5 p.m. (1500 GMT) and 7 a.m. was extended by the Israeli military on Thursday.
CEASEFIRE TERMS
The deal put an end to the bloodiest fighting between Israel and the militant organization Hezbollah in years, which is a rare diplomatic achievement in a conflict-ridden region. However, Israel continues to combat the Palestinian militant organization Hamas, its other arch-enemy, in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the October 7, 2023, fatal strike on southern Israel that was led by Hamas.
Since October 2023, Israeli assaults on Lebanon have resulted in at least 3,961 fatalities and 16,520 injuries, the Lebanese health ministry reported Thursday. The numbers do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
In northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Hezbollah strikes have claimed the lives of forty-five civilians. Israeli officials say at least 73 Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting in southern Lebanon, the Golan Heights, and northern Israel.
Israeli forces have up to 60 days to leave southern Lebanon under the conditions of the ceasefire, but neither side is allowed to conduct offensive actions.
Netanyahu led the offensive against Hezbollah, claiming that after being evacuated due to rocket fire from Lebanon, Israelis in the country's north should be allowed to return.
Approximately 60,000 northern residents who were evacuated from their homes have yet to get instructions to return.
Hezbollah has declared that its forces will keep an eye on Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon "with their hands on the trigger" and that its soldiers "remain fully equipped to deal with the aspirations and assaults of the Israeli enemy."
The group has suffered losses as a result of Israel's murder of its leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and other commanders.
U.S. President Joe Biden urged Israel and Hamas to take advantage of the opportunity as he announced the Lebanon accord on Tuesday, saying he would now redouble his efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. Negotiations for a ceasefire have been going on for months, but not much has changed.
As forces increased their shelling of core neighborhoods and tanks advanced farther into the enclave's north and south, Israeli military attacks killed at least 21 Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip on Thursday, according to doctors.
0 Comments