Deadly Israeli air strikes and a mortar attack by Hezbollah have raised fears that the ceasefire in Lebanon could collapse.
“Hezbollah’s launches tonight constitute a violation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon,” it warned.
Earlier on Monday, Lebanese authorities said two people had been killed in Israeli strikes in the south of the country.
The Israeli military said it had “operated in southern Lebanon in response to several acts by Hezbollah in Lebanon that posed a threat to Israeli civilians, in violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon”.
In a video posted online, Saar said: “We hear claims that Israel is violating the ceasefire understandings in Lebanon.
Hezbollah’s mortar attack and deadly Israeli airstrikes have sparked concerns that the ceasefire in Lebanon may break down.
After both sides agreed last week to end the 13-month conflict, Israel launched its largest round of airstrikes, killing 10 people in southern Lebanon Monday night, according to the health ministry.
The Israeli military urged Lebanese authorities to stop what it described as Hezbollah’s “hostile activity” after claiming to have hit the group’s fighters, launchers, and infrastructure.
In a disputed border region, Hezbollah had earlier fired two mortars at an Israeli army base, claiming the attacks were a warning over what it perceived to be “repeated violations” by Israel. Nobody was reported killed.
The ceasefire was holding “largely speaking” in spite of the violence, according to the US, which mediated the deal with France and is keeping an eye on compliance.
The agreement gives Hezbollah 60 days to remove its armed presence between the Litani River, which is located roughly 30 kilometers (20 miles) to the north, and the Blue Line, which is the unofficial border between Israel and Lebanon.
Within the same time frame, Lebanese army troops and UN peacekeepers are scheduled to arrive in the region, and Israeli forces are required to leave.
In support of Palestinians in Gaza, Hezbollah launched rockets into northern Israel on October 8, 2023, the day after its ally Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel, sparking the start of the conflict.
With the stated goal of ensuring the safe return of 60,000 people who had been displaced by the rocket attacks in northern Israel, Israel launched a fierce air campaign and ground invasion against the Iran-backed group in late September.
Over 3,960 people, many of them civilians, were killed during the fighting, according to Lebanese authorities, and one million more were displaced from areas where Hezbollah is heavily represented.
According to Israeli officials, 47 civilians and over 80 Israeli soldiers were killed.
Israeli warplanes carried out strikes in at least 11 regions of southern Lebanon on Monday night, according to the country’s official National News Agency (NNA).
The town of Haris was one of them; according to the health ministry, two people were hurt and six people died there.
The ministry reported that four more people were killed and one injured in Tallousseh.
It “struck Hezbollah terrorists, dozens of launchers, and terrorist infrastructure throughout Lebanon,” according to a statement from the Israeli military.
Additionally, it claimed to have struck the Berghoz-based Hezbollah launcher that fired two mortars toward the occupied Golan Heights’ disputed Mount Dov/Shebaa Farms region. No one was harmed when the projectiles fell in a public space.
It cautioned that “Hezbollah’s launches tonight constitute a violation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon.”.
The State of Israel insists that the pertinent parties in Lebanon carry out their obligations and stop Hezbollah from engaging in hostile activities inside Lebanon. “”.
According to Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, the country is “determined to continue enforcing the ceasefire and will respond to every Hezbollah violation – minor and major.”.
Hezbollah acknowledged carrying out the mortar strike and justified it as a “defensive and warning response” to what it said were “repeated violations by the Israeli enemy of the ceasefire agreement.”.
It claimed that these included Israeli aircraft violating Lebanese airspace, making airstrikes, and firing on civilians.
Lebanese officials reported earlier Monday that Israeli strikes in the country’s south had killed two people.
One person was killed in Marjaoun, where a motorcycle was allegedly targeted, according to the health ministry, and one of its employees was killed in a drone strike in Nabatieh, according to the Lebanese State Security Agency.
A soldier was injured, according to the Lebanese army, when a drone struck an army bulldozer in the Bekaa Valley, close to the northeastern town of Hermel.
In defiance of the agreements between Israel and Lebanon, the Israeli military claimed to have “operated in southern Lebanon in response to several acts by Hezbollah in Lebanon that posed a threat to Israeli civilians.”.
It also stated, “We are aware of reports regarding a Lebanese military soldier who was injured in one of the strikes and the incident is under investigation.”.
Hezbollah ally and Lebanese Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, who assisted in negotiating the agreement, stated: “The violence committed by Israeli occupation forces. constitute a blatant disregard for the ceasefire’s provisions. “.”.
The US, France, Israel, Lebanon, and the UN peacekeeping force (Unifl) comprise the committee that was established to oversee the ceasefire’s enforcement, and he added that Lebanese authorities had asked it to state “where it stands on ongoing violations.”. that have more than 54 violations.
During a phone conversation with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that “all sides must respect the ceasefire in Lebanon,” according to the foreign ministry.
Additionally, according to Israeli public broadcaster Kan, US envoy Amos Hochstein had issued a warning to Israel about purported infractions.
Saar stated in an online video: “We have heard allegations that Israel is breaking the ceasefire agreements in Lebanon. On the contrary.
He said if armed Hezbollah fighters were found south of the Litani River or if they tried to transfer weapons, Israel would act.
The most fundamental breach of the understandings, he claimed, is their presence south of the Litani River. They have to head straight north. “.”.
I would like to stress that Israel is dedicated to seeing the ceasefire through to its successful conclusion, but we will not tolerate a return to the pre-conflict state of affairs. “”.
There was “a lot more work to do,” according to US officials, but overall the ceasefire had been successful. “”.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters, “We’ve gone from dozens of [Israeli] strikes down to one a day maybe two a day.”. In an effort to bring it down to zero, we will continue to try. “.”.
