Lebanon Ceasefire Under Strain

Deadly Israeli air strikes and a mortar attack by Hezbollah have raised fears that the ceasefire in Lebanon could collapse.

Ten people were killed in southern Lebanon on Monday night, the health ministry said, after Israel carried out its biggest wave of air strikes since both sides agreed last week to end 13 months of conflict.

The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah fighters, launchers, and infrastructure and urged Lebanese authorities to prevent what it called the group’s “hostile activity.”

Mortars
Hezbollah had earlier fired two mortars at an Israeli army base in a disputed border area, saying they were a warning over what it saw as “repeated violations” by Israel. No casualties were reported.

The US, which, along with France, brokered the agreement and is monitoring compliance, said that “largely speaking” the ceasefire was holding despite the violence.

Under the deal, Hezbollah has been given 60 days to end its armed presence between the Blue Line – the unofficial border between Lebanon and Israel – and the Litani river, about 30km (20 miles) to the north.

Israeli forces must withdraw from the area over the same period, and Lebanese army troops and UN peacekeepers are due to deploy there.

The conflict began on 8 October 2023, when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel in support of Palestinians in Gaza the day after its ally Hamas’s deadly attack on southern Israel.

Israel launched an intense air campaign and ground invasion against the Iran-backed group in late September, saying it wanted to ensure the safe return of 60,000 residents of northern Israel displaced by the rocket attacks.

Lebanese authorities say more than 3,960 people were killed during the hostilities, many of them civilians, and one million others were displaced from areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence.

Israeli authorities say more than 80 Israeli soldiers and 47 civilians were killed.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israeli warplanes carried out strikes in at least 11 areas of southern Lebanon on Monday night.

They included the town of Haris, where the health ministry said six people were killed and two injured.

Another four people were killed, and one was injured in the town of Tallousseh, according to the ministry.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it “struck Hezbollah terrorists, dozens of launchers, and terrorist infrastructure throughout Lebanon.”

It also said it hit the Hezbollah launcher in Berghoz that was used to fire two mortars towards the disputed Mount Dov/Shebaa Farms area in the occupied Golan Heights. The projectiles fell in an open area, and nobody was hurt.

“Hezbollah’s launches tonight constitute a violation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon,” it warned.

“The State of Israel demands that the relevant parties in Lebanon fulfil their responsibilities and prevent Hezbollah’s hostile activity from within Lebanese territory.”

Israel‘s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said it was “determined to continue enforcing the ceasefire and will respond to every Hezbollah violation – minor and major.”

Hezbollah confirmed it carried out the mortar attack, saying it was a “defensive and warning response” to what it described as “repeated violations by the Israeli enemy of the ceasefire agreement.”

BBC/Shakirat Sadiq