Israel strikes Hezbollah after ceasefire violation in Lebanon
Israeli armed forces conducted airstrikes on a Hezbollah facility in southern Lebanon on Thursday. These were intended as a response to detected terrorist activities violating the ceasefire.
The IDF is deployed in southern Lebanon, acting and thwarting any violation of the ceasefire agreement, noted the Israeli military's statement.
Earlier on Thursday, Israeli tanks shelled six border areas in Lebanon, explaining that "suspects" had appeared there, some of them in vehicles, which also violated the ceasefire rules, reported Reuters.
A Lebanese MP from Hezbollah, Hasan Fadlallah, accused Israel of breaking the ceasefire, alleging that it attacked civilians returning to their homes in southern Lebanon.
Ceasefire after many weeks of attacks
The ceasefire, in effect since Wednesday morning, entails the control of southern Lebanon by the country's regular army. For decades, this area has been under the de facto control of Hezbollah, backed by Iran, which has been systematically shelling Israel for over a year. Two months ago, the Israeli army launched a ground operation against this Shia group in southern Lebanon.
The ceasefire is set to last for 60 days, during which time the Lebanese army is to take over the weapons and infrastructure of the withdrawing Hezbollah. Israeli soldiers are also expected to leave southern Lebanon, but the army has already stated that this will only occur after the deployment of Lebanese units there.
The Israeli military also called on civilians not to return to southern Lebanon for the time being. On Wednesday, the army prohibited civilians from approaching the area directly adjacent to the border. On Thursday, the Israeli military prohibited civilian movement in southern Lebanon after dusk, until Friday morning. The restrictions were justified by concerns for the safety of those returning to their homes in Lebanon after the conflict.
The Ministry of Health in Beirut reported on Thursday that in the final days of fighting, Tuesday's Israeli attacks on Lebanon resulted in 78 deaths. In total, since the autumn of 2023, when mutual attacks between Hezbollah and Israel began, 3,961 residents of Lebanon have died, the vast majority of them over the past two months. The ministry's data do not distinguish whether the deceased were civilians or fighters. However, media and local authorities reported that many civilians were among the casualties. The Israeli military stated that it had killed over 2,000 Hezbollah fighters.
Over a year of Hezbollah attacks on Israel has resulted in more than 100 deaths, both civilians and military personnel, and several dozen Israeli soldiers have died in battles in southern Lebanon.
