Israel and Hezbollah trade allegations of ceasefire violations By Reuters

Written by Maya Gebeily

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Israel and Hezbollah traded accusations of breaching their ceasefire agreement on Thursday, a day after a deal to end more than a year of fighting in Lebanon began.

Israel’s military said the cease-fire, held by the United States and France, was violated after what it called suspects, some in vehicles, arrived at several locations in the southern region.

Hezbollah spokesman Hassan Fadlallah accused Israel of violating the agreement.

“The enemy of Israel is attacking those who return to the border towns,” Fadlallah told reporters after the parliamentary session, adding, “there is a violation of the law today by Israel, even in this form”.

Israeli tank fire hit six areas along the border on Thursday morning, hitting Markaba, Wazzani and Kfarchouba, Khiyam, Taybe and the agricultural plains around Marjayoun, state media and Lebanese security sources said.

All locations are within two kilometers (1.24 miles) of the Blue Line dividing the border between Lebanon and Israel. One of the security sources said that two people were injured in Markaba.

Lebanese families who were displaced from their homes along the southern border have tried to return to look for their homes. But Israeli troops remain stationed in Lebanese territory in towns near the border and Reuters reporters heard surveillance drones flying over parts of southern Lebanon.

There was no immediate comment on the tank rounds from Iran-backed Hezbollah or Israel, which have fought similar battles in Gaza.

The agreement, a rare diplomatic gesture in the conflict-ridden region, ended the deadliest conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah terrorist group in years. But Israel is still at war with its other main enemy, the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, in the Gaza Strip, in response to a deadly attack led by Hamas in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed at least 3,823 people and injured 15,859 others since October 2023, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.

Hezbollah strikes killed 45 civilians in northern Israel and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. At least 73 Israeli soldiers were killed in northern Israel, the Golan Heights, and fighting in southern Lebanon, according to Israeli authorities.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israeli forces can take up to 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon but neither side can launch an offensive.

COMING HOME

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the army not to allow civilians to return to Lebanese villages near the border.

The speaker of the Lebanese parliament, Nabih Berri, who is Lebanon’s chief negotiator in the negotiations on this agreement, said on Wednesday that citizens can return to their homes.

Netanyahu attacked Hezbollah saying that Israelis in the north of the country should be able to return after being evacuated due to rocket fire in Lebanon. About 60,000 people who were evicted from their homes in the north have still not been told to return.

Hezbollah said its forces “remain fully equipped to face the desires and attacks of Israel’s enemy” and that its forces would monitor Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon “with their hands on the guns”.

This group has been weakened by the injuries and the killing of its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and other commanders by Israel.

Announcing the Lebanon agreement on Tuesday, American President Joe Biden said he will now renew his goal of suspending the agreement in Gaza and urged Israel and Hamas to seize the moment. Months of efforts to negotiate a cease-fire have made little progress, and talks remain on hold.

Israeli military strikes killed at least 21 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, health officials said, as forces stepped up attacks on central areas and tanks penetrated deeper north and south of the area.