Key points
- The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah lasts 60 days with the hope of a definitive cessation of hostilities.
- The Israeli military said its air force struck a facility used by Hezbollah to store rockets in southern Lebanon.
- Both Israel and Hezbollah have accused each other of violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli military said its air force struck a facility used by Hezbollah to store medium-range rockets in southern Lebanon, after both sides accused each other of violating a ceasefire that aims to stop over a year of fighting.
Israel said it also opened fire on Thursday against what it called “suspects”, with vehicles arriving in several areas of the southern zone, saying it was a violation of the truce with the Iranian-backed military group Hezbollah, came into effect on Wednesday.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Fadlallah, in turn, accused Israel of violating the agreement.
“The Israeli enemy is attacking those returning to the border villages,” Fadlallah told reporters, adding that “today there are violations by Israel, even in this form.”
The exchange of accusations highlighted the fragility of the ceasefire, mediated by the United States and France to end the conflict, fought in parallel to the war in Gaza. The truce lasts 60 days in the hope of bringing about a definitive cessation of hostilities.
The Israeli airstrike on Thursday was the first since the truce took effect on Wednesday morning. Lebanese security sources and broadcaster Al Jadeed said the incident occurred near Baysarieh, north of the Litani River.
The ceasefire agreement stipulates that unauthorized military facilities south of the Litani River must be dismantled but does not mention military facilities north of the river.
Earlier, Israeli tank fire hit five towns and some agricultural fields in southern Lebanon, according to state media and Lebanese security sources, with reports of at least two people wounded.
All areas are within 2 km of the Blue Line, which demarcates the border between Lebanon and Israel, in an area that the Israeli army announced as a no-go zone along the border, even after the agreement.
Lebanese families displaced from their homes near the southern border tried to return to check on their properties. But Israeli troops remain stationed inside Lebanese territory, in cities along the border, and Reuters journalists have heard surveillance drones flying over parts of southern Lebanon.
The deal, a rare diplomatic feat in a conflict-ravaged region, ended the deadliest clash between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah in years. But Israel is still fighting the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 3,961 people and injured 16,520 others since October 2023, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said on Thursday. The figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Hezbollah attacks killed 45 civilians in northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. According to Israeli authorities, at least 73 Israeli soldiers have been killed in northern Israel, in the Golan Heights, and in fighting in southern Lebanon.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israeli forces can take up to 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon, but neither side can launch offensive operations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched the offensive against Hezbollah, saying Israelis in the country’s north should be allowed to return after being evacuated due to rocket fire from Lebanon.
Around 60,000 people evacuated from homes in the north have not yet been directed to return.
Hezbollah said its fighters “remain fully equipped to meet the aspirations and attacks of the Israeli enemy” and that its forces will monitor Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon “with their hands on the trigger.”
The group was weakened by casualties and the and other commanders from Israel.
Announcing the deal with Lebanon on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden said he would now renew his push for a ceasefire deal in Gaza and urged Israel and Hamas to seize the moment. Months of efforts to negotiate a ceasefire have produced little progress.
Israeli military strikes killed at least 21 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, medics said, as forces stepped up shelling of central areas and tanks pushed deeper into the north and south of the enclave.
