Israel hits Lebanon with its largest wave of airstrikes since agreeing to a ceasefire with Hezbollah, as both sides accuse each other of violations.
Israel unleashed its largest wave of airstrikes across Lebanon since agreeing to a last week, killing at least 11 people on Monday after the Lebanese militant group fired a volley of projectiles as a warning over what it said were Israeli truce violations.ceasefire with Hezbollah
The projectiles were apparently the first time that Hezbollah took aim at Israeli forces after the 60-day ceasefire went into effect last Wednesday. The increasingly fragile truce aimed to end more than a year of war between Hezbollah and Israel — part of a wider regional conflict sparked by the devastating .Israel-Hamas war in Gaza
In a possible sign of the ceasefire’s frailty — and a clear warning of the implications for Lebanon of it failing — Israeli Defense Minister Israeli Katz was cited by the country’s Army Radio network on Tuesday as warning that if the truce «collapses, we will act strongly and stop separating Hezbollah from the state of Lebanon.»Airstrikes, missile launches test shaky Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said an on the southern village of Haris killed five people and wounded two while another airstrike on the village of Tallousa killed four and also wounded two.Israeli airstrike
Israel’s military carried out a string of airstrikes late Monday against what it said were Hezbollah fighters, infrastructure and rocket launchers across Lebanon. The strikes were a response to Hezbollah firing two projectiles toward Mount Dov — a disputed Israeli-held territory known as Shebaa Farms in Lebanon where the borders of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel meet. Israel said the projectiles fell in open areas and no injuries were reported.
Hezbollah said in a statement that it fired on an Israeli military position in the area as a «defensive and warning response» after what it called deal by Israel. It said complaints to mediators tasked with monitoring the ceasefire «were futile in stopping these violations.»»repeated violations» of the ceasefire
Before the Hezbollah projectiles, Israeli carried out at least four airstrikes and an artillery barrage in southern Lebanon, including a drone strike that killed a person on a motorcycle, according to Lebanese state media. Another strike killed a corporal in the Lebanese security services.
Israel has said its strikes are in response to unspecified Hezbollah violations, and that under the ceasefire deal it reserves the right to retaliate.
Lebanon’s parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, accused Israel of violating the truce more than 50 times in recent days by launching airstrikes, demolishing homes near the border and violating Lebanon’s airspace.
Officials in the U.S. — which along with France helped broker the truce and heads a commission meant to monitor adherence to the deal — played down the significance of Israeli strikes.
