Lebanon Ceasefire Tested by Israeli Strikes and Hezbollah Mortar Fire

Concerns have emerged regarding the potential breakdown of the ceasefire in Lebanon, following lethal Israeli aerial assaults and a mortar strike conducted by Hezbollah. According to the health ministry, ten individuals lost their lives in southern Lebanon on Monday night, subsequent to Israel’s execution of its most extensive series of air strikes since the agreement last week to conclude 14 months of hostilities between the parties. The Israeli military stated it targeted Hezbollah combatants, launch systems, and infrastructure, and called upon Lebanese authorities to hinder what it termed the group’s “hostile activity”. Prior to this, Hezbollah had launched two mortars at an Israeli army installation situated in a contested border region, asserting these actions served as a warning concerning what it perceived as “repeated violations” by Israel. No injuries or fatalities were documented. The United States, which facilitated the agreement alongside France and is overseeing its adherence, indicated that “largely speaking” the ceasefire remained in effect notwithstanding the ongoing violence. As per the terms of the accord, Hezbollah has a 60-day period to cease its armed presence within the area spanning the Blue Line – the unofficial boundary separating Lebanon and Israel – and the Litani river, located approximately 30km (20 miles) northward. Concurrently, Israeli forces are mandated to withdraw from this territory within the identical timeframe, while Lebanese army personnel and UN peacekeepers are slated for deployment in the region. The hostilities commenced on 8 October 2023, when Hezbollah launched rockets into northern Israel, expressing support for Palestinians in Gaza, the day following its ally Hamas’s lethal assault on southern Israel. Israel initiated a vigorous air campaign and ground incursion against the Iran-supported organization in late September, stating its objective was to guarantee the secure repatriation of 60,000 inhabitants of northern Israel who had been displaced by the rocket barrages. Lebanese officials report that over 3,960 individuals perished during the conflict, a significant number being civilians, and an additional one million people were displaced from regions where Hezbollah maintains a substantial presence. Israeli authorities indicate that more than 80 Israeli military personnel and 47 civilians lost their lives. The National News Agency (NNA), Lebanon’s state-operated news service, reported that Israeli military aircraft conducted strikes in a minimum of 11 locations across southern Lebanon on Monday night. These locations encompassed the town of Haris, where the health ministry confirmed six fatalities and two injuries. The ministry also reported that an additional four individuals died and one sustained injuries in the town of Tallousseh. In a statement, the Israeli military declared it “struck Hezbollah terrorists, dozens of launchers, and terrorist infrastructure throughout Lebanon”. Furthermore, it stated that it targeted the Hezbollah launcher in Berghoz, which had been employed to discharge two mortars in the direction of the contested Mount Dov/Shebaa Farms area within the occupied Golan Heights. The projectiles landed in an unpopulated zone, resulting in no harm. It issued a warning: “Hezbollah’s launches tonight constitute a violation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon.” “The State of Israel demands that the relevant parties in Lebanon fulfil their responsibilities and prevent Hezbollah’s hostile activity from within Lebanese territory,” it added. Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, affirmed that the nation was “determined to continue enforcing the ceasefire and will respond to every Hezbollah violation – minor and major”. Hezbollah acknowledged its execution of the mortar assault, characterizing it as a “defensive and warning response” to what it termed “repeated violations by the Israeli enemy of the ceasefire agreement”. It specified that these violations encompassed targeting civilians, carrying out air strikes, and incursions into Lebanese airspace by Israeli aircraft. Earlier on Monday, Lebanese officials reported that two individuals had died in Israeli strikes in the southern part of the nation. The health ministry indicated that one person perished in Marjaoun, reportedly due to a targeted motorcycle, concurrently, the Lebanese State Security agency stated that a drone attack resulted in the death of one of its staff members while on duty in Nabatieh. Additionally, the Lebanese army reported that a soldier sustained injuries when a drone struck an army bulldozer close to the north-eastern town of Hermel, situated in the Bekaa Valley. The Israeli military declared it had “operated in southern Lebanon in response to several acts by Hezbollah in Lebanon that posed a threat to Israeli civilians, in violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon”. It further stated, “We are aware of reports regarding a soldier from the Lebanese military who was injured in one of the strikes and the incident is under investigation.” Nabih Berri, the Lebanese Parliamentary Speaker and an ally of Hezbollah who assisted in negotiating the agreement, asserted: “The aggressive actions carried out by Israeli occupation forces… represent a flagrant violation of the terms of the ceasefire.” He also mentioned that Lebanese authorities had requested the committee established to oversee the ceasefire’s implementation – consisting of the US, France, Israel, Lebanon, and the UN peacekeeping force (Unifl) – to articulate “where it stands on ongoing violations… that have exceeded 54 breaches”. Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot conveyed to his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, during a phone conversation, the necessity “for all sides to respect the ceasefire in Lebanon”, as reported by the foreign ministry. Israel’s public broadcaster Kan additionally reported that US envoy Amos Hochstein had issued a warning to Israel concerning purported violations. In an online video, Saar declared: “We hear claims that Israel is violating the ceasefire understandings in Lebanon. On the contrary!” He cautioned that Israel would initiate measures if armed Hezbollah combatants were detected south of the Litani river or if they attempted to transport weaponry. He stated: “Their presence south of the Litani river is the most basic violation of the understandings.” He further insisted: “They must move north immediately.” “I want to emphasize – Israel is committed to the successful implementation of the ceasefire, but we will not accept a return to the situation as it stood [before the conflict],” he underscored. Officials from the US indicated that the ceasefire had achieved broad success, yet acknowledged there was “a lot more work to do.” White House national security spokesman John Kirby informed reporters: “We’ve gone from dozens of [Israeli] strikes down to one a day maybe two a day.” He added: “We’re going to keep trying and see what we can do to get it down to zero.”