A day after Israel and Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire in Washington, Israel launched fresh attacks on southern Lebanon on Thursday. As per Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, the ceasefire deal, brokered by the US, grants the military the “freedom” to strike Beirut if Hezbollah attacks Israeli communities.
The Israeli defence minister also added that the operations in southern Lebanon would continue. Track latest updates on Iran-US war
A UN peacekeeper was reportedly killed on Thursday, while two others were injured. The casualties took place when mortar shells hit his position near Marjayoun in southeastern Lebanon on late Wednesday, the UN peacekeeping mission UNIFIL was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.
Several people were injured after an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle despite a ceasefire in place, Al Jazeera reported. Before the truce was announced, Hezbollah reportedly said it launched a “salvo of rockets” at Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon’s Qantara and launched drones towards troops near the strategic Beaufort Castle, occupied by Israel last week.
Also read: Exclusive | CBSE whistleblower’s message for CJP’s Abhijeet Dipke: ‘Internet activism fine, but…’
The fresh round of attacks also comes after a heated phone call between US President Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netayahu over Israel’s expansion of military operations in Lebanon.
What has Israel said
“The IDF will, at this stage, continue its fire and ground operations, remain in the security zone in Lebanon up to the Yellow Line — including in the Beaufort area — and without the return of the population, while continuing to dismantle terrorist infrastructure on the ground,” Katz was quoted as saying by AFP.
Katz said Israeli forces retained the “freedom of action, with American backing, to strike in Beirut in response to fire on Israeli communities and territory”.
Also read: Intense storm, rain hit Delhi-NCR, skies turn grey; IMD issues alert
The army will “at this stage, continue its fire and ground operations, remain in the security zone in Lebanon up to the Yellow Line — including in the Beaufort area — and without the return of the population, while continuing to dismantle terrorist infrastructure on the ground,” he was quoted as saying.
Hezbollah’s stand on the ceasefire
Meanwhile, Hezbollah has not commented on the truce announcement even as Israeli and Lebanese envoys on Wednesday agreed to implement a ceasefire, on the condition being that the militant group will pause its attacks.
Hezbollah has drawn Lebanon into the West Asia war as a response to the US-Israeli strikes, which killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28. The Iran-backed group has vowed to keep fighting despite a push by the Lebanese government to disarm it.
Series of failed ceasefires
The first ceasefire to pause fighting between Israel and Lebanon was put in place on April 16. However, it failed to sustain and was extended several times. But each time, the fighting resumed, sometimes even more intensified, as both sides passed the buck and blamed each other over the alleged violations.
More rounds of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel are scheduled for later this month.
Senior Hezbollah official Mahmud Qomati had told AFP this week that the group would “not accept a partial ceasefire”.
Israel’s Lebanon attacks puts US-Iran talks in jeopardy
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said he wanted to separate talks on the conflict in Lebanon from those on the war with Iran.
The Lebanon situation has been a sticking point in the deal between Iran and the US, with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warning that any attack on Beirut would trigger a “full-scale resumption” of war, though US President Donald Trump said he’d like to keep the two separate.
The White House said the Lebanon agreement was contingent on “a complete cessation” of attacks by Hezbollah.
“In that part of the world, ceasefire is when you’re shooting in a more moderate manner,” Trump said Wednesday in reference to the broader region.
“Israel and Lebanon reaffirmed that they have no hostile intent toward one another and committed to continuing direct negotiations to build confidence, resolve all outstanding issues, and work toward a comprehensive agreement between the two countries,” according to the statement.