Lebanon accuses Israel of escalating attacks, breaching truce
Beirut: Lebanon has accused Israel of escalating attacks under various pretexts, particularly in the north and south of the Litani River, causing casualties and destruction.
“The Israeli forces did not stop airstrikes. This morning, engineering and military vehicles crossed the technical fence and carried out excavation operations in Wadi Qatmoun, near the outskirts of the village of Rmeish in southern Lebanon,” the Lebanese army’s Directorate of Guidance said on Sunday in a statement.
The army also noted the continued deployment of Israeli troops within Lebanon, condemning it as a “blatant violation of UN Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire agreement”.
Also on Sunday, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said Israel continues its occupation of key positions within Lebanon and blocks the Lebanese army’s deployment south of the Litani River, Xinhua news agency reported.
In an interview with local newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Berri reiterated that Lebanon remains committed to the ceasefire agreement reached last November, which is backed by the UN, the international community, and Arab states, while Israel is obstructing its execution and seeking to circumvent it.
Berri said Hezbollah has respected the ceasefire agreement, withdrawn from south of the Litani River, and refrained from military action for months, despite repeated Israeli violations, which have extended deep into eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa region and the Lebanese-Syrian border.
Since November 27, 2024, a US- and French-brokered ceasefire between the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and Israel has been in place, ending more than a year of hostilities triggered by the war in the Gaza Strip.
Despite the agreement, which requires Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory, Israeli forces have maintained positions at five key locations along the border beyond the February 18 deadline.
The Israeli military continued to launch intermittent strikes in Lebanon, with the latest taking place on Saturday, which, according to Lebanon’s Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, killed seven people and injured 40 others.
The military has repeatedly claimed that such attacks aim to eliminate “threats posed by Hezbollah”.
Hezbollah’s latest rocket fires are the first they have launched since the ceasefire, whereas Israel has breached the agreement several times, repeating its exact playbook from Gaza.
Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel was set to withdraw from the occupied parts of Lebanon by January; however, the IOF remain in five locations inside Lebanon and have carried out dozens of deadly strikes, striking civilians under the guise of targeting Hezbollah.