Nine people were killed on Monday in Israeli strikes on villages in southern Lebanon, after Israel said it was taking aim at dozens of Hezbollah targets in retaliation for an attack claimed by the militant group amid a fragile ceasefire.
Both Israel and Hezbollah faced accusations of breaching the truce, which took effect on Wednesday last week to end a war that has killed thousands of people in Lebanon and sparked mass displacements on both sides of the border.
The Israeli military in a statement said that it “struck Hezbollah terrorists, dozens of launchers, and terrorist infrastructure throughout Lebanon.”
Photo: Reuters
“Israel demands that the relevant parties in Lebanon fulfill their responsibilities and prevent Hezbollah’s hostile activity,” the statement said.
The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said the strikes killed five people and wounded two in the village of Haris “in an initial toll,” while in the village of Tallous, another four people were killed and one wounded.
Earlier, Hezbollah said that it had launched an attack targeting an Israeli position in “the occupied hills of Kfar Shouba,” in a disputed part of the border area between Israel and Lebanon.
The Israeli military said Hezbollah had launched two projectiles toward one of its posts in the area of Har Dov, Israel’s term for the disputed Shebaa Farms.
After that attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hezbollah of a “serious violation” and vowed to “respond forcefully.”
“We are determined to uphold the ceasefire and respond to any violation by Hezbollah, no matter how minor or serious,” Netanyahu said.
Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz also vowed a “harsh response.”
Shortly afterward, the Israeli military said it was striking targets in Lebanon.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported strikes on areas of south Lebanon, where Hezbollah has long held sway, that are located about 20km from the border with Israel.
Israel has carried out a near-daily series of strikes in southern Lebanon since the ceasefire was put in place, and earlier on Monday Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri accused it of violating the truce.
“The aggressive actions carried out by Israeli occupation forces ... represent a flagrant violation of the terms of the ceasefire agreement,” said Berri, who helped mediate the truce on behalf of ally Hezbollah.
The fighting escalated after Israel moved its focus from Gaza to Lebanon in September to secure its northern border from Hezbollah attacks, dealing the Iran-backed Shiite Muslim movement a series of stunning blows.
Also on Monday, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot told Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Saar in a telephone call of “the need for all sides to respect the ceasefire in Lebanon,” the Israeli ministry said.
Saar rejected accusations that Israel had violated the truce, claiming instead that his nation’s strikes were “enforcing” the ceasefire.
“We hear claims that Israel is violating the ceasefire understandings in Lebanon. On the contrary! Israel is enforcing them in response to Hezbollah’s violations, which demand immediate action,” Saar said in a statement.
He also said Hezbollah had attempted to move weapons in southern Lebanon and their presence “south of the Litani river is the most basic violation of the understandings.”
Under the deal, Hezbollah must withdraw its fighters from areas south of the river, and dismantle its military infrastructure in the south.
As part of the agreement, the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers are to deploy in southern Lebanon as the Israeli army withdraws over a period of 60 days.
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