Israeli airstrikes and a mortar attack by Hezbollah have heightened concerns that the ceasefire in Lebanon could be on the verge of collapse.
According to the Lebanese health ministry, ten people were killed in southern Lebanon on Monday night after Israel launched its largest wave of airstrikes since both sides agreed last week to end 13 months of conflict.
The Israeli military stated that it targeted Hezbollah fighters, launchers, and infrastructure, urging Lebanese authorities to prevent what it described as the group’s “hostile activity.”
Earlier, Hezbollah fired two mortars at an Israeli army base in a disputed border region, claiming the attack was a warning in response to what it viewed as “repeated violations” by Israel. No casualties were reported.
The United States, which, along with France, brokered the ceasefire agreement and is overseeing its enforcement, stated that “largely speaking,” the ceasefire is holding despite the recent violence.
Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah is given 60 days to end its armed presence between the Blue Line (the unofficial border between Lebanon and Israel) and the Litani River, located about 30 kilometers (20 miles) to the north.
During this period, Israeli forces must also withdraw from the area, while Lebanese army troops and UN peacekeepers are set to deploy.
The conflict began on October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, following the deadly attack by Hamas on southern Israel.
In response, Israel launched an air campaign and ground invasion against the Iran-backed group in late September, aiming to secure the return of the 60,000 residents displaced from northern Israel due to the rocket attacks.
Lebanese officials report that more than 3,960 people, mostly civilians, were killed during the conflict, with one million others displaced from areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence. In contrast, Israeli authorities state that over 80 Israeli soldiers and 47 civilians lost their lives.
On Monday night, Israeli warplanes carried out strikes in at least 11 locations across southern Lebanon, including the town of Haris, where six people were killed and two injured. Another four people were killed and one injured in the town of Tallousseh.
The Israeli military said in a statement that it “struck Hezbollah terrorists, dozens of launchers, and terrorist infrastructure throughout Lebanon”.
It also said it hit the Hezbollah launcher in Berghoz that was used to fire two mortars towards the disputed Mount Dov/Shebaa Farms area in the occupied Golan Heights. The projectiles fell in an open area and nobody was hurt.
“Hezbollah’s launches tonight constitute a violation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon,” it warned.
“The State of Israel demands that the relevant parties in Lebanon fulfil their responsibilities and prevent Hezbollah’s hostile activity from within Lebanese territory.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel is “determined to continue enforcing the ceasefire and will respond to every Hezbollah violation, whether minor or major.”
Hezbollah confirmed it carried out the mortar attack, describing it as a “defensive and warning response” to what it called “repeated violations by the Israeli enemy of the ceasefire agreement.”
These violations included attacks on civilians, airstrikes, and breaches of Lebanese airspace by Israeli aircraft.
Earlier on Monday, Lebanese authorities reported that two people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon.
The health ministry confirmed that one person was killed in Marjaoun, where a motorcycle was targeted, while the Lebanese State Security agency stated that a drone strike killed one of its personnel who was on duty in Nabatieh.
Additionally, the Lebanese army reported that a soldier was injured when a drone targeted an army bulldozer near the northeastern town of Hermel in the Bekaa Valley.
The Israeli military said 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”.
“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,” it added.
Lebanese Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally who helped negotiate the deal, said: “The aggressive actions carried out by Israeli occupation forces… represent a flagrant violation of the terms of the ceasefire.”
He added that Lebanese authorities had asked the committee formed to monitor enforcement of the ceasefire – comprising the US, France, Israel, Lebanon and the UN peacekeeping force (Unifl) – to declare “where it stands on ongoing violations… that have exceeded 54 breaches”.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot meanwhile told his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, in a call that there was a need “for all sides to respect the ceasefire in Lebanon”, the foreign ministry said.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan also reported that US envoy Amos Hochstein had warned Israel over alleged violations.
In a video posted online, Saar said: “We hear claims that Israel is violating the ceasefire understandings in Lebanon. On the contrary!”
He warned that Israel would take action when armed Hezbollah fighters were identified south of the Litani river or they attempted to move weapons.
“Their presence south of the Litani river is the most basic violation of the understandings,” he said. “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].”
US officials said the ceasefire had been broadly successful, but there was “a lot more work to do.”
“We’ve gone from dozens of [Israeli] strikes down to one a day maybe two a day,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters. “We’re going to keep trying and see what we can do to get it down to zero.”