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[VIDEOS] Hezbollah, resistance force from Lebanon: A decades-long conflict with Israel

Mixed feelings in Lebanon as anticipation of a ceasefire builds​


Beirut, Lebanon – The United States’s special envoy for the Middle East, Amos Hochstein, has landed in the Lebanese capital to hold talks around a potential ceasefire deal between Hezbollah and Israel.

This comes after an emotionally exhausting period for Lebanese as optimism and worry abounded.

Graphic designer Diana Younes told Al Jazeera she is close to despair and clutching at any hope.

“My God, Hochstein, stop this war and I don’t want more than that. Khalas! We are honestly so tired, but we say ‘Hamdella [Thanks be to God]’,” she said.

Ceasefire manoeuvres

Optimism over a deal was dampened then revived on Monday as Israel hit Beirut for the third time in two days and Axios reported Hochstein was not coming to Lebanon to talk about a deal as planned.

Then, it was reported Hochstein was leaving the US for Beirut after all.

Source: Al Jazeera
 
Israel pounds eastern and southern Lebanon as truce talks continue

Israeli air raids have killed dozens of people in the Baalbek region in eastern Lebanon, a local official said, as a United States mediator sought to advance ceasefire talks in Israel.

At least 47 people were killed and 22 others wounded in the attacks, Bachir Khodr, governor of Lebanon’s Baalbek-Hermel province, said in a post on X on Thursday. Rescue operations were under way, he added.

Elsewhere in Lebanon, Beirut shook as Israeli air strikes hit the southern suburbs about a dozen times, sending up clouds of debris in some of the most intense air strikes yet.

The Israeli army said it carried out strikes against Hezbollah infrastructure and that it had mitigated civilian harm through advance warnings and other steps.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry also said that the three people were killed in an Israeli bombing of the town of al-Shaitiyah, near the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon.


www.aljazeera.com

Israel pounds eastern and southern Lebanon as truce talks continue

US mediator Amos Hochstein said a ceasefire was ‘within our grasp’ during a visit to Lebanon.
www.aljazeera.com www.aljazeera.com
 
Israeli air attacks have killed at least five paramedics in southern Lebanon as Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters are engaged in heavy clashes.

Health officials warn all hospitals in Gaza will have to stop or reduce services “within 48 hours” for lack of fuel, accusing Israel of blocking its entry.


Al Jazeera
 
Beirut hit by massive Israeli strikes - local media

Israel has carried out massive air strikes on central Beirut, Lebanese media say, and there are reports of several deaths.

An eight-storey residential building was completely destroyed with five missiles in the capital's Basta district, according to Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA).

Hezbollah's al-Manar media outlet quoted the Lebanese health ministry as saying four people were killed and 23 injured. Videos have now emerged purportedly showing the wreckage of a building.

The Israeli military made no immediate comments on the reported strikes early on Saturday.

The massive Israeli attack happened at about 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT) on Saturday, and the explosions shook the city.

In the dark, emergency teams searched the site in Basta, a densely populated area.

Footage showed a plume of smoke rising from a huge crater after one building collapsed.

In recent months, Israeli air strikes have killed several top Hezbollah members in Beirut, including the group's leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began a major offensive against Hezbollah in September, carrying out air strikes and also sending troops into southern Lebanon.

The hostilities escalated after the Iran-backed Hezbollah fired repeated salvoes of rockets into Israel in solidarity with Hamas, the Palestinian group that carried out the deadly 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel.

Israel’s stated goal in its war against Hezbollah is to allow the return of about 60,000 residents who have been displaced from communities in northern Israel because of the group’s attacks.

In Lebanon, the conflict has killed more than 3,500 people and forced more than one million from their homes, Lebanese authorities say.

Earlier this week, a US mediator visited both Israel and Lebanon in an attempt to secure a ceasefire.

Amos Hochstein indicated some progress had been made - but has not publicly commented on any details.

BBC
 
US says committed to ‘diplomatic resolution’ in Lebanon

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stressed that the United States was dedicated to a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon and urged Israel to improve “dire” conditions in Gaza, in a call Saturday with his Israeli counterpart.

Austin “reiterated US commitment to a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon that allows Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return safely to their homes on both sides of the border” in his call with Israel Katz, according to a Pentagon spokesperson.

Austin also “urged the Government of Israel to continue to take steps to improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza and emphasized the US commitment to securing the release of all hostages, including US citizens.”

Lebanon said Saturday that an Israeli airstrike in the heart of Beirut that brought down a residential building and jolted residents across the city killed at least 11 people.

Israel stepped up its campaign against the Hezbollah militant group in late September, targeting its strongholds in Lebanon.

Lebanon’s health ministry says at least 3,645 people have been killed since October 2023, when Hezbollah began trading fire with Israel in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas.

The United Nations and others have repeatedly decried humanitarian conditions, particularly in northern Gaza, where Israel said Friday it had killed two commanders involved in Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.

In the call with Katz, Austin also discussed ongoing Israeli operations and reaffirmed Washington’s “ironclad commitment to Israel’s security,” the Pentagon said.

 
'Are we not humans?': Anger in Beirut as massive Israeli strike kills 20

A massive Israeli air strike on central Beirut has killed at least 20 people, Lebanese officials say, in the latest attack on the capital amid an escalation of Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah.

The strike happened without warning at about 04:00 (02:00 GMT) on Saturday, and was an attempt to assassinate a senior Hezbollah official, Israeli media reported.

The attack was heard and felt across the city, and destroyed at least one eight-storey residential building in the densely populated Basta district.

Lebanon's National News Agency said a so-called bunker buster bomb was used, a type of weapon previously used by Israel to kill senior Hezbollah figures, including former leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The death toll rose from 15 to 20 on Saturday as emergency workers used heavy machinery to remove the rubble and retrieve bodies.

The Lebanese health ministry said more than 60 people had been wounded, and that the number of victims was expected to rise as DNA tests would be carried out on body parts that had been recovered.

“It was a very horrible explosion. All the windows and glasses were over me, my wife and my children. My home now is a battlefield,” said 55-year-old Ali Nassar, who lived in a nearby building.

“Even if one person is hiding here…Should you destroy buildings where people are sleeping inside? Is it necessary to kill all the people for one person? Or we’re not humans? That’s what I’m asking.”

According to the Israeli public broadcaster Kan, the attack was an attempt to kill Mohammed Haydar, a top Hezbollah official. Hezbollah MP Amin Sherri said none of the group’s leaders were in the building hit, and Haydar’s fate remained unclear.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has not commented.

Also on Saturday, the IDF carried out further air strikes on the Dahieh, the area in southern Beirut where Hezbollah is based, saying they were buildings linked to the group.

Israeli attacks have also hit the south, where an Israeli ground invasion is advancing, and the east, where air strikes in the city of Baalbek killed at least 15 people, including four children, the Lebanese health ministry said.

In the past two weeks, Israel has intensified its campaign against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia and political movement, amid international efforts for a ceasefire, in what appears to be a strategy to pressure the group to accept a deal.

The escalation comes as renewed negotiations to end more than one year of conflict showed initial signs of progress. This week, Amos Hochstein, who has led the Biden administration’s diplomatic efforts, held talks in Lebanon and Israel to try to advance a US-drafted deal.

Since the conflict intensified in late September, Lebanese authorities have said any deal should be limited to the terms of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.

The resolution includes the withdrawal of Hezbollah’s fighters and weapons in areas between the Blue Line - the unofficial frontier between Lebanon and Israel - and the Litani river, about 30km (20 miles) from the boundary with Israel.

Israel says that was never fully respected, while Lebanon says Israeli violations included military flights over Lebanese territory.

The proposal, according to a Western diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity, includes a 60-day ceasefire which would see the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the removal of Hezbollah’s presence from the area. The Lebanese military would then boost its presence there, with thousands of extra troops.

But disagreements over some elements remained, the diplomat added, including about the timeline for an Israeli pull-out and the formation of an international mechanism to monitor the agreement.

Both Hezbollah and Iran have indicated being interested in a deal, according to a senior Lebanese source. After the initial shock, the group has reorganised itself, and continues to carry out daily attacks on Israel, though not with the same intensity, and confront invading Israeli soldiers.

On Wednesday, Hezbollah’s Secretary General Naim Qassem said the group had received the US proposal, clarified its reservations, and that it was allowing the talks to go ahead to see if they produced any results. The conditions for a deal, he said, were a complete cessation of hostilities and the preservation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, warning that Hezbollah was ready for a long fight.

Israel’s stated goal in its war against Hezbollah is to allow the return of about 60,000 residents who have been displaced from communities in northern Israel because of the group’s attacks.

In Lebanon, more than 3,670 people have been killed and at least 15,400 injured since October 2023, according to Lebanese authorities, with more than one million forced from their homes.

BBC
 

Hezbollah says launches attacks on Tel Aviv and south Israel​


The Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah said on Sunday it fired dozens of missiles and drones at Israel.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah said in a statement that it had “launched, for the first time, an aerial attack using a swarm of strike drones on the Ashdod naval base” in southern Israel.

In a separate statement, it said it had also carried out an operation against a “military target” in Tel Aviv using “a barrage of advanced missiles and a swarm of strike drones.”

The Israeli military did not comment on the attack claims when contacted by AFP.

But it said earlier that air raid sirens had sounded in several locations in central and northern Israel, including in the greater Tel Aviv suburbs.

The military said it intercepted a number of the around 55 projectiles fired at northern Israel.

In southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army said an Israeli strike on a post killed a soldier.

“One soldier was martyred, and 18 others were injured, including some with severe wounds, as a result of an Israeli attack targeting a Lebanese army center in Amriyeh,” the army said in a statement.

After nearly a year of limited cross-border exchanges of fire, in which Lebanon’s Hezbollah said it was acting in support of Hamas, Israel escalated air strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on September 23.

A week later it sent in ground troops to southern Lebanon.

Israel says it wants to eliminate Hezbollah and Hamas, which it has been at war with in the Gaza Strip since the Palestinian militant group’s unprecedented October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel.

 
Hezbollah fires barrage of rockets at Israel

Hezbollah militants fired about 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel on Sunday in response to an Israeli attack on Beirut the day before that killed at least 29 people.

Some of the Hezbollah strikes reached the Tel Aviv area in the heart of Israel and wounded seven people. The assault was one of the largest Hezbollah has mounted since it started firing on Israel more than a year ago in support of Hamas militants, who attacked Israel in October 2023 and have been warring with Israel in Gaza since then.


www.voanews.com

Hezbollah fires barrage of rockets at Israel

Hezbollah militants fire about 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel in response to Israeli attack on Beirut the day before that killed at least 29 people
www.voanews.com www.voanews.com
 

WHO chief condemns attacks on northern Gaza hospital​


The Director-General of the World Health Organization says the ongoing attacks on Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza have resulted in 14 more injuries in the past 48 hours, which includes the hospital’s director and several other healthcare workers.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the situation there “deplorable and deeply concerning”.

“There are still 65 adult patients with injuries, 13 child patients, and 8 patients in the intensive care unit in need of care,” he posted on X. “The attacks on Kamal Adwan Hospital must stop immediately.”

Israeli forces have repeatedly attacked the hospital, its medical staff and patients, and damaged the facility’s generators, fuel tanks, and main oxygen station.

Source: Al Jazeera
 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the emerging ceasefire deal with Hezbollah “in principle” during a security consultation with Israeli officials Sunday night, a source familiar with the matter said

Israel still has reservations over some details of the agreement, which were expected to be transmitted to the Lebanese government on Monday, the source said.

Those and other details are still being negotiated and multiple sources stressed that the agreement will not be final until all issues are resolved.

A ceasefire agreement will also need to be approved by the Israeli cabinet, which has not yet occurred.

Sources familiar with the negotiations said talks appear to be moving positively toward an agreement, but acknowledged that as Israel and Hezbollah continue to trade fire, one misstep could upend the talks.

United States envoy Amos Hochstein said in Beirut last week that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon was “within our grasp,” but that it was ultimately “the decision of the parties.”

He met Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, the interlocutor with Hezbollah in the talks and said there had been “constructive” and “very good discussions to narrow the gaps.”

Ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah is ‘very close,’ regional source says, as Lebanon death toll climbs

“We have a real opportunity to bring conflict to an end,” he added last week. “The window is now.” He departed Lebanon for Israel on Wednesday to try to bring the negotiations “to a close.”

The US-backed proposal aims to achieve a 60-day cessation of hostilities that some hope could form the basis of a lasting ceasefire.

On Sunday, CNN analyst and Axios reporter Barak Ravid cited a source as saying Hochstein had told the Israeli ambassador to Washington on Saturday that if Israel did not respond positively in the coming days to the ceasefire proposal, he would withdraw from the mediation efforts.

Hochstein’s trip to the region followed Beirut responding “positively” to a US-backed proposal to stop the war, Mikati said last week, adding that large parts of the draft agreement were resolved.

Israel launched a major military offensive in Lebanon in mid-September following months of ***-for-tat border attacks which started on October 8 last year when Hezbollah attacked Israeli controlled territory in solidarity with Hamas and Palestinians in Gaza.

Since then, Israel has launched a ground invasion, killed a string of Hezbollah leaders – including one of its founders, Hassan Nasrallah – and injured thousands of people in an attack featuring exploding pagers.

Source:CNN
 
Lebanese sources: Biden, Macron set to announce Israel-Hezbollah truce

U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to announce a ceasefire in Lebanon between armed group Hezbollah and Israel imminently, four senior Lebanese sources said on Monday.

In Washington, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said, "We're close" but "nothing is done until everything is done".

The French presidency said discussions on a ceasefire had made significant progress. In Jerusalem, a senior Israeli official said Israel's cabinet would meet on Tuesday to approve a truce deal with Hezbollah.

Signs of a diplomatic breakthrough were accompanied by heavy Israeli airstrikes on Beirut's Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs, as Israel pressed on with the offensive it launched in September after almost a year of cross-border hostilities.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office declined to comment on reports that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to the text of a deal. But the senior Israeli official told Reuters that Tuesday's cabinet meeting was intended to approve the text.


 
Israel cabinet to meet to discuss Lebanon ceasefire deal

The Israeli cabinet will meet to discuss approval of a ceasefire to temporarily end hostilities with the Lebanese militia Hezbollah.

The proposed truce would be for an initial period of 60 days and include the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, according to media reports.

In return, Hezbollah would end its presence south of the Litani River, about 30km (18 miles) north of the international border, and be replaced by Lebanese Army troops.

Even as diplomats suggested on Monday that a deal was close, fierce fighting continued, with Lebanese authorities reporting at least 31 killed in Israeli air strikes and Hezbollah firing barrages of rockets at Israel.

Ministers are expected to vote on the deal during the meeting on Tuesday, according to Haaretz. Reuters news agency cited a senior Israeli official as saying the meeting was intended to approve the agreement's text.

The news agency also reported four senior Lebanese sources as saying the US and France - a long-term ally of Lebanon - were expected to announce a ceasefire imminently.

According to Israel's Channel 12, the possible deal includes:

  • A mutual ceasefire
  • An IDF presence in Lebanon for up to 60 days
  • The Lebanese Army replacing the IDF as it withdraws
  • No Israeli-occupied buffer zone in southern Lebanon
  • The US heading the five-country committee set up to monitor implementation of the ceasefire
  • The Lebanese government overseeing arms purchases and production in the country
In addition, the US would issue a letter recognising Israel's right to attack Lebanon if Hezbollah is perceived to be in violation of the agreement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is said to have agreed to the deal "in principle". The Lebanese deputy speaker of parliament, Elias Bou Saab, told Reuters that there were now "no serious obstacles" to a ceasefire "unless Netanyahu changes his mind".

The French presidency said on Monday evening negotiations had "significantly advanced" and urged Israel and Hezbollah to "quickly seize this opportunity".

"We believe we've reached this point where we're close," US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. But he added: "We're not there yet."

But Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, spoke out against a ceasefire.

He said Israel should press on with the war until "absolute victory", and, addressing Netanyahu on X, said: "It is not too late to stop this agreement!"

Lebanese authorities have said any ceasefire deal should be limited to the terms of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.

The resolution includes the withdrawal of Hezbollah’s fighters and weapons in areas between the Blue Line - the unofficial frontier between Lebanon and Israel - and the Litani river, about 30km (18 miles) from the boundary with Israel.

Israel says that was never fully respected, while Lebanon says Israeli violations included military flights over Lebanese territory.

Though negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah appeared to be bearing fruit, parallel talks to end the war in Gaza have been deadlocked for months. This month, Qatar withdrew from its role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group Israel is fighting in Gaza.

The war in Lebanon began on 8 October last year when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in support of the deadly Hamas attack a day earlier.

Israel’s stated goal is to allow the return of about 60,000 residents who have been displaced from communities in northern Israel because of Hezbollah attacks.

In September, Israel launched a major escalation of the war against the militia, destroying much of its infrastructure and weapons, and killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah and other senior figures.

In Lebanon, more than 3,750 people have been killed and at least 15,600 injured since October 2023, according to Lebanese authorities, with more than one million forced from their homes.

BBC
 
Netanyahu Cabinet approves Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal in Lebanon

Israel’s security cabinet has agreed a ceasefire deal with Lebanon, which is expected to take effect on Wednesday, according to a report

Israel has reached a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon, paving the way to end the conflict with Hezbollah that has resulted in thousands of deaths since it escalated following the Gaza war last year.

According to Channel 12 TV, the ceasefire is expected to take effect on Wednesday.

This development follows a meeting of Israel’s security cabinet under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, convened to discuss the terms of the deal.

With Israeli approval, the agreement is set to lead to an official ceasefire declaration by US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, Reuters quoted a senior Lebanese officials as saying.


www.firstpost.com

Netanyahu Cabinet approves Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal in Lebanon

Israel’s security cabinet has agreed a ceasefire deal with Lebanon, which is expected to take effect on Wednesday, according to a report
www.firstpost.com www.firstpost.com
 
Israel and Lebanon accept ceasefire deal - Biden

Israel and Lebanon have accepted a ceasefire deal to end fighting with Hezbollah, according to US President Joe Biden.

The deal will be effective from 04:00 tomorrow local time (02:00 GMT), he adds.


BBC
 
As predicted surrendered

Withdrawl of troops , infrastructure, positions from blue line to the litani river replaced by Lebanese troops and un troops , total hezbollah withdrawal
 

Lebanon army deploys under Israel Hezbollah ceasefire​


Lebanon’s military deployed troops and tanks across the country’s south on Thursday as a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war largely held for a second day.

The truce ended a war that began a day after Hamas’s unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, killing thousands in Lebanon and sparking mass displacements in both Lebanon and Israel.

Israel shifted its focus from Gaza to Lebanon in September to secure its northern border from Hezbollah attacks, dealing the Iran-backed Shia Muslim movement a series of staggering blows.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers were to become the only armed presence in south Lebanon, where Hezbollah has long held sway.

A Lebanese army source said its forces were “conducting patrols and setting up checkpoints” south of the Litani River without advancing into areas where Israeli forces were still present.

In the border village of Qlaaya, residents threw rice and flowers to celebrate the arrival of Lebanese soldiers.

“We only want the Lebanese army,” chanted the residents of the Christian-majority village, as they clapped and cheered for the troops and waved the Lebanese red, white and green flag.

Since the ceasefire took effect on Wednesday, tens of thousands of Lebanese who fled their homes have headed back to their towns and villages, only to find scenes of devastation.

“Despite all the destruction and the sorrow, we are happy to be back,” said Umm Mohammed Bzeih, a widow who fled with her four children from the southern village of Zibqin two months ago.

“I feel as if our souls have returned,” she said, visibly exhausted as she swept up the shattered glass and pieces of stones that carpeted the floor.

Crisis

While there was joy around Lebanon that the war has ended, it will take the country a long time to recover.

Even prior to the conflict, it had been wracked for years by political and economic crisis, with World Bank data from earlier this year indicating poverty had tripled in a decade.

On Thursday, there was a glimmer of hope as the official National News Agency reported parliament would meet to elect a president on January 9, following a two-year vacuum.

Lebanon is deeply divided along political and sectarian lines, with Hezbollah long dominating the Shia Muslim majority.

Hezbollah, the only armed group that refused to surrender its weapons following the 1975-90 civil war, built its popularity by providing health and education services.

It has maintained a formidable arsenal, supplied chiefly by Iran, which is widely regarded as more powerful than that of the Lebanese army.

While it did not take part in any direct talks for the ceasefire, which was brokered by the United States and France, it was represented by ally parliament speaker Nabih Berri.

Hezbollah proclaimed on Wednesday that it had achieved “victory” in the war against Israel, after the truce took effect.

“Victory from God almighty was the ally of the righteous cause,” it said, adding its fighters would “remain in total readiness to deal with the Israeli enemy’s ambitions and its attacks.”

But the war saw Israel deal Hezbollah a string of unprecedented blows, key among them the killing in September of its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Other losses suffered by the group include the death of a string of other top commanders, as well as the killing of the man touted to succeed Nasrallah, Hashem Safieddine.

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told AFP his group was cooperating on the army’s deployment in the south.

There is “full cooperation” with the Lebanese state in strengthening the army’s deployment, he said, adding the group had “no visible weapons or bases” but “nobody can make residents leave their villages.”

Phased withdrawal

In northern Israel, which has come under steady attack from Hezbollah for more than a year, there was hope tinged with skepticism over whether a truce can last.

Nissim Ravivo, a 70-year-old in the coastal city of Nahariya, just 10 kilometers (six miles) from the border with Lebanon, voiced disappointment.

“It’s a shame, we should have continued for at least another two months and finished the job,” he said. “We still don’t feel safe and we are not happy about it.”

Lebanon says at least 3,823 people have been killed in the country since October 2023, most of them in recent weeks.

On the Israeli side, the hostilities with Hezbollah have killed at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians, authorities there say.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israeli forces will hold their positions but “a 60-day period will commence in which the Lebanese military and security forces will begin their deployment towards the south,” a US official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

Then Israel will begin a phased withdrawal without a vacuum forming that Hezbollah or others could rush into, the official said.

The Israeli and Lebanese militaries have both called on residents of frontline villages to avoid returning home immediately.

“We control positions in the south of Lebanon, our planes continue to fly in Lebanese airspace,” Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said.

“We control positions in the south of Lebanon, our planes continue to fly in Lebanese airspace.”

 
Lebanese army accuses Israel of violating ceasefire

The Lebanese army says Israeli forces have violated the new ceasefire agreement “several times” since Wednesday.

On Wednesday and Thursday, “after the ceasefire agreement was announced, the Israeli enemy violated the agreement several times, through air violations and targeting Lebanese territory with various weapons,” the army said on X.

It added that it was “following up” on the violations with the relevant authorities.

Source: Al Jazeera
 
Ceasefire largely holds but Israelis near Lebanon border have their doubts

Israel says its forces fired artillery and carried out airstrikes against targets in southern Lebanon, on the second day of a ceasefire brokered after more than a year of war between Israel and the Lebanese militia group Hezbollah.

The Israeli army said it had fired at suspects after spotting activity at a Hezbollah weapons facility, and vehicles arriving in several areas that breached the terms of the ceasefire deal.

Lebanon accused Israel of violating the agreement “multiple times” and said it was monitoring the situation.

Despite fraying around the edges, so far the ceasefire appears to be largely holding, and the Israeli military road leading to the northern tip of the Lebanese border was sleepier than it has been for months. Through the open gates of bases, soldiers were carrying out routine maintenance, stick figures on the lines of tanks, etched against the late afternoon sky.

One captain, who crossed out of Lebanon this morning, told me he and his team were happy to be out of the fighting and going back to their lives – but that they all hoped they had done enough.


www.bbc.com

Ceasefire largely holds but Israelis near Lebanon border have their doubts

Some people say the ceasefire with Hezbollah is a mistake, even a “surrender”.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 

Israel warns against returning to 60 Lebanon villages​


The Israeli military has warned Lebanese citizens not to return to 60 villages in the south of the country, three days into a ceasefire after more than a year of fighting with the Shia armed group Hezbollah.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) published a map showing a swathe of territory several miles deep, which it said residents must not return to. Anyone who did, it said, would be putting themselves in danger.

More than a million Lebanese have been displaced by the fighting, mostly from the south. Tens of thousands of Israelis have also been displaced.

The truce came into effect on Wednesday morning, though officials in Israel and Lebanon have accused each other of already breaching it.

On Thursday, the IDF said its forces fired artillery and carried out air strikes against targets in southern Lebanon. It added that it had fired at suspects after spotting activity at a Hezbollah weapons facility, and vehicles arriving in several areas, which it said breached the ceasefire.

Lebanon accused Israel of violating the agreement “multiple times” and said it was monitoring the situation.

A multinational monitoring group which includes representatives from the US, France, and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) was set up as part of the ceasefire to oversee compliance with its terms.

In his first interview since the ceasefire was declared, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed the IDF to wage "an intensive war" should Hezbollah commit a "massive violation" of the ceasefire.

The ceasefire "can be short", he said in the interview with Israel's Channel 14.

Under the terms of the agreement, which was brokered by the US and France, Israeli forces will withdraw from south Lebanon as the Lebanese army deploys there simultaneously with no other armed groups allowed to operate in the area. This is meant to happen within 60 days from the start of the ceasefire.

The zone which the IDF said residents should not yet return to stretches from Mansouri on the coast to Shebaa in the east.

On Wednesday, the Lebanese army warned residents not to return to areas where Israeli forces were before they had withdrawn.

Israel invaded southern Lebanon at the start of last month after the IDF intensified military action against Hezbollah.

Hezbollah began the current conflict with Israel by firing rockets in and around northern Israel on 8 October 2023, a day after Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel from Gaza which killed about 1,200 people.

Hezbollah said it was acting in solidarity with the Palestinians after Israel responded to the Hamas attack with a massive military campaign in Gaza. The Hamas-run health ministry says at least 44,330 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive.

Since 8 October, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire with increasing intensity. The Lebanese health ministry said Israeli strikes had killed at least 3,961 people and injured 16,520 others in that period. The figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Hezbollah’s attacks have killed 31 soldiers and 45 civilians inside Israel, Israeli authorities say. Another 45 Israeli soldiers have been killed fighting in southern Lebanon.

www.bbc.com

Israel warns against returning to 60 Lebanon villages

The warning comes as Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other of breaking the fragile ceasefire.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 
The Israeli military has warned Lebanese citizens not to return to 60 villages in the south of the country, three days into a ceasefire after more than a year of fighting with the Shia armed group Hezbollah

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) published a map showing a swathe of territory several miles deep, which it said residents must not return to. Anyone who did, it said, would be putting themselves in danger.

More than a million Lebanese have been displaced by the fighting, mostly from the south. Tens of thousands of Israelis have also been displaced.

The truce came into effect on Wednesday morning, though officials in Israel and Lebanon have accused each other of already breaching it.

On Thursday, the IDF said its forces fired artillery and carried out air strikes against targets in southern Lebanon. It added that it had fired at suspects after spotting activity at a Hezbollah weapons facility, and vehicles arriving in several areas, which it said breached the ceasefire.

Lebanon accused Israel of violating the agreement “multiple times” and said it was monitoring the situation.

A multinational monitoring group which includes representatives from the US, France, and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) was set up as part of the ceasefire to oversee compliance with its terms.

In his first interview since the ceasefire was declared, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed the IDF to wage "an intensive war" should Hezbollah commit a "massive violation" of the ceasefire.

The ceasefire "can be short", he said in the interview with Israel's Channel 14.

Under the terms of the agreement, which was brokered by the US and France, Israeli forces will withdraw from south Lebanon as the Lebanese army deploys there simultaneously with no other armed groups allowed to operate in the area. This is meant to happen within 60 days from the start of the ceasefire.

Source: BBC
 
The Bald Eagle said:
The Israeli military has warned Lebanese citizens not to return to 60 villages in the south of the country, three days into a ceasefire after more than a year of fighting with the Shia armed group Hezbollah

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) published a map showing a swathe of territory several miles deep, which it said residents must not return to. Anyone who did, it said, would be putting themselves in danger.

More than a million Lebanese have been displaced by the fighting, mostly from the south. Tens of thousands of Israelis have also been displaced.

The truce came into effect on Wednesday morning, though officials in Israel and Lebanon have accused each other of already breaching it.

On Thursday, the IDF said its forces fired artillery and carried out air strikes against targets in southern Lebanon. It added that it had fired at suspects after spotting activity at a Hezbollah weapons facility, and vehicles arriving in several areas, which it said breached the ceasefire.

Lebanon accused Israel of violating the agreement “multiple times” and said it was monitoring the situation.

A multinational monitoring group which includes representatives from the US, France, and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) was set up as part of the ceasefire to oversee compliance with its terms.

In his first interview since the ceasefire was declared, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed the IDF to wage "an intensive war" should Hezbollah commit a "massive violation" of the ceasefire.

The ceasefire "can be short", he said in the interview with Israel's Channel 14.

Under the terms of the agreement, which was brokered by the US and France, Israeli forces will withdraw from south Lebanon as the Lebanese army deploys there simultaneously with no other armed groups allowed to operate in the area. This is meant to happen within 60 days from the start of the ceasefire.

Source: BBC
Click to expand...

Why would Israel prevent the Lebanese villagers from returning to their homes? Absurd demand.
 
Israel strikes Lebanon as Hezbollah targets military post

Israel said it struck targets in Lebanon on Monday evening after vowing to retaliate for an attack by Hezbollah on a military post, with both sides accusing each other of violating last week's ceasefire.

At least nine people were killed by Israeli strikes on two southern Lebanese villages, according to the country's public health ministry.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it struck Hezbollah targets and infrastructure "throughout Lebanon", while reiterating its commitment to the ceasefire agreement.

Hezbollah said it was responding to Israeli "violations" and said it carried out a "defensive warning" strike, firing mortars at an Israeli army position in an area occupied by Israel.

Israel said there were no injuries in Hezbollah's strikes on the Mount Dov area - a disputed region on the Israel-Lebanon border known internationally as Shebaa Farms.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the Hezbollah attack as "a severe violation of the ceasefire", vowing that Israel would "respond forcefully".

When the ceasefire deal was first announced, Netanyahu said his country would not hesitate to strike if Hezbollah broke the terms.

Monday's violence is an indication of the fragility of the recently agreed truce, aimed at ending 13 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Last week, the US and France said the agreement would “cease the fighting in Lebanon, and secure Israel from the threat of Hezbollah and other terrorist organisations operating from Lebanon”.

Hezbollah has been given 60 days to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon while Israeli forces must withdraw from the area over the same period.

BBC
 
Israel’s buffer zone, created by bombing Lebanon with white phosphorous

Israel has intensively used white phosphorus on a strip in southern Lebanon that matches a zone its army has marked as a red “no go” zone on maps it distributes to Lebanese people, telling them not to return to their homes there.

In March, Al Jazeera reported experts’ claims that Israel was trying to make the land uninhabitable through tactics, including the use of white phosphorus.

More than 918 hectares (2,268 acres) have been hit in 191 attacks using the controversial munition since October 8, 2023, according to data collected by Lebanese researcher Ahmad Baydoun and environmental activist group Green Southerners.

Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah have exchanged attacks since October 8, 2023, a disproportionate exchange – with at least four Israeli attacks for each one from the Lebanese side.


www.aljazeera.com

Israel created a buffer zone in Lebanon, using white phosphorus

Israel hit southern Lebanon 191 times with white phosphorus, is that tied to its dreams of a buffer zone?
www.aljazeera.com www.aljazeera.com
 

Israeli military says it struck ‘Hezbollah fighter’ threatening troops in southern Lebanon​


The Israeli military said on Saturday it struck a “Hezbollah fighter” in southern Lebanon who posed a threat to its troops, adding it was operating within ceasefire agreements while remaining deployed to address threats to Israel and its citizens.

 
Israeli strikes kill five in southern Lebanon amid shaky ceasefire

At least five people have been killed in Israeli attacks on several towns in southern Lebanon, the country’s Health Ministry has said, amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

“An Israeli enemy drone strike on the town of Ainata killed one person and wounded another,” the ministry said.

An “Israeli strike on the town of Bint Jbeil killed three people,” while a third “on Beit Lif killed one person”, it added.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the attacks.

Israel’s army escalated its attacks on Lebanon in late September after more than 11 months of cross-border exchanges of fire with the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which began firing rockets towards Israel after the Palestinian group Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

A United States-brokered ceasefire started on November 27, but both sides have accused the other of repeated violations. Israel has launched near-daily strikes, mostly in southern Lebanon, that have killed scores of people since the deal took effect.


www.aljazeera.com

Israeli strikes kill five in southern Lebanon amid shaky ceasefire

Attacks on several towns come as officials from countries including the US, France meet with Lebanon official in Beirut.
www.aljazeera.com www.aljazeera.com
 
Israel begins withdrawing forces from Lebanon during top US general’s visit to Beirut

Israeli troops officially began their withdrawal from occupied parts of Lebanon today and were replaced by Lebanese soldiers, the US military said on Wednesday.

“This is an important first step in the implementation of a lasting cessation of hostilities and lays the foundation for continued progress,” the top US military general for the Middle East said.

Gen. Erik Kurilla, the head of the United States Central Command, visited Beirut to meet with the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).

The meeting was also joined by US Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, the co-chair of the implementation and monitoring mechanism for the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire.

Kurilla also went to the monitoring headquarters in southern Lebanon to watch the first Israeli pullout and LAF replacement in Al Khiam.

Kurilla and LAF Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun also spoke about the security situation in Syria, its impact on regional stability, and ways to boost military ties between the LAF and CENTCOM.

SOURCE: https://english.alarabiya.net/News/...banon-during-top-us-general-s-visit-to-beirut
 
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