Israel and Hezbollah have both accused each other of violations of the cease-fire agreement that went into effect on Nov. 27.
Both sides have taken specific military actions that they claim are justified within the terms of the 60-day truce, prompting mutual accusations of violations.
On Dec. 2, Hezbollah, a Lebanese terrorist group, fired at an Israeli-held site on disputed territory near the borders of Israel, Lebanon, and Syria.
The same day, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it struck “Hezbollah terrorists, dozens of launchers, and terrorist infrastructure throughout Lebanon,” as well as the launcher used in Hezbollah’s attack on the area the IDF called Mount Dov, known as Shebaa Farms by the Lebanese.
The IDF said Hezbollah’s projectiles fell into open areas, and there were no injuries.
It follows other limited military actions taken since the cease-fire came into force.
The truce, which went into effect early on Nov. 27, requires Iran-backed Hezbollah within 60 days to withdraw its military forces from south of the Litani River, about 18 miles from the Israeli border. Israel is required to withdraw its troops to its side of the border within the same period.
Lebanon’s army is to reoccupy the area and, along with U.N. peacekeeping forces, constitute the only military force there. The deal is being overseen by a five-nation commission led by the United States.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby downplayed the incidents.
“Largely speaking, the ceasefire is holding. We’ve gone from dozens of strikes down to one a day, maybe two a day,” he said, referring to the Israeli strikes. “We’re going to keep trying and see what we can do to get it down to zero.”
Lebanese authorities said 11 people were killed in Israel’s strikes on south Lebanon on Monday. One, a corporal in the Lebanese state security force, was allegedly killed by an Israeli drone while on duty in Nabatieh, 12 km (7.5 miles) from the border. Lebanon’s state security called it a “flagrant violation” of the truce.
The IDF said that Hezbollah’s launches at Mount Dov violated the cease-fire agreement and that Israel “remains obligated to the fulfillment of the conditions of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon.”
“The State of Israel demands that the relevant parties in Lebanon fulfill their responsibilities and prevent Hezbollah’s hostile activity from within Lebanese territory,” the IDF said.
Lebanon’s parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, accused Israel of violating the cease-fire more than 50 times with air strikes, demolition of homes near the border, and drone overflights.
Hezbollah said it fired on the Israeli military position as a “defensive and warning response” after what it said were Israel’s repeated violations of the cease-fire deal.
The Israeli army said it struck in south Lebanon in response to several Hezbollah acts “that posed a threat to Israeli civilians.”
The IDF said it conducted strikes against terrorists in south Lebanon, as well as several military vehicles operating near a Hezbollah missile manufacturing site in the Bekaa Valley, well north of south Lebanon. It also struck “terrorist infrastructure sites” used to smuggle weapons near the Syria–Lebanon border.
On Saturday, the IDF said, it fired on and eliminated terrorists firing on IDF troops from a south Lebanese church used by Hezbollah. IDF troops also located weapons concealed by Hezbollah near a south Lebanon mosque and struck a vehicle in Lebanon where “armed operatives were observed loading a vehicle with RPGs, boxes of ammunition, and other military equipment,” it said.
The IDF, meanwhile, has reported few sirens sounding Hezbollah rocket attacks, in contrast with dozens daily before the cease-fire.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said on X he told his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, that Israel is not violating cease-fire terms and said Hezbollah’s continued presence south of the Litani River “is a fundamental violation of the agreement.”
Hezbollah did not participate directly in the negotiations with the United States and France, allowing the Lebanese government to negotiate on its behalf. Hezbollah and its allies control nearly half of the Lebanese Parliament. Lebanon does not recognize the state of Israel.
On the world markets, oil prices remained steady on Monday amid worries that the cease-fire won’t hold, as well as increased factory activity in China, the world’s second-largest oil consumer, in November.
Hezbollah began intense cross-border rocket attacks on Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, in support of Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel the previous day that killed 1,200 people, took 250 people hostage, and wounded thousands. Israel responded with air attacks and missile launches, killing many members of Hezbollah’s upper hierarchy, including its longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and military leader Fuad Shukr.
The IDF crossed the border in late September to attack Hezbollah’s heavy fortifications in Lebanese border communities, where it says residential homes have been used to store and launch weapons and as bases.
Lebanon said the war has killed almost 4,000 people, while Israel said more than half of those were members of Hezbollah.
