Israeli air strikes hit Lebanon on ceasefire anniv

AFP :

The Israeli military said it had carried out another series of strikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Thursday, exactly a year into the ceasefire with the militant group.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said Israeli aircraft launched “a series of raids on Al-Mahmoudiya and Al-Jarmak in the Jezzine area.”

The Israeli military “struck and dismantled Hezbollah terror infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon,” it said in a statement.

It also said it had hit “several launch sites where Hezbollah weapons were stored,” “military posts” used by the Iran-backed group and a storage facility containing weapons.

Israel’s military “will continue to operate to remove any threat to the State of Israel,” it said.
The November 27, 2024 ceasefire sought to end over a year of hostilities between the two sides.
Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite the truce, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah members and infrastructure to stop the group from rearming.

According to the ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah was to pull its forces north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border with Israel, and have its military infrastructure there dismantled.

Under a government-approved plan, the Lebanese army is to dismantle Hezbollah military infrastructure south of the river by the end of the year, before tackling the rest of the country.

The United States is increasing its pressure on the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah.

The Lebanese military has said it is carrying out its plan to disarm the group, but the US and Israel have accused Lebanese authorities of stalling the process.

An Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday killed Haitham Ali Tabatabai – the most senior Hezbollah commander to be killed by Israel since the ceasefire entered into force.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday warned there would be “no calm” in Lebanon if Israel’s security was not guaranteed.