FILE - Municipality workers pass by debris of damaged buildings that were hit by an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday evening in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, accused Lebanon’s Hezbollah group of violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement reached between the two sides late in November, warning of the consequences.
Katz said if Hezbollah does not withdraw from southern Lebanon, there will be no agreement,” and Israel will be forced to act.
The Israeli minister emphasized that Hezbollah has not yet withdrawn “beyond the Litani River” in south Lebanon, believing this would reduce the threat by about 40 kilometers from its settlements.
He added, "If this condition is not fulfilled, there will be no agreement, and Israel will be forced to act alone to ensure the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes," according to AFP.
The deal struck on Nov. 27 to halt the Israeli-Hezbollah war required Hezbollah to immediately lay down its arms in southern Lebanon and gave Israel 60 days to withdraw its forces there and hand over control to the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers.
So far, Israel has withdrawn from just two of the dozens of towns it holds in southern Lebanon. And it has continued striking what it says are bases belonging to Hezbollah, which it accuses of attempting to launch rockets and move weapons before they can be confiscated and destroyed, The AP reported.
Hezbollah, which was severely diminished during nearly 14 months of war, has threatened to resume fighting if Israel does not fully withdraw its forces by the 60-day deadline.
Yet despite accusations from both sides about hundreds of ceasefire violations, the truce is likely to hold, analysts say. That is good news for thousands of Israeli and Lebanese families displaced by the war still waiting to return home.
