Israel accuses Hezbollah of violating truce agreement, threatens 'act with force'

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday accused Lebanese Hezbollah of failing to respect the terms of the ceasefire agreement and warned that his country could be “forced to act”. Israel Katz said Hezbollah fighters had still not withdrawn north of the Litani River, in southern Lebanon, about 30 km from the Israeli border. “If this condition is not met, there will be no agreement and Israel will be forced to act unilaterally to ensure the safe return of northerners (of Israel) to their homes.”he added.

The truce agreement entered into force on November 27, two months after an open war between Israel and Hezbollah, which emerged considerably weakened from the conflict, its leadership largely decimated. Under the text, the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers must deploy in southern Lebanon and the Israeli army must withdraw within 60 days. It also provides for the withdrawal of Hezbollah up to approximately 30 km from the Israeli border. Since the start of the ceasefire, the two camps have accused each other of repeated violations.

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Last September, Israel intensified its bombing campaign against Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon and sent troops to the south of the country, after about a year of cross-border firefights initiated by Hezbollah in support of the Hamas terrorist movement, at war against Israel in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, the day of its bloody attack on Israeli soil. The objective of the Israeli military campaign was to stop Hezbollah's rocket attacks on northern Israel and to keep the Islamist movement's fighters away from its northern border, in order to allow displaced Israelis to return home.

“The first condition for the implementation of the agreement is the complete withdrawal of the terrorist organization Hezbollah (to the north) from the Litani River, the destruction of all weapons and the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure in the region by the Lebanese army, which has not yet happened”said Israel Katz. More than a month after the agreement came into force, the Israeli army has only withdrawn from one sector of southern Lebanon, Khiam, where the Lebanese army was deployed. The UN Peace Force in Lebanon and the Lebanese army have accused Israel of several violations of the ceasefire agreement.