Israel and Lebanon trade accusations of violation of ceasefire deal on the second day of truce

Israel and Lebanon traded accusations of breaching the fragile ceasefire agreement which was imposed in the region earlier this week. While accusing Lebanon’s Hezbollah of breaching the deal, the Israeli military said it attacked the Iran-backed group’s facilities in southern Lebanon.

According to Al Jazeera, the Thursday attack came after the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that it had fired on people in several areas in southern Lebanon, claiming that they were violating the terms of the ceasefire. The attacks took place hours after Hezbollah vowed to continue with its resistance, in the group’s first statement after the ceasefire deal.

Following the Israeli attacks, the Lebanese army accused the Jewish nation of violating the ceasefire several times on Wednesday and Thursday. Under the deal which was brokered by France and the United States, Israel and Hezbollah were supposed to withdraw from south Lebanon in 60 days gradually. The country’s army and the UN peacekeepers were then asked to take control of the region.

Netanyahu asks his army to ‘prepare for war’ if ceasefire deal falls apart

It is pertinent to note that Israel’s air strike in the region was the first attack since the ceasefire came into effect on Wednesday. A source close to the Lebanese military told Al Jazeera that the attack took place near Baysariyah, north of the Litani River.

While the deal stated that Hezbollah facilities be dismantled south of the Litani River, it does not mention facilities north of the river. Shortly after the attack, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had directed the country’s army to prepare for war if the ceasefire is violated.

Thousands return to rubble which they once called home

Over 1.2 million people have been displaced since Israel unleashed extensive bombardment across Lebanon in September and launched a ground operation in October. Hence, after the ceasefire was announced, many displaced people attempted to return to their homes.

However, the Israeli army renewed curfews in the region, restricting the movement of residents in southern Lebanon between 5 pm (local time) and 7 am (local time). Not only this, many of those who came back to their homes, saw the region filled with rubble, with little to no clue of where to go next. In the southern coastal city of Tyre, residents who returned to their houses saw the extent of Israel’s damage.

“I wasn’t expecting such damage. We saw the pictures, but the reality is harder,” resident Dunia Najdeh, 33, told Al Jazeera. “Tyre and Lebanon don’t deserve what happened … but God will compensate us, and Tyre will be even better than it was before,” Najdeh’s father-in-law, Sleiman Najdeh, 60, averred, adding that the Israeli strikes have taken out water and electricity in the city as well.

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s parliamentary speaker said that the country’s parliament will meet on January 9, 2025, to elect a president, a post which has been vacant since 2022.

With inputs from agencies.