Israel Carries Out Fresh Strikes In Southern Lebanon Despite Ceasefire

Jerusalem: The Israeli army has confirmed carrying out fresh strikes on what it described as threats south of the new "yellow line" in Lebanon, Al Jazeera reported.

Beirut-based correspondent reported that, along with ongoing artillery shelling and machinegun fire on several villages, Israel launched two air strikes on Sunday, as per areports.

One of the strikes targeted a group of Hezbollah fighters who, according to Israel, were approaching the yellow line but had not crossed it. "So that actually indicates that they were to the north of it and not inside it," she noted, as per reports.

The second strike was aimed at an individual approaching a tunnel entrance south of the yellow line, according to reports.

Israel said it "carried out a strike on him and destroyed that tunnel entrance," the correspondent added, noting that the Israeli military spokesperson maintained the action did not violate the ceasefire.

Explaining the framework of the agreement, the correspondent said, "If you read carefully, the text of it, which was released by the US State Department shortly after it was announced, allows Israel to act in what it defines as self-defence, in addition to allowing it to continue to occupy 55 Lebanese villages," as per a report.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem criticised the arrangement, calling it an insult to Lebanon and warning that the group would not tolerate continued Israeli attacks while diplomatic efforts are ongoing, as reported.

According to the Beirut correspondent, conditions on the ground remain largely unchanged. "There are still many, many people in south Lebanon on the roads heading back to their villages," she said, adding that roads are also crowded with those returning to displacement shelters due to fears that the ceasefire may not hold, as per reports.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has outlined a series of steps required to achieve peace. He said the ongoing 10-day truce with Israel cannot continue unless it is respected by both sides, stressing that this would require a complete halt to air, land, and sea "aggression" against Lebanon, Al Jazeera reported.

Separately, Qassem reiterated that the truce cannot hold unless both sides adhere to it. "A ceasefire means a complete cessation of all hostilities," he said, warning that his fighters would respond to Israeli actions in Lebanon, Al Jazeera reported.

"Because we do not trust this enemy," he said, "the resistance fighters will remain in the field with their hands on the trigger, and they will respond to violations accordingly," he added, as reported by Al Jazeera.

"There is no ceasefire from the side of the resistance only; it must be from both sides," Qassem added, according to Al Jazeera.

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