The Israeli military said Thursday that its fighter jets fired into southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel went into effect. and Hezbollah.
There was no immediate information on casualties from Israel’s airstrike, which came hours after the Israeli military said it had fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said two people were injured.
The back-to-back incidents raised concerns about the deal, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah militants will withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces will return to their side. of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon’s state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, near the border, without provide more details. Israel said it fired artillery at three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press journalist in northern Israel, near the border, heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
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The Israeli army said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles in several areas of southern Lebanon, violating the conditions of the ceasefire.” He said troops “opened fire on them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually to ensure the agreement is fulfilled. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed and says it reserves the right to attack Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy to the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
The ceasefire agreement announced Tuesday night ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas’ attack from Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, when the Lebanese militant group began firing rockets. , drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes and the conflict escalated steadily for nearly a year before descending into all-out war in mid-September. The conflict in Gaza continues with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel (more than half of them civilians), as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Around 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon and thousands began returning to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese army and the Israeli army to stay away from certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and communities near the northern border remain largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border overlooking Lebanon, about three-quarters of the houses are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burned interiors. On Thursday some residents could be seen gathering their belongings before leaving again.
Frankel reported from northern Israel. Associated Press writer Natalie Melzer in Nahariya, Israel, contributed.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
