Response from Jerusalem

The truce in southern Lebanon remains extremely fragile, while thousands of Lebanese civilians continue to return to bombed-out villages and towns, with Israeli military forces remaining in place. Although the agreement stipulated that hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah would cease, the reality is different.

The Israeli Air Force bombed a Hezbollah rocket warehouse in Tire yesterday. A few hours earlier, three Lebanese citizens were killed by Israeli fire while riding in an IX car on the Lebanese-Syrian border. According to a statement from the Israeli army, it was three Hezbollah officials. In the evening hours of yesterday, Israeli warning shots could be heard in the towns of northern Israel, with the state Israeli TV clarifying that in this way the army was warning the inhabitants of the Lebanese border villages not to approach the area, because the specific Shiite settlements were said to be they serve Hezbollah as advanced observatories, both before and after and after the war started almost 14 months ago. Until the early hours of the morning, there was a war scene between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah gunmen in the contested Beit Jbeil region, on the Israel-Lebanon border. The culmination of the lawless atmosphere of the first days of the ceasefire was the announcement by the Israeli army early this morning, which warned Lebanese citizens not to approach 69 villages in southern Lebanon.

The Beirut government protested the Israeli ceasefire operations. On the other hand, the Israeli side blames that the Lebanese authorities did not take adequate measures to prevent the movement of Lebanese citizens into the zone of application of the ceasefire, before the regular Lebanese army brings it under its full control – which is expected to done with the completion of the establishment of his forces in southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, news that Israeli military forces have reportedly arrested three Lebanese citizens – apparently because they were alleged to be members of Hezbollah – while they were at a relative’s funeral, has caused a sensation in the Lebanese media.

Time credit on both sides

However, despite accusations and protests from both sides, it is surprising that both the Israeli and Lebanese governments avoid declaring that the truce has been violated. Israel and Lebanon seem willing to be consistent in their commitments to the US, France, the UN peacekeeping force, but also to the international community in general, providing the time frame for the agreement to be effectively implemented on the ground, even with delay. Indicative of this mood on the part of the Israelis is that the successive official announcements of the press office of the army end with the wording that “the country’s armed forces will make every effort to implement the agreement”. In fact, the civil defense service has since yesterday evening lifted the security restrictions in the cities south of Haifa, presenting this development as evidence of “improvement in the living conditions of the residents, thanks to the cease-fire that continues to apply”.

But the Lebanese side also expresses its desire not to lose this opportunity to bring calm to the region, announcing that on January 9, 2025 the plenary session of the parliament will meet to elect the new President of the country – a state office that for two years is looking for the right person to serve it. In addition, Lebanon is required to demonstrate that it is able to control its territory on the ground. So far, however, in today’s bombed-out southern Lebanon of the fragile truce, the regular Lebanese army remains absent.