Israel has launched dozens of strikes in Lebanon since a ceasefire was supposed to go into effect last week, and on Monday, Hezbollah fired back for the first time, launching two rockets toward Israeli-occupied territory as a “warning” shot, causing no casualties.
Now, Israeli officials are vowing a major response, signaling Israel will use Hezbollah’s response to repeated Israeli ceasefire violations as a reason to escalate.
“Hezbollah’s firing at Mount Dov constitutes a serious violation of the ceasefire, and Israel will respond forcefully,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. “We are determined to continue enforcing the ceasefire, and to respond to any violation by Hezbollah — a minor one will be treated like a major one.”
Shortly after Netanyahu’s threat, Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on areas of south Lebanon, killing at least five people.
A source with the UN’s peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, told CNN that Israel has violated the ceasefire agreement “approximately 100” times since it went into effect last Wednesday. The Lebanese government said Israel had violated it over 50 times.
The Israeli violations have involved gunfire, artillery shelling, and airstrikes. According to Al Jazeera, Israel strikes since last Wednesday have killed 11 people. Hezbollah said that the rockets it fired on Monday were “defensive” warning shots in response to Israel killing and wounding civilians.
Israeli officials have claimed that Hezbollah’s presence and activity in southern Lebanon is a ceasefire violation, but the agreement gives Hezbollah 60 days to move its fighters and heavy weapons north of the Litani River. During that time, Israel is also supposed to withdraw from towns in southern Lebanon.
According to CNN, both the US and France have warned Israel that they believe the Israeli military has violated the ceasefire agreement. Axios reported that the US has told Israel the ceasefire deal may unravel.
The US shares some of the blame for the Israeli violations since it provided Israel with a letter to assure the Israeli military could launch unilateral strikes on Lebanon if it deemed the ceasefire was being violated. The assurances from the US, Israel’s biggest backer, were given separately from the actual agreement signed between Israel and Lebanon.
A source with the UN’s peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, told CNN that Israel has violated the ceasefire agreement “approximately 100” times since it went into effect last Wednesday. The Lebanese government said Israel had violated it over 50 times.
Israel,as usual denied, violating the ceasefire.
"France Says Israel Has Violated Lebanon Ceasefire 52 Times"
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/12/2/headlines/france_says_israel_has_violated_lebanon_ceasefire_52_times
Both the United States and French governments have warned Israel that they believe the Israeli military has violated the terms of the ceasefire, according to CNN affiliate Kan and Israeli news outlet Ynet.
A source with the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, says Israel has breached its ceasefire agreement with Lebanon “approximately 100” times since the truce went into effect last week.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/02/middleeast/lebanon-hezbollah-israel-projectiles-ceasefire-intl-latam/index.html
Two points:
1) About fucking time, Hezbollah! Abiding by the so-called "agreement" was bullshit from the get-go. Your current leader needs to be replaced by someone with more brains.
2) If Hezbollah actually moved north of the Litani, it will have lost the war, and discredited the entire Axis of Resistance. Again, no such agreement should be reached.
The Axis – especially Iran – needs to stop dithering around and go all in. There is no "deterring" Israel or the US neocons. This is a war for all the marbles and in such a conflict you do not hold back. Regardless of whether the US enters the war, Israel must be destroyed!
You are sounding like Cato the Elder.
And we know his name. If there were a Carthaginian giving a similar speech at the same time, we don't.
I've been to their capital in present-day Tunisia. Nothing left, looks like Gaza.
Israel needs to look like Gaza. And it will, if Iran ever gets off its ass..
But it must be, because "Israel" is nothing but the name of Apartheid and Genocide in Palestine.
No one with half a brain thought that Israel would abide by the ceasefire, since they never have before (although less than two days was a bit of a surprise) (a tiny little bit). Hezbollah never had any intention of withdrawing, any more than Israel did, they've just used the ceasefire to move assets around.
At this point I think that the Axis is playing pretty much the same game as Russia in Ukraine, they're letting Israel expend all their ready ammunition, taking out IDF assets as the opportunity presents, wearing down the populace's support for the war, and waiting for Israel's allies to abandon them. If they go now the conflict will be long and bloody, by waiting they can make the odds tilt in their favor.
Hizbollah has suffered a lot and is still waiting for Iran to make good to "True Promise 3". Syriana Analysis discussed all that yesterday:
Hezbollah never agreed to this truce as portrayed in western mainstream media…!
As usual, Netanyahu lies.
This is exactly why the Israelis are determined to drive the UN peace keepers out of Lebanon. Gangsters need to eliminate witnesses.
Why does anyone even bother having a "ceasefire" with Israel anyway?
Another must-watch Alastair Crooke interview where he covers what is happening in #Syria in some detail:
Alastair Crooke : Neocons Deluding Themselves.
Quid Pro quo time?!….
When will enough be enough?!
Ceasefire means that exactly!
Oct 7 is the gift that keeps giving. Israel wants to finish off its enemies before it loses support in the “West.” Israel dreams of becoming the dominant regional power. US resources are infinite.
The relatives of the 50,000 people who have died since Oct 7, 2023 in this conflict don't look at it as a gift.
He's referring to the ZioNazis who slaughtered them.
The US is currently paying almost a trillion dollars a year in interest on the national debt. The US is borrowing money so that it can pay the interest on its existing debt. How can this not be a death spiral?
The Yankee Empire will soon find that even infinity has its limits.
Israel just needs it to last long enough to become dominant or until it finds a new sugar daddy.
Look! We’re in the Bible. Fund us!
A canonized fake story about ancient 12 Israeli tribes (the story was fabricated about five hundred years ago) that is "the gift that keeps giving".
You might know this, but there was a craze among upper class Britons in the 19th and early 20th centuries that they were a tribe, and the Chosen. I've wondered how this contributed to the Balfour Declaration.
It seems about the only people without a right to live in Palestine have been those born there.
Obviously Balfour Declaration was an attempt to get Zionists on the side of Entente and to undermine Bolshevism. At the time, the outcome of WW I was uncertain. Bolsheviks sided with Germany. After the coup November 1917, Bolshevik government plunged Russia in a civil war and made a separate peace deal with Germany. UK and France were left alone. American participation at the time was insignificant. Balfour Declaration motivated American Zionists to help the war efforts. As Napoleon said, the most important thing in any war is money.
Israel will not be any such thing. Saudi Arabia has already indicated no concessions on any issues that give Israel that advantage. MBS won't be bullied by anyone including Bibi.
Israel and Iran, both, can destroy what the Saudis love. It’s far easier to destroy than to preserve something.
If Israel attacks Mecca they'll have every Muslim population between Tripoli and Jakarta kicking in their door Even Nitwit-yahoo isn't that stupid.
It’s not that. It’s the fancy cities and would-be cities. The Saudis have oil. However, they fear:
1. It will run out one day.
2. It might be less in demand before then (it won’t lose demand though.)
So, the Saudis want investments and “modern” cities that produce tax revenue and keep residents content and under control.
🙂
The old man and the sea said there was a ceasefire deal. Clearly, not with Hezbollah.