A statement from the US State Department on the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire that went into effect at 5 pm EST on Thursday includes language that Israel will likely exploit to continue attacks on the country.
The statement says that Israel “shall preserve its right to take all necessary measures in self-defense, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.” Israel frequently claims its attacks on Lebanon, Gaza, and elsewhere in the region are a response to some sort of threat, even when it’s clear there was none, and the US has historically tolerated major Israeli ceasefire violations.
Similar language was included in a side deal between the US and Israel on the November 2024 Lebanon ceasefire deal, which Israel went on to constantly violate with strikes, surveillance flights, and ground operations, killing hundreds of people. During that same period, Hezbollah didn’t fire any rockets toward Israel until after the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran on February 28.
Just hours after the new ceasefire was supposed to go into effect, the Lebanese military said in a statement that there had been “a number” of Israeli violations.
“The army command renews its call to citizens to exercise caution in returning to the southern villages and towns, amid a number of violations of the agreement, with several Israeli attacks recorded, in addition to intermittent shelling targeting a number of villages,” the Lebanese army said in a post on X early Friday morning, Lebanon time.
In the hours leading up to the ceasefire, Israel escalated its airstrikes across Lebanon, and Hezbollah also launched several rocket attacks against Israeli forces in Lebanon and against targets in northern Israel. The IDF also destroyed the last bridge across the Litani River as it wants to prevent displaced Lebanese civilians from returning to southern Lebanon and is planning a long-term occupation in the area.
