Israeli ceasefire violations against southern Lebanon continued Wednesday, with airstrikes reported against the towns of Ainata, Bint Jbeil and Beit Lif. The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that at least five people were killed in the strikes and others wounded.
Israel continues to carry out daily airstrikes and artillery attacks against southern Lebanon. Most recently Israel has started expanding these strikes more widely across the nation. This, in spite of the ceasefire which has been in effect for over two weeks.
There are so many Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon that some Israelis have expressed concern at the multiple loud explosions. In response, the IDF issued a statement reassuring the Israelis that any explosions they hear in the Upper Galilee are just part of “controlled detonations” being carried out on Lebanese territory, and no cause for concern.
While there may be some “controlled detonations” going on, the towns of Ainata, Bint Jbeil and Beit Lif are all extremely close to the Israeli part of Upper Galilee, so the noise is likely the sound of war continuing when it was supposed to have ended.
The future of the ceasefire is doubtful as Israel has killed at least 30 since it began, and the IDF shows no sign of slowing down the strikes. On the other hand, there is some hope the ground deployment that’s been ongoing since Israel invaded in October may be slowing.
The IDF announced today that it has withdrawn from the town of Khiam, on the Lebanese side of the border. Khiam is noteworthy because it was the site of some of the first Israeli ceasefire violations. Israeli troops fired on Lebanese journalists in Khiam less than a day after the ceasefire began, wounding several.
This is the first sign of the Israeli pullout being implemented. The Lebanese Army now reports it is setting up positions around Khiam, with the assistance of the UNIFIL. The ceasefire is meant to see the Lebanese Army deployed across southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah moved north of the Littani River.
The ceasefire is supposed to last 60 days, during which time Israel is to remove all its troops from Lebanese soil. Indications are, however, that Israel is considering remaining in Lebanon past the deadline, and the constant ceasefire violations make this seem likely. Still, the IDF departure from Khiam is a step in the right direction.
