BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) – Nine people were killed in Israeli strikes on villages in southern Lebanon on Monday, after Israel said it was taking aim at dozens of Hezbollah targets in retaliation for an attack claimed by the militant group during a fragile ceasefire.
Both Israel and Hezbollah faced accusations Monday of breaching the truce that took effect Wednesday to end a war that has killed thousands of people in Lebanon and sparked mass displacements on both sides of the border.
The Israeli military in a statement said that it “struck Hezbollah terrorists, dozens of launchers, and terrorist infrastructure throughout Lebanon”.
“Israel demands that the relevant parties in Lebanon fulfil their responsibilities and prevent Hezbollah’s hostile activity,” the statement said.
Lebanon’s health ministry said the strikes killed five people and wounded two in the village of Haris “in an initial toll”, while in the village of Tallous, another four people were killed and one wounded.
Earlier, Hezbollah said it had launched an attack targeting an Israeli position in “the occupied hills of Kfar Shouba”, in a disputed part of the border area between Israel and Lebanon.
Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported strikes on areas of the country’s south, where Hezbollah has long held sway, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the border with Israel.
Shopkeepers in the suburbs of Beirut on Monday were busy cleaning up damage from air strikes and reopening their stores following the truce.
“I reopened my store today, we’re organis
ing and putting everything back in its place, our merchandise, and we’re starting from scratch,” store owner Ali Qima Zaiter told AFP.
Mohammad Yassin, who owns a bakery, said his store had been “slightly damaged by a nearby strike”.
“I’ve been repairing the damage for four days and, God willing, tomorrow Tuesday we’ll reopen the store,” he said.
Israel has carried out a near-daily series of strikes in southern Lebanon since the ceasefire was put in place, and earlier on Monday, Beirut’s powerful parliament speaker Nabih Berri accused it of violating the truce.
“The aggressive actions carried out by Israeli occupation forces… represent a flagrant violation of the terms of the ceasefire agreement,” said Berri, who helped mediate the truce on behalf of ally Hezbollah.
The fighting escalated after Israel moved its focus from Gaza to Lebanon in September to secure its northern border from Hezbollah attacks, dealing the Iran-backed Shiite Muslim movement a series of stunning blows.
In Saudi Arabia, where French President Emmanuel Macron is on a state visit, he and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged to “make every effort to contribute to de-escalation in the region”, including helping to consolidate the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
The two leaders also called for presidential elections in Lebanon “with the aim of bringing the Lebanese people together and carrying out the reforms necessary for the stability and security of the country”, Macron’s office said in a statement.
Also Monday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar in a call there was a need “for all sides to respect the ceasefire in Lebanon”, the foreign ministry said.
Saar rejected accusations that Israel had violated the truce, claiming instead that his country’s strikes were “enforcing” the ceasefire.
“We hear claims that Israel is violating the ceasefire understandings in Lebanon. On the contrary! Israel is enforcing them in response to Hezbollah’s violations, which demand immediate action,” he said in a statement.
He also said Hezbollah had attempted to move weapons in southern Lebanon and their presence “south of the Litani river is the most basic violation of the understandings”.
Under the deal, Hezbollah must withdraw its fighters from areas south of the river, and dismantle its military infrastructure in the south.
As part of the agreement, the Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers will deploy in southern Lebanon as the Israeli army withdraws over a period of 60 days.
Earlier on Monday, the Lebanese army said an Israeli drone wounded a soldier in the east.
