Israel launches first attack on Lebanon since ceasefire

Israel said it carried out an airstrike on a Hezbollah weapons base on Thursday, the first since a ceasefire in Lebanon came into force.

The truce, which took effect on Wednesday, is intended to end a war that has killed thousands of people in Lebanon and caused mass displacement in both Lebanon and Israel.

The war began with Hezbollah shelling Israel in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas and its unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel.

In September, Israel shifted its attention from Gaza to Lebanon to secure its northern border against Hezbollah attacks, dealing the Iran-backed Shiite Muslim movement a series of heavy blows.

On Thursday, Lebanon deployed troops and tanks to the south of the country, where Hezbollah has long held power and where, under the terms of the ceasefire, only the army and UN peacekeeping forces are to maintain a presence.

“Recently, in southern Lebanon, terrorist activity was detected at a facility used by Hezbollah to store medium-range missiles,” the Israeli military said, adding that “the threat was thwarted” by the Israeli air force.

Nazih Eid, the mayor of Baysariyeh in southern Lebanon, told AFP there was a strike in parts of his city.

“They targeted a forested area inaccessible to civilians,” he said.

The agreement to end the war in Lebanon was brokered by Israel’s main allies, the United States and France.

Under the deal, Israeli troops will remain in their positions but “a 60-day period will begin during which Lebanese military and security forces will begin deploying to the south,” a U.S. official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

Israel should then begin a gradual withdrawal without creating a vacuum into which Hezbollah or others could fall, the official said.

– Two injured –

Both the Israeli and Lebanese armies urged residents of villages on the front lines to avoid returning home immediately.

According to the official Lebanese National News Agency, Israeli fire injured two people in a border village on Thursday.

The Israeli army said that “over the last hour, several suspects were identified who arrived in a number of areas in southern Lebanon in vehicles, violating the terms of the ceasefire.”

The statement said the army “opened fire on them,” adding that the Israeli army “remains in southern Lebanon and will actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”

For the most part, however, it seemed that the ceasefire would hold.

A Lebanese army source said its forces were “conducting patrols and establishing checkpoints” south of the Litani River, without entering areas where Israeli forces are still present.

The Israeli army announced a curfew on Thursday in areas south of the river that are close to the border.

– Devastation –

While there was joy in Lebanon over the end of the war, the country faces a long economic recovery.

Tens of thousands of Lebanese who fled their homes during the war returned to their towns and villages to find them destroyed.

“Despite all the destruction and sadness, we are happy to be back,” said Umm Mohammed Bzeih, a widow who fled the southern village of Zibqin two months ago with her four children.

“I feel like our souls have returned,” she said, visibly exhausted, as she swept up the broken glass and debris on the floor.

In the border village of Qlayaa, residents threw rice and flowers to celebrate the arrival of Lebanese soldiers.

This predominantly Christian village is located in an area inhabited mainly by Shia Muslim communities.

Lebanon is deeply divided along political and sectarian lines, and Hezbollah has long dominated the Shiite population.

“We only want the Lebanese army,” chanted residents of Qlayaa, clapping and cheering for the soldiers and waving the Lebanese flag.

– Crisis –

Even before the conflict, Lebanon had been plagued by political and economic crises for years, and World Bank data from earlier this year showed poverty had tripled in a decade.

There was a glimmer of hope on Thursday when the official National News Agency said parliament would convene to elect a president on January 9, after a two-year vacuum.

Hezbollah, the only armed group that did not lay down its weapons after the 1975-90 civil war, built its popularity by providing health and education services.

It maintains a massive arsenal, supplied mainly by Iran, that is widely considered more powerful than the Lebanese army.

On Wednesday, Hezbollah announced it had won a “victory” in its war with Israel after a ceasefire took effect.

It also stated that its fighters “will remain on full alert to face the ambitions of the Israeli enemy and his attacks.”

However, during the war, Israel dealt a number of unprecedented blows to Hezbollah, a key one being the killing of its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah in September.

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told AFP his group was cooperating to deploy an army in the south.

He said there was “full cooperation” with the Lebanese state in strengthening its army deployment, adding that the group had “no visible weapons or bases” but “no one can force residents to leave their villages.”

– Skepticism –

In northern Israel, which has been under constant attack by Hezbollah for more than a year, there was hope tinged with skepticism about the truce’s durability.

Nissim Ravivo, a 70-year-old from the coastal town of Nahariya near the border with Lebanon, expressed disappointment.

“It’s a pity, we should have continued working for at least another two months and finished the job,” he said. “We still don’t feel safe and we’re not happy about it.”

Lebanon says at least 3,961 people have been killed in the country since October 2023, most of them in recent weeks.

Israeli authorities claim that at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians have been killed on the Israeli side in hostilities against Hezbollah.