Lebanese armed group Hizbollah said it fired rockets and drones into northern Israel yesterday, accusing the Israeli military of violating a ceasefire ahead of US-mediated talks between the Israeli and Lebanese governments this week.
The Israeli military earlier said Iran-aligned Hizbollah had fired several rockets towards its troops operating in southern Lebanon, in what it described as a ‘blatant violation’ of the ceasefire agreement. It was not immediately clear if the incidents were the same.
A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hizbollah mediated by Washington came into effect last Thursday, but Israeli forces remain deployed in a belt of Lebanese land five to 10km deep along the entire border. Israel has said it aims to create a buffer zone to shield northern Israel from attacks by Hizbollah.
Hizbollah, in its statement yesterday, accused Israel of attacking civilians and destroying homes in breach of the truce. It said it fired at a position in northern Israel that had been striking southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military said it struck the launcher from which the rockets were fired, and that sirens in northern Israel were likely sounded after the interception of a drone launched from Lebanon.
The US will host a second round of ambassador-level talks between Israel and Lebanon, which was dragged into war on March 2 when Hizbollah opened fire in support of Tehran in the regional conflict.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri earlier told Lebanese newspaper Al Joumhouria that Israeli forces occupying parts of the south would face resistance.
If Israel ‘maintains its occupation, whether of areas, positions, or by drawing yellow lines, it will smell the scent of resistance every day’, said Berri.
The Israeli military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both referred to Israel’s deployment line in Lebanon as the ‘Yellow Line’ last week – the same term used by Israel for its deployment line in Gaza.
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