Hezbollah warns Israel over ceasefire breaches

TEHRAN – Dozens of violations of the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon by the Israeli military have been met with a response by Hezbollah.

The Israelis have shown show no respect for mediation efforts or the attempts to help the regime free itself from the predicament it faced after the failure of its aggression on Lebanon.

This failure was compounded by painful strikes delivered by Hezbollah along the Lebanese border region as well as rocket fire that rained down on settlements in the north and extended deep into Israel, reaching Haifa and beyond to Tel Aviv.

Experts believe these Israeli violations were not surprising, as they align with Israel’s long-standing nature of treachery and deception. Such actions reaffirm that the regime is a source of instability in the West Asia region.

As long as Israeli occupation remains, there will be no lasting peace, stability, or security.

Instead, analysts say it will continue to provoke unrest, aggression, and conflict through various means and methods.

From the very first hours of the ceasefire agreement’s implementation on Wednesday, November 27, the Israeli military deliberately violated it dozens of times, engaging in activities such as bulldozing land in certain areas or attempting to advance in others as well as reported kidnapping of Lebanese civilians.

These measures strongly indicate Israeli intent to exploit the ceasefire to achieve, at least partially, what it failed to accomplish on the battlefield as a result of Hezbollah’s heroic resistance and steadfastness.

The events of recent days have put the onus on those sponsoring the ceasefire agreement, particularly the United States, which has proven is not impartial in the conflict between Lebanon and Israel.

Washington consistently prioritizes the interests of the Israeli regime and seeks to ensure its security. 

This bias is evident in the lack of condemnation from the U.S. or other Western governments and regional governments over the Israeli ceasefire violations.

Had Hezbollah undertaken any action in breach of the agreement, the world would have erupted in outrage, blaming it for undermining the ceasefire.

This glaring bias toward the Israeli regime at Lebanon’s expense raises serious questions about the functioning of the committee supervising the ceasefire’s implementation and how it plans to deter the Israelis from further aggression against Lebanon.

Moreover, these violations, coupled with previous acts of aggression, raise fundamental questions about the insistence of some on disarming Hezbollah in the face of persistent Israeli hostility. Questions have been raised as to why some persist in seeking to weaken Lebanon amid the ongoing Israeli threat.

For more than four decades only Hezbollah has proven capable of defending Lebanon.

In response to the repeated Israeli violations, Hezbollah carried out what it described as an initial retaliatory measure.

A statement by the Lebanese resistance read:

“In response to repeated violations by the Israeli enemy of the ceasefire agreement announced to take effect at dawn on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, which have included various forms of aggression, such as firing on civilians and conducting airstrikes in different areas of Lebanon—resulting in the martyrdom of civilians and injuries to others—and the continued breach of Lebanese airspace by enemy aircraft, even reaching the capital Beirut, the Islamic Resistance carried out an initial defensive and warning response this evening, Monday, targeting Ruwaisat Al-Alam site, belonging to the Israeli enemy army in the occupied Lebanese hills of Kfar Shuba.”

The statement concluded with the words:

“You have been warned.”

According to experts, this initial warning strike by Hezbollah carries a clear message to the Israelis and other parties that the resistance is prepared and capable of responding appropriately and will not tolerate aggression against Lebanon without delivering a proportional response.

Attempts to circumvent the agreement or deceive Lebanon to gain advantages will not go unchallenged, analysts noted.

Hezbollah is said to be vigilant, monitoring every Israeli violation, and will respond in the manner it deems appropriate. The warning is a call for all responsible parties to act before the resistance takes matters into its own hands.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri emphasized that “the actions of the Israeli occupation forces, including demolishing homes in Lebanese border villages near occupied Palestine, along with ongoing air raids targeting the Lebanese interior, which have claimed lives and caused injuries, represent blatant violations of the ceasefire agreement, to which Lebanon announced its commitment.”

He noted that Lebanon has asked “the technical committee formed to monitor the implementation of this agreement: where is it regarding these continuous violations? Which have exceeded 54 breaches, while Lebanon and the resistance remain fully committed to their obligations?”

The top Lebanese diplomat called on “the committee tasked with overseeing the agreement’s implementation to urgently fulfill its duties and compel Israel to cease its violations and withdraw from occupied territories before anything else.”

Amid so many Israeli ceasefire violations, Lebanon has been patient. Beirut has gone through the diplomatic path and also fired an initial warning shot, which would absolve it of any criticism in Lebanon, the region, and beyond should the war erupt again.