Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire intact after toughest period yet

There were fears the new agreement was about to collapse on Monday night after fighting flared up

Destroyed buildings in the village of Kfar Kila, southern Lebanon, are seen from northern Israel on Tuesday. AP

The ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel appears to be holding, despite 12 people having been killed in Lebanon since the truce came into effect and increasingly fiery words from both sides accusing each other of violations.

The agreement, which is a week old, faced its biggest test on Monday evening when Hezbollah launched two projectiles towards the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms, viewed by Lebanon as its territory. No casualties were reported.

Israel then launched strikes across the country on what it described as "terrorist infrastructure". Hezbollah's attack, which it said was a defensive response to "repeated violations", came after Israel hit dozens of alleged Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon during the days before.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz raised the stakes further on Tuesday during a trip to northern Israel, where 60,000 residents were evacuated at the beginning of the war, warning that “if the ceasefire collapses, there will be no more exemption for the Lebanese state".

“Yesterday was the first test," Mr Katz added. "We reacted strongly and this is exactly what we will do. We will not allow Hezbollah to return to the old methods they had."

Speaking from northern Israel later in the day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country was committed to the ceasefire but would "not tolerate violations".

"We are currently in a ceasefire, I note – a ceasefire, not the end of the war," he added. "We have a clear goal to return the residents, to rehabilitate the north. We are enforcing this ceasefire with an iron fist, acting against any violation.

“The north will be calm, the north will prosper, the north will flourish and the north will be safe.”

Residents of Kiryat Shmona, one of the evacuated cities in northern Israel, were briefly on alert following the sound of explosions, which the military later announced were part of "supervised" detonations in the area.

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said diplomatic contacts were "ongoing and intensified" since Monday to "stop Israeli violations of the ceasefire decision" and ensure their withdrawal from Lebanese border towns. "During these contacts, we stressed the priority of stabilising the situation for the return of the displaced to their towns and regions, and expanding the army's deployment in the south," Mr Mikati said.

On Tuesday, Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib insisted his country’s government remained committed to fulfilling its obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, the basis of which provided the ceasefire.

“However, stability and sustainable peace will not be obtained before the end of Israel's occupation of all Lebanese territories,” he said from Cairo. Lebanon's recent bitter experience has proven that wars do not create security.”

However, despite the exchanges of fire, the US – which mediated the agreement – believes the ceasefire is, in general, holding.

“Broadly speaking, it’s our assessment that despite some of these incidents that we’re seeing this ceasefire is holding,” Pentagon press secretary Maj Gen Pat Ryder said. “We will continue to work with partners in the region to ensure that the ceasefire has the best potential for succeeding.”

Lebanese officials were urging the US and Paris, which has also played an important role in bringing about the ceasefire, to pressure Israel to uphold the deal, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

Israel also said it had killed Salman Jamaha, a Syrian army official who served as a liaison with Hezbollah.

"A car exploded after it was targeted in an Israeli aggression on the road to Damascus International Airport," Sana reported, quoting a police source, without saying who was targeted or if there were any casualties.

Israel's military also said it had recently demolished Hezbollah bunkers in southern Lebanon, which were discovered in raids during recent weeks that were undertaken "as part of the defensive effort to destroy tunnels of the Hezbollah terror organisation in the enemy's staging grounds".

The military also repeated warnings to Lebanese that they are “prohibited” from travelling south in their country.

“I remind you that until further notice, you are prohibited from moving south to the line of the following villages and their surroundings: Shebaa, Al Habbariyeh, Marjayoun, Arnoun, Yohmor, Qantara, Chaqra, Baraachit, Yater, Al-Mansouri,” army spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X.

“Anyone who moves south of this line – puts himself in danger,” he added. He also warned people against returning to more than 60 villages.