Nine killed in Israeli attack on Lebanon as retaliatory strikes test ceasefire

Wave of strikes reported across Nabatieh after Hezbollah rocket fire

Smoke billows above the Lebanese village of Khiam during Israeli bombardment on December 2. AFP

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At least nine people were killed in a wave of Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon on Monday evening, raising fears of an all-out war resuming less than a week after a ceasefire came into effect.

Five people were killed and two wounded in a strike on the village of Haris in Bint Jbeil, according to the state-run National News Agency, with four killed and one wounded in a strike on Talousa. Two people, including a member of Lebanon's security troops, were killed in separate strikes earlier in the day, while dozens of strikes were reported across the south on Monday evening.

A ceasefire came into effect last Wednesday after more than a year of cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, escalating into all-out war in September and an Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon in October. Almost 4,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across Lebanon since October last year, which have displaced more than 1.4 million people and wiped entire villages off the map.

Israel said the Monday night strikes were in response to Hezbollah rocket fire on a military post in the occupied Shebaa Farms, which the militant group claimed was retaliation for Israeli “violations” of the truce. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said the military would respond “forcefully” to what he described as “severe” violations of the agreement, while Israel has repeatedly said it would resume attacks on Lebanon if Hezbollah violates the truce.

“Israel demands that the relevant parties in Lebanon fulfil their responsibilities and prevent Hezbollah's hostile activity,” the Israeli army added following the attacks.

The ceasefire, brokered by the US and France after months of diplomatic wrangling, is due to be implemented over 60 days, lead to a phased Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and allow for the return of displaced civilians in border areas. While both sides have accused each other of breaking the agreement, France has reportedly recorded 52 Israeli violations of the truce, according to Axios.

Israel has carried out a near-daily series of strikes in southern Lebanon since the ceasefire was put in place, with Lebanese parliament Speaker Nabih Berri accusing Israel on Monday of “flagrant violations” of the agreement.

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Caretaker Prime Minister said "diplomatic efforts were ongoing and were intensified yesterday to halt Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement and secure a withdrawal from Lebanese border towns."

France, which acts as a guarantor of the ceasefire agreement, urged both sides to respect the deal in a call with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Monday, according to a readout from Paris.

Mr Saar rejected accusations that Israel had violated the truce, claiming instead that his country's strikes were “enforcing” the ceasefire.

Israeli threats of wider attacks against Lebanon continued on Tuesday, with Defence Minister Israel Katz saying there will be "no exemption" if the ceasefire collapses.

On a visit to the northern border, he urged the Lebanese government to "authorise the Lebanese army to enforce their part, to keep Hezbollah away from the Litani and to dismantle all the infrastructure".

"If the ceasefire collapses, there will be no more exemption for the state of Lebanon. We will enforce the agreement with maximum impact and zero tolerance. If until now we have differentiated between Lebanon and Hezbollah, that will no longer be the case," he added.

Under the agreement, Hezbollah must also withdraw from the southern border, where the Lebanese army has been posted in co-ordination with UN peacekeeping troops.

While displaced civilians have returned to what remains of their homes in the southern city of Tyre, both the Israeli and Lebanese armies have warned residents of front-line towns and villages from returning home until Israel has fully withdrawn.

Southern areas may also be rigged with Israeli explosives, the Lebanese army warned just hours after the ceasefire was announced, as roads to southern communities were packed with families seeking to return home.