Israel reportedly opened fire on southern Lebanon after accusing the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire deal that was agreed upon by both parties which took effect Wednesday.
The Israeli military said that “suspects” in vehicles breached the boundary that was set in place by the Jewish state in the ceasefire agreement, which dictated Hezbollah must stay 20 miles back from the Israeli border. Israeli tanks still in southern Lebanon that were set to gradually withdraw as part of the truce fire warning shots, and then a drone strike was launched to take out two suspected terrorists, according to the New York Post. The suspects had entered a known rocket launch site. Officials said the suspects were taken out “to thwart the threat.”
Lebanese officials said that Israel opened fire at about 6 locations in the south of the country. Hassan Fadlallah, a Hezbollah member of Lebanon’s parliament, claimed that the suspects were civilians returning to their homes.
Israeli tanks still in southern Lebanon that were set to gradually withdraw as part of the truce then opened fire at a half-dozen locations in response to seeing the suspects. Israel had told Lebanese civilians not to return to their homes in southern Lebanon yet despite Lebanon’s parliament encouraging them to.
This fighting could potentially derail a broader agreement to end all fighting between the two countries after more than a year. The ceasefire deal, which was brokered by the United States, had mandated that Israel would have to withdraw their forces from Lebanon in 60 days along with Hezbollah staying a distance from the Israeli border. It remains unclear if these will still be followed.
This Story originally came from humanevents.com