Libanon

Israel struck south Beirut on Sunday for the third time since a fragile November 27 ceasefire, prompting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to call on its guarantors, France and the US, to force a halt.

Israeli military operations in Lebanon have continued to claim civilian lives and destroy vital infrastructure, the UN human rights office warned on Tuesday, raising alarm over mounting violations since a ceasefire agreement took effect last November.

The United Nations on Tuesday expressed deep concern over the latest escalation of violence in Lebanon, despite the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, following an Israeli airstrike in southern Beirut that reportedly killed four people – including a woman – and injured several others.

Israel launched a new wave of strikes on Lebanon in response to a rocket attack from across the border on Saturday, as militant group Hezbollah denied responsibility for the launch. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered “a second wave of strikes against dozens of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon,” the defense ministry said, in the largest escalation since a November 27 ceasefire.

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to engage in negotiations to address their long-standing land border disputes, marking a significant diplomatic breakthrough. The decision comes following mediation efforts led by US officials, who played a key role in bringing both sides to the table.

Israel and the United States have responded with silence to claims by Hezbollah that the two allies secretly threatened Lebanon this month into stopping the arrivals of Iranian commercial airliners delivering cash to the Lebanese terror group. 

Israeli forces have pulled out from towns and villages in southern Lebanon but remain in five locations along the border in what the Lebanese government describes as a violation of a ceasefire deal.

Israel is seeking another extension of the deadline for the withdrawal of its troops from southern Lebanon, a Western diplomatic source says, a request that is likely to raise new concerns in a country with a history of Israeli occupation.

The White House said Sunday that a deal between Lebanon and Israel had been extended until February 18, as Israel missed a previous deadline to pull troops. … The deal ended Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon against Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Under the 60-day deal, the Lebanese army was to deploy alongside UN peacekeepers in the south as the Israeli army withdrew.

Top UN officials in Lebanon are calling for compliance with the ongoing ceasefire after reports that Israeli forces killed 15 people, including a Lebanese soldier, along the buffer zone with Israel, which Israel was due to withdraw from on Sunday under the agreement.