Israel breaches ceasefire with ground raids near Lebanon border

The Israeli military admitted on Wednesday its forces had carried out ground incursions into south Lebanon in recent days, reportedly demolishing what it claimed were Hezbollah weapons depots and military positions in clear violations of Lebanese sovereignty and the US-brokered ceasefire agreement reached in November.

Military spokesman Avichay Adraee said Israeli troops had crossed into Lebanese territory to conduct what he called "special, focused operations" near the border.

"Based on intelligence information and the observation of Hezbollah's weapons and terrorist infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon, soldiers were dispatched to carry out special, focused operations aimed at destroying these weapons and preventing Hezbollah from repositioning itself in the area," Adraee said on X.

Adraee posted videos purporting to show Israeli forces destroying compounds, weapons caches, and underground sites in areas such as Jabal Blat and Labbouneh, well inside Lebanese territory.

These locations are among five strategic hilltops where Israeli forces have remained entrenched, in defiance of the ceasefire deal that required both sides to withdraw from front-line positions.

In another operation near the village of Labbouneh, Israeli forces reportedly destroyed alleged weapons "hidden in a forested area", claiming they had included a rocket launcher, a machine gun, and dozens of explosive devices.

In the same area, the military claimed that troops had also located an alleged underground site reportedly used by Hezbollah to store weapons, adding that the site was also destroyed.

Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire since October 2023, escalating into more than two months of intense warfare that formally ended with a ceasefire on 27 November.

That agreement, brokered by the United States, stipulates that Hezbollah would hand over all its weapons to the Lebanese state and that the Lebanese army would deploy onto the southern border.

The Lebanese group had handed over a significant portion of its military positions and weapons south of the Litani River to the Lebanese state. According to sources close to the group, out of 265 identified Hezbollah military sites in this region, approximately 190 have been ceded to the Lebanese army.

Last month, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated that the Lebanese army had dismantled more than 500 Hezbollah military sites and weapons caches south of the Litani River

As part of the ceasefire deal, Israeli forces must withdraw from positions they currently occupy in southern Lebanon; however, Tel Aviv has failed to fulfil its part of the deal.

Its forces have also repeatedly carried out near-daily cross-border drone strikes and attacks on southern Lebanon as well as other parts of the country in clear violation of the agreement.

The Israeli government has insisted it will not withdraw until Hezbollah is fully disarmed, a demand rejected by both Hezbollah and the Lebanese government, who say Israel must first release Lebanese detainees and pull out of all occupied Lebanese land.

US special envoy Tom Barrack visited Beirut this week and received Lebanon’s response to Washington's proposal for a phased process that would see the disarming of Hezbollah in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal, border demarcation with Israel and Syria, and major financial reforms in Lebanon.

Lebanon says that most of the area south of the Litani River, where Israel says its recent operations took place, has already been disarmed.