A fragile ceasefire has held between Israel and Hezbollah since late November, ending the devastating war [Getty/archive]
Israel carried out air strikes in Lebanon Sunday, targeting areas in the east and south according to Lebanese state media, with the Israeli military claiming it hit Hezbollah targets including smuggling routes along the border with Syria.
The air strikes placed further strain on a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group, which came into effect on November 27.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said Israeli aircraft targeted the outskirts of Janta village in the eastern Baalbek district as well the outskirts of Houmin al-Fawqa village near Nabatieh in the south. It did not say whether there were casualties.
The Israeli military claimed it struck a number of targets it had presented to ceasefire monitors as threats.
“Among the targets struck were a rocket launcher site, a military site, and routes along the Syria-Lebanon border used to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah,” it said.
The strikes come just two weeks before the January 26 deadline for implementing the November ceasefire, which both sides have accused the other of violating.
The Israeli military statement said it was operating “in accordance with the ceasefire understandings”.
Under the terms of the deal, Hezbollah is to dismantle its remaining military infrastructure in the south and pull its forces back north of the Litani River, around 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border. The Lebanese army must deploy thousands of soldiers in the south, and has gradually done so.
The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) this month accused Israel of a “flagrant violation” of the Security Council resolution which forms the basis of the ceasefire.
Israeli strikes in south Lebanon killed five people on Friday, according to the Lebanese health ministry, with the Israeli military saying it targeted a Hezbollah weapons truck.
