Immediate Violations of a Flimsy Ceasefire Deal

Under an agreement negotiated by the United States and France, a Ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese group Hazbollah was undertaken on November 27th, 2024. Pre-existent distrust surrounding the weight of the deal in Lebanon intensified as Israeli attacks did not seem to come to a halt following its signing.

A ceasefire agreement of undetermined fragility was finally reached on Wednesday following Israel’s war on Lebanon that continued for 14 long and agonising months which witnessed an escalation across the south in late September with a ground invasion and intense bombardments. It makes way for a 60-day halt to the brutality with the clause of Hezbollah’s retreat to the north of the Litani River and Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon. While neither Israel nor Lebanon are restricted from engaging in self-defence by the truce, Israeli and Lebanese authorities disagreed on what that entailed.

A day after the agreement took hold, Israel launched an airstrike on Southern Lebanon with the claim that Hezbollah breached the conditions of the ceasefire. Just 24 hours after the said deal that was tailored to halt offensive military operations, reports from Lebanon’s state news agency stated that Israel had targeted civilians in the town of Markaba wounding two. Clause 2 of the Agreement explicitly mentions that Israel must not carry out offensive operations inside Lebanese territory and the Lebanese government will prevent Hezbollah or other armed groups from attacking Israel.

Both Israel and Lebanon have accused the other of violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement. Despite the agreement’s initial international praise, experts seem to have their reservations that its implementation and enforcement will present substantial obstacles.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Thursday that he has instructed the military to be ready for intense warfare in the circumstance that the ceasefire is compromised. He said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 14, “If needed I gave a directive to the IDF—be prepared in case there is a violation of the framework of the ceasefire, for an intense war.” He has also spoken about the need to guarantee security in northern Israel before enabling the return of the displaced Lebanese people. Israeli forces are enforcing curfews and patrolling border areas, making it increasingly challenging for the evacuated citizens to make their way back to their homes.