As a fragile ceasefire with Hezbollah enters a third day, Israeli Brigadier General, Yisrael Shomer has warned that Israel has not yet fended off the threat of Hezbollah and should be ready to “strike back anywhere” to stop it from regrouping.
He opined that true “victory” is unlikely to come for decades, adding that the test against Hezbollah will be in enforcement and preserving the achievements.
“We must ensure this [threat] doesn’t grow back in Lebanon, or in Gaza. And if it does, we must go in and strike, even if it means they will fire some rockets at us.
“A few days of battle are preferable to Hezbollah returning to what it was.”
Yisrael Shomer
A ceasefire between the Israeli military and Hezbollah came into effect on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, but both sides have accused one another of violating the terms of the agreement.
Israeli forces have repeatedly fired at what it claims are Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon despite the continuing ceasefire.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military published a summary of its military operations against the Lebanese armed group since the outbreak of the conflict in October 2023.
The Israeli military claimed that it has struck more than 12,500 Hezbollah targets in that time, including 1,600 command centres and 1,000 weapons depots.
During the ground offensive, which began in late September, it disclosed that more than 100 special operations were carried out by 14 Israeli military brigade-level task forces.
Also, the Israeli military claimed it killed at least 2,500 Hezbollah members and senior officials.
Among the dead are Hezbollah’s former leader Hassan Nasrallah; 13 members of the Lebanese group’s top leadership; four Hezbollah commanders at the division level; 24 brigade-level commanders; 27 battalion-level commanders; 63 company-level commanders; and 22 platoon-level commanders.
Additionally, the Israeli military claimed to have captured about 12,000 explosive devices and drones, as well as 13,000 rockets, launchers, and antitank and antiaircraft missile systems, along with 121,000 pieces of communications equipment.
Concerns Over Lebanon Ceasefire Stability Amid Tensions
Mohamad Bazzi, the Director of the Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies, said one of his major concerns is that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli military “will push this [ceasefire] as far as they can.”
“Clearly, the incidents that we have seen over the last six to 12 hours of Israeli fire on Lebanese positions, trying to prevent people from returning to their villages, these are examples of Netanyahu and the Israeli military trying to show that they are the ones in the driving seat.”
Mohamad Bazzi
The Israeli Prime Minister was reported to have addressed his base through a very right-wing Israeli media outlet and in that interview, he said that the army would be ready to relaunch the war against Lebanon at the sight of any violation of the ceasefire.
He was even quoted as saying that he didn’t sign on to an end to the war, just a ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Israeli military reiterated a ban on Lebanese civilians returning to villages
The Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee again posted a list of villages in southern Lebanon that civilians are banned from returning to “until further notice.”
In a post on X, Adraee shared a map of southern Lebanon with a line demarcating the exclusion zone, along with the names of dozens of settlements.
He said that anyone who moves south of this line puts himself in danger. “[The Israeli military] does not intend to target you and therefore you are prohibited at this stage from returning to your homes from this line south until further notice,” he added.
READ ALSO: Ghanaians Face Akufo-Addo’s Election Interference
