Israel launches airstrikes in Lebanon after first Hezbollah attack since ceasefire

Israeli soldiers patrol the perimeter of the agricultural settlement of Avivim, next to the Lebanese border. Credit: AP

Israel has launched a wave of airstrikes across Lebanon, after Hezbollah fired towards its forces, marking the first such attack by the militant group since a ceasefire agreement came into place last week.

This new exchange of fire threatens the already fragile ceasefire.

The airstrikes, which killed at least 11 people, came after the Lebanese militant group fired a volley of projectiles as a warning over what it said were Israeli truce violations .

The projectiles were apparently the first time that Hezbollah took aim at Israeli forces after the 60-day ceasefire went into effect last Wednesday.

Lebanon's Health Ministry said an Israeli airstrike on the southern village of Haris killed five people and wounded two while another airstrike on the village of Tallousa killed four and also wounded two.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said Hezbollah launched two projectiles towards Mount Dov, a disputed Israeli-held territory where the borders of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel meet.

The rockets fell into open areas and no one was injured, according to the IDF.

In a statement, Netanyahu said: "Hezbollah fire at Mt. Dov constitutes a severe violation of the ceasefire, and Israel will respond forcefully.

"We are determined to continue enforcing the ceasefire and will respond to every Hezbollah violation – minor and major."

Hezbollah claimed it fired towards the IDF in a “defensive and warning response” after what it called “repeated violations” of the ceasefire deal by Israel.

Lebanon has accused Israel of violating the truce more than 50 times in recent days. The ceasefire, which came into place on Wednesday after being brokered by France and the US, called for a 60-day pause in fighting.

Since then, Israel has carried out a number of strikes in Lebanon, most recently on Monday, when a drone strike killed a man on a motorcycle in southern Lebanon.

Another also took place on Monday, hitting a Lebanese army bulldozer in the northeastern town of Hermel and wounding a soldier.

Israel has said the strikes were in response to Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire, without giving specific details.

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