Israel breaks Lebanon ceasefire with new strikes
PHOTO CAPTION: An Israeli fighter jet takes off at an unidentified location to conduct strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, in this handout photo released September 19, 2024. Israel Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS
CAIRO, Jan 5 - The Israeli military on Monday began striking what it described as Hezbollah and Hamas "targets" in Lebanon after issuing evacuation orders for four villages in the country's east and south.
Earlier, an Israeli military spokesperson said the military was planning strikes on what he described as Hezbollah and Hamas "military infrastructure" in the villages of Hammara and Ain el-Tineh in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley and Kfar Hatta and Aanan in the south.
Israel and Lebanon agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in 2024, ending more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that had culminated in Israeli strikes that severely weakened the Iran-backed militant group. Since then, the sides have traded accusations over violations.
Lebanon has faced growing pressure from the U.S. and Israel to disarm Hezbollah, and its leaders fear that Israel could dramatically escalate strikes across the battered country to push Lebanon's leaders to confiscate Hezbollah's arsenal more quickly.
(Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din and Muhammad Al Gebaly and Maya Gebeily; Editing by Gareth Jones and Alex Richardson // REUTERS)
