Shafaq News- Beirut
Hezbollah on Sunday rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that it is undermining the ceasefire, warning that continued Israeli violations will draw further attacks.
In a statement, the group said Israel made more than 500 breaches since the truce took effect on April 17 —across land, air, and sea— including shelling, demolitions, and destruction of homes, causing dozens of casualties, making its strikes on Israeli troop positions in occupied Lebanese territory and attacks on settlements in northern Israel a “legitimate response.”
Addressing Netanyahu’s remarks on Israel’s “freedom of action” in Lebanon, Hezbollah warned against attempts to implicate Lebanese authorities in a bilateral understanding between Israel and Washington, stressing that Lebanon had no role in or approval of such an arrangement.
Despite a ceasefire extension expected to halt Israeli attacks, particularly home demolitions in southern Lebanon, Israeli operations intensified instead, the group added, describing the escalation as a violation of international norms. Hezbollah criticized Lebanon’s leadership over its handling of recent US-mediated contacts, citing the absence of clear public conditions tied to halting Israeli attacks and withdrawal from Lebanese territory, and saying remarks by Lebanon’s representative in Washington praising US President Donald Trump “encouraged” continued Israeli operations.
The group pointed to silence by authorities in the face of ongoing strikes and destruction, calling for clarification over any alleged agreement used by Israel to justify its actions. Continued Israeli attacks, destruction of homes, and the presence of Israeli forces on Lebanese territory will face resistance, Hezbollah vowed, rejecting reliance on “ineffective” diplomacy or what it described as a failure by the state to “meet its responsibilities.”
Earlier today, Israeli airstrikes killed at least a dozen people in southern Lebanon, including six in Kfar Tibnit and one in Burj Qalaway, while raids, shelling, and home demolitions were reported across the Nabatieh and Bint Jbeil districts. The escalation drove displacement toward Saida following evacuation warnings issued to several towns north of the Litani River.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, launched drone attacks targeting Israeli artillery positions and troop gatherings, including in Al-Bayyada, and carried out strikes within what Israel calls the “yellow line” in southern Lebanon.
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