BEIRUT – The Israeli military said it struck a facility used by Hezbollah to store mid-range rockets in southern Lebanon on Thursday, following accusations by both sides of breaching a ceasefire aimed at ending over a year of fighting.
Israel also opened fire on Thursday towards what it called “suspects” with vehicles arriving at several areas in the southern zone, saying it was a breach of the truce with Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, which came into effect on Wednesday.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah accused Israel of violating the deal, saying “the Israeli enemy is attacking those returning to the border villages” and “there are violations today by Israel, even in this form”.
The Lebanese army accused Israel of violating the ceasefire several times on Wednesday and Thursday.
The ceasefire, brokered by the United States and France, aims to halt the conflict, which has seen Israeli strikes kill at least 3,961 people and injure 16,520 others in Lebanon, while Hezbollah strikes have killed 45 civilians in northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israeli forces can take up to 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon, but neither side can launch offensive operations.