ADVERTISEMENT

Inside Lebanon, rockets were fired towards Israel. This occurrence is the second of its kind since December, triggering concerns that the fragile ceasefire between Lebanon and the Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah might be on the verge of collapse.

The possession of Israeli military power resulted in them declaring they would respond fiercely to the early morning attack on Saturday when rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel’s northern region. The rockets targeted the Israeli town of Metula.

Hezbollah’s first attacks started a day after Hamas initiated their assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the ongoing conflict. This situation intensified into a full-blown war in September when Israel launched intensive airstrikes that led to the death of senior Hezbollah leaders. As a result, more than 4,000 people were killed in Lebanon, and approximately 60,000 Israelis were displaced.

According to the ceasefire agreement reached in November, the Israeli military was supposed to completely withdraw from Lebanese territory by the end of January. However, Israel extended its stay in certain locations in Lebanon, close to northern Israeli communities, with the permission of Lebanon and Israel. This has led to numerous Israeli airstrikes targeting southern and eastern Lebanon

Lebanon has appealed to the U.N. to pressure Israel to completely withdraw from their country.

On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister instructed the army to forcefully act against numerous Lebanese targets and stated, “Israel will not let any harm come to its citizens and sovereignty.” Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam urged the Lebanese military to employ all necessary measures in the south while emphasizing the country’s desire to avoid returning to a state of war.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) expressed their concern regarding the potential for escalating violence and urged all parties involved to prevent it from endangering regional progress.