Committee overseeing Lebanon-Israel cease-fire to hold 1st meeting next week

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Lebanese army on Friday said a five-member committee, tasked to monitor the implementation of the Lebanon-Israel cease-fire, will hold its first meeting next week.

The five-member committee includes representatives from the US, France, Lebanon, Israel and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

In a statement, the Lebanese army said US’ Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, French Brig. Gen. Guillaume Ponchin, and Lebanon’s Brig. Gen. Edgar Lawondes conducted an aerial inspection of the south Litani River area.

According to Anadolu, based on reports from Lebanon's official news agency as of Thursday, the Israeli army has violated the cease-fire agreement with Lebanon nearly 150 times since it took effect on Nov. 27.

The cease-fire deal came into force on Nov. 27 in hopes of ending the 14 months of fighting between the Israeli army and Hezbollah. It is, however, described as fragile, as countless violations were documented by Lebanon.

Under the terms of the cease-fire, Israel is to withdraw its forces south of the Blue Line de facto border in a phased manner while the Lebanese army deploys its forces in southern Lebanon within 60 days.

Implementation is to be overseen by the US and France, but details on enforcement mechanisms remain unclear.

More than 4,000 people have been killed and over 16,500 injured in Israeli attacks in Lebanon, in addition to over 1 million displaced since October 2023, according to Lebanese health authorities.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar