UPDATE - In 1st response to Israel’s cease-fire violations in Lebanon, Hezbollah targets Israeli base in occupied Kfar Shouba

By Wassim Seifeddine

UPDATES WITH MORE ISRAELI REACTIONS

BEIRUT (AA) - Hezbollah said Monday that it had targeted the Roueissat Al-Alam Israeli military post in the occupied Kfar Shuba hills, describing the action as a “preliminary defensive warning” in response to ongoing Israeli violations of the cease-fire agreement.

In a statement, Hezbollah cited multiple breaches, including Israeli gunfire on civilians, airstrikes across Lebanon that have resulted in civilian casualties, and continued violations of Lebanese airspace, even over the capital Beirut.

The group said appeals to the relevant authorities had failed to halt these breaches, adding: “A warning has been given.”

According to Israeli Army Radio, Hezbollah fired two rockets toward the Har Dov area (Shebaa Farms), both of which landed in open fields without causing injuries.

Israeli Cabinet ministers and political leaders have called for a harsh response to Hezbollah’s attack.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on X to respond to the attack, saying: “As Hezbollah's firing at Mount Dov constitutes a serious violation of the cease-fire, and Israel will respond strongly to this.”

Also on X, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called Hezbollah’s actions a “grave mistake” and urged a strong military response to “change the equation” and end what he described as an era of “containment.”

Benny Gantz, leader of the Israel Resilience Party, echoed Smotrich, warning that failure to respond decisively could lead to a return to “the era of equations.”

Transportation Minister Miri Regev echoed the sentiment, emphasizing Israel's commitment to strong retaliation for any violations of the cease-fire agreement.

“As decided in the Cabinet, Israel will respond strongly to any violation of the agreement by Hezbollah,” she wrote on X.

-'Israel does not intent to compromise on security'

Yair Golan, leader of the opposition Democratic Party and former deputy chief of General Staff, said on the same platform that the Israeli army “must respond harshly to Hezbollah's provocation.”

“If we neglect now the results will be disastrous in the long term. Iran and Hezbollah must understand a simple thing: Israel does not intend to compromise on the security of its citizens again,” he added.

Former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman criticized the government's cease-fire deal with Hezbollah, asserting that “only when the Israeli government realizes that they do not make agreements with terrorists – only then will the State of Israel be able to restore deterrence and security to the citizens of the country.”

“We must not wait for it to cost us in blood,” he said, urging an immediate response.

Last Wednesday, a cease-fire agreement between Lebanon and Israel took effect, meant to end over 14 months of fighting between the Israeli army and Hezbollah.

But since it came into force, Lebanese media has reported around 73 Israeli violations of the cease-fire deal.

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 a maximum of 60 days.

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

Nearly 4,0000 people have been killed and more than 16,500 injured in Israeli attacks in Lebanon and over 1 million displaced since October 2023, according to Lebanese health authorities.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio