Lebanon Ceasefire On Brink Of Collapse As Tit-For-Tat Fire Intensifies

The Lebanon ceasefire which went into effect on November 27 is now hanging by a thread, amid an increasing intensity of of tit-for-tat exchanges of gunfire between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hezbollah.

In response to reports of Israeli fire, Hezbollah on Monday fired back as a “warning” shot into northern Israel, causing no casualties, according to regional reporting. Since then there have been several rockets fired.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately blasted what he called a serious violation of the fragile ceasefire. “Hezbollah’s firing at Mount Dov constitutes a serious violation of the ceasefire, and Israel will respond forcefully,” he said.

‘”We are determined to continue enforcing the ceasefire, and to respond to any violation by Hezbollah — a minor one will be treated like a major one.”

The IDF then proceeded to mount a series of large airstrikes on south Lebanon, which left at least five people dead. Nearly a dozen fatalities have been recorded due to Israeli attacks since last week’s ceasefire went into effect, per Al Jazeera:

Israel has killed eleven people, including a State Security officer, in separate attacks in Lebanon as it continues its assaults on the country since the ceasefire with Hezbollah came into effect last week.

Surprisingly, CNN has laid the blame for the crumbling ceasefire on Israel’s continued strikes, which have been much greater in number and intensity…

CNN reports that “Israel has violated the ceasefire about 100 times.” https://t.co/OdgSmGSbct pic.twitter.com/1EsyTL19Nn

— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 2, 2024

The attacks have reportedly involved artillery and small arms fire along with the airstrikes. Hezbollah has since escalated with rocket fire which the group has called “defensive” in nature.

This is supposed to be the period a 60-day transition where UN peacekeeping forces and the Lebanese national army takes control of Hezbollah positions in south Lebanon.

“The Israelis have been playing a dangerous game in recent days,” a US official told Axios. The Axios report further stresses that the ceasefire could collapse at any moment, also after Israel flew several drones over Beirut on Sunday.

The Biden administration is not officially laying blame on Israel, however. John Kirby has said some degree of limited exchange of fire was expended. “There has been dramatic reduction in the violence. The monitoring mechanism is in full force and is working … largely speaking the ceasefire is holding,” he told reporters at the start of the week.

On Monday a Pentagon spokesman also described that despite some incidents, the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is holding. 

Israel defence Minister Israel Katz in a warning to the Lebanese government says that if the ceasefire with Hezbollah collapses, “there will no longer be an exemption for the state of #Lebanon,” and Israel will not see a separation between Hezbollah and the country.

— Zeina Khodr (@ZeinakhodrAljaz) December 3, 2024

Netanyahu is meanwhile warning that if the ceasefire isn’t adhered to, and if it unravels, Lebanon can expect nothing less than a full-scale ground assault on the south to continue, and an all-out war. Israeli officials say that all of Lebanon will be fair-game for attacks.