The town of Khiam in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel following an Israeli artillery strike, Dec. 2, 2024. (Credit: Jalaa Marey/AFP)
For the first time since the cease-fire took effect last Tuesday, Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for shelling the Roueissat al-Alam site in the contested Kfar Shuba hills. According to the party’s statement, the attack was in response to Israel's "repeated violations" of the agreement. Since Nov. 27, the Israeli military has carried out dozens of strikes on Lebanese territory, coupled with persistent aerial overflights.
This escalation puts Hezbollah — claiming the cessation of war as a ‘victory’ — in an awkward position. Monday's attack appears to be an attempt to demonstrate its resistance to these ‘violations.’ Notably, the targeted area is symbolic, being uninhabited and disputed between Lebanon, Syria, and Israel.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, Hezbollah frequently targeted the Shebaa Farms and Kfar Shuba hills, prompting retaliations but rarely escalating further. Could this pattern hold now, or has the dynamic shifted since Oct. 7, 2023? The coming days — or even hours — will likely provide answers.
In its claim of responsibility, Hezbollah also criticized "those responsible for ending these violations," stating they had "failed" to do so. This likely refers to the U.S. and France, as well as the Lebanese Army, which, under the agreement, is tasked with supervising the cease-fire. A committee comprising these three parties, along with Israel and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), is as supposedly been established to oversee implementation.
‘A serious violation’
Israel quickly reacted. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Hezbollah's action "a serious violation" of the cease-fire, asserting that Israel would "respond forcefully" while remaining committed to the agreement’s implementation. Defense Minister Israel Katz echoed this, vowing to act "against any violation of the cease-fire by Hezbollah" on social media, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared that Hezbollah had made "a grave mistake" by firing on Israel. Despite these statements, a Pentagon spokesperson noted that, while there have been "some incidents," the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah "still holds," according to Reuters.
Israel responded swiftly, escalating its raids in southern Lebanon. An airstrike in Tallouseh (Marjayoun) killed one person and injured two others, one critically. Other strikes targeted Borghoz (Hasbaya), Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun), Yaroun, and Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil), as well as Srireh (Jezzine). Artillery fire hit Kfar Shuba, Shebaa, Rachaya al-Foukhar (Hasbaya), and Khiam (Marjayoun). Heavy machine-gun fire also struck neighborhoods in Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil).
In the evening, a series of Israeli strikes targeted the Iqlim al-Touffah heights, Jabal al-Rihan, and areas near Wadi Ezza and Houmine al-Fawqa, as well as between Louaizeh, Jabal Safi, and Mlikh. A loud explosion was reported following an air raid on the area between Houmine al-Fawqa and Deir Zahrani.
In light of these developments, L'Orient-Le Jour has learned that the U.N. Security Council will meet Wednesday at the request of France and the U.S. to discuss the cease-fire between Lebanon and Israel. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, is expected to brief the council.
Security forces targeted
On Monday morning, a Lebanese State Security agent was killed in an Israeli drone strike in Jdeydet Marjayoun, southern Lebanon. The victim, Mahdi Khreiss, from Khiam, was riding a motorcycle near the town's power station when targeted by the drone strike. Two other Israeli drone strikes hit Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil), though no casualties were reported.
Separately, the Lebanese Army reported finding the body of an officer, "the victim of a targeted strike by the Israeli enemy," in his car in Naqoura. The officer, Hussein Younes, a naval officer, had been missing since Nov. 26, the day before the cease-fire took effect. Preliminary information suggests an Israeli drone strike killed him roughly a week ago.
The Lebanese Army also announced that an Israeli drone fired on a bulldozer near a military center at the Haouch el-Sayyed Ali border post in Hermel, northern Bekaa, injuring a soldier. Earlier, drone strikes on the Syrian side of the border in the same area were reported.
Despite the violence, Lebanon's Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamieh announced Monday that the Arida border post between North Lebanon and Syria, bombed by Israel last week, is operational again. Reconstruction is also underway at the Abboudiyeh and Jisr Qmar border facilities in Wadi Khaled, North Lebanon. This follows the reopening of the Qaa border post in Bekaa the previous day.
Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi stated Monday that Lebanon's displacement crisis has eased, claiming that "the majority of people have returned with dignity to their towns and villages." Speaking at a meeting with regional governors, Mawlawi emphasized the importance of ushering in a new phase focused on establishing legitimacy and rebuilding the state, according to the National News Agency.
