Netanyahu says Hezbollah violated cease-fire after deadly Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon

Following an outcry over deadly Israeli airstrikes on the two villages of Ansar and Deir Zahrani in South Lebanon that killed 11 people and wounded 19, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday afternoon that Hezbollah had violated the cease-fire in Lebanon by attacking Israeli soldiers in the security zone, seriously wounding three troops.

’’This morning, Hezbollah violated the cease-fire in Lebanon by attacking our soldiers in the security zone that protects Israeli communities just across the border. The Hezbollah attack seriously wounded three of our soldiers, » Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office.

The statement said the Israeli military responded ‘’by striking a Hezbollah headquarters that had ordered the attack.’’ According to Netanyahu’s office, ‘’it was only later that the Israeli military learned that Hezbollah had deliberately placed civilians in this military compound.’’

’’Hezbollah is ready for anything, including using its own civilians as human shields to falsely accuse Israel of deliberately targeting civilians, which the army clearly did not do,’’ he said.

Israeli violations of the cease-fire have been numerous, including airstrikes, artillery fire, demolitions of homes and infrastructure, road construction and earthworks. The actions are part of an Israeli escalation aimed at forcing Hezbollah to yield.

Despite calls from Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri for the United States to intervene and halt the attacks, Washington appears unwilling to curb its ally’s momentum as long as Hezbollah remains armed, according to comments by U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa.

Issa said that ‘’everything will stop’’ once Hezbollah lays down its arms.