Israel-Hezbollah Renewed Fighting Puts Lebanon's 10-Day Ceasefire at Risk

[The Financial News] As the United States of America (the U.S.) and Iran entered an indefinite ceasefire, fighting resumed in Lebanon, where a 10-day truce had been in place. Israel and the Government of Lebanon are planning to hold a second round of peace talks on the 23rd local time.
According to Anadolu Agency, Hezbollah, the pro-Iranian armed group in Lebanon, said in a statement on the 21st that it had attacked northern Israel. Hezbollah said it struck an Israeli artillery base in the Kfar Giladi settlement in northern Israel with a concentrated rocket barrage and attack drones. It added that the base had recently shelled the village of Yamar al-Shakif in southern Lebanon.
It was the first time Hezbollah had officially said it attacked Israel since the 10-day ceasefire took effect on the 17th. Hezbollah described the strike as a response to "more than 200 clear and verified Israeli violations of the ceasefire" since the truce began.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also issued a statement that day confirming Hezbollah's attack. It said it had "struck the Hezbollah launchers used in the attack within minutes." The IDF also criticized Hezbollah for "blatantly violating the ceasefire agreement."
Hezbollah joined the war in the Gaza Strip in 2023 and attacked Israel, then observed a ceasefire in 2024. After the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in February, Hezbollah resumed attacks on Israel on the 2nd of last month. Israel responded by expanding ground operations in southern Lebanon and bombing major cities. The Government of Lebanon, unable to control Hezbollah, began first-round peace talks with Israel on the 14th through U.S. mediation and agreed to a ceasefire from the 17th.
Hezbollah has expressed dissatisfaction with the ceasefire between Israel and the Government of Lebanon. In a statement on the 20th, Israel said Hezbollah fighters attacked IDF troops near Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon, prompting an airstrike in retaliation.
Caught between Hezbollah and Israel, the Government of Lebanon plans to hold a second round of peace talks with Israel in the U.S. on the 23rd, again through U.S. mediation. In a statement on the 20th, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he would demand that Israel immediately halt military operations in Lebanon and withdraw its forces, and that he would negotiate directly with Israel, separate from U.S. mediation.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron held a joint press conference in Paris on the 21st after meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. He said Israel must withdraw from Lebanese territory and that Israel must "give up its territorial ambitions."



pjw@fnnews.com Park Jong-won Reporter