Hezbollah leader says he will work with Lebanese army to enforce ceasefire | Israel attacks Lebanon News

Hezbollah’s leader says he will work with the Lebanese army to implement a truce the group agreed with Israel, as the shaky truce largely entered its third day after more than a year of fighting.

In his first televised address since the ceasefire took effect, Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem said on Friday he did not foresee “problems or disagreements” with the army, which will deploy to southern Lebanon within 60 days under the terms of the deal. As Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces retreat.

“Coordination between the resistance and the Lebanese army will be at a high level to implement the commitments of the agreement,” Kassem said.

“We will work to … strengthen Lebanon’s defense capabilities,” he said.

“The resistance will be ready to prevent the enemy from exploiting Lebanon’s weakness with our partners, first and foremost the army,” he added.

The Lebanese army has sent some troops to the south and is preparing a detailed deployment plan to share with the Lebanese cabinet, Reuters news agency reported, citing security sources and officials.

Under the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire, Israeli forces have 60 days to complete their withdrawal, which could delay the deployment of more Lebanese army forces.

The Israeli army has restricted people from returning to villages on Lebanon’s border with Israel and opened fire people in those villages calling these movements a violation of the ceasefire in recent days.

Both the Lebanese army and Hezbollah have accused Israel of violating the ceasefire in such cases and launched an airstrike north of the Litani River on Thursday.

Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Friday, claiming they were targeting Hezbollah weapons.

Israeli forces stationed in the town of Khiam, including at least four tanks, opened fire on people trying to bury a body in a cemetery on Friday.

“There have been shots fired at civilians. There has been artillery bombardment. Merkava tanks have fired shells in several areas,” Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem said, reporting from Tiras, Lebanon.

Qassem also declared a “divine victory” in the group’s war with Israel and claimed the victory was even greater than in 2006, when Hezbollah and Israel fought for 34 days.

He said Israeli forces killed and displaced thousands of people, including militants, but also suffered heavy losses and failed to achieve their objectives. He said Hezbollah would continue to support Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel continues its more than year-long offensive.

“For those who bet that Hezbollah would be weakened, we apologize, their bets are off,” he said.

American and French officials as members of a committee set up to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire were in Beirut on Friday and met with Lebanese army officials.

The Israeli army continues to order the Lebanese to evacuate the border and refrain from returning to their homes.

An analysis of geographic data by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency Sanad showed that Israel’s warnings also extended to 20 villages that had not previously been invaded by Israeli forces and had not experienced serious clashes.

In a summary of military operations against Hezbollah since the conflict began in October 2023, the Israeli military said on Friday it had struck more than 12,500 Hezbollah targets, including 1,600 command centers and 1,000 weapons depots.

As part of the ground invasion of southern Lebanon that began in October, it said 14 Israeli military brigade-level task forces had carried out more than 100 special operations.

It claimed to have killed at least 2,500 Hezbollah members and top officials.

Lebanese health authorities report that at least 3,961 people have been killed and 16,520 wounded in fighting since October 2023.