Under the initial terms of the contract that led to a ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah in November, the former was to withdraw its troops from South Lebanon by January 26th.
The date went in and out, but Israel refused to pull the troops back, and the deadline was pushed up until February 18th. Israel continued to bomb Lebanon sporadically – up to the massive condemnation from the latter – Hezbollah for the violation of the ceasefire.
Israel’s presence in southern Lebanon means that thousands of people still cannot return to their border village homes, and Israeli forces will shoot and kill those who are too close.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon’s most powerful military, Shiite groups, began strikes in solidarity with the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, where Israeli attacks, and October 8th. It started on the day. Israel intensified its attacks on Lebanon in September, killing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrara on September 27th.
Israel has killed around 4,000 people across Lebanon since October 2023.
Why does Israel still occupy southern Lebanon? How is this a “ceasefire”? And what exactly is the final game in Israel?
This is everything you need to know.
![Israeli soldiers stand near Lebanese detainees on Israel's Lebanon border.](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-01-27T135827Z_1003125545_RC2BICAD1MWD_RTRMADP_3_ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-LEBANON-1738306957.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513)
Did the “ceasefire” stop the war?
Hezbollah stopped the attack, but Israel wasn’t.
The Israeli bombing was not close to the same strength as before the ceasefire began on November 27th, with nightly bombings in Beirut’s southern suburbs halting.
But Israel still attacks from time to time. Part of it is located north of the Ritani River. Hezbollah must move its troops to the north in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.
Data collection group, Armed Conflict Locations and Events Data Project (Ecled), recorded 330 air strikes and artillery incidents carried out by Israel from November 27th to January 10th, and recorded 260 real estate destruction events. I’ve recorded it.
How about Hezbollah?
Israel has argued that Hezbollah also fails to meet the conditions for a ceasefire.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Hezbollah has not retreated north of the Ritani River in southern Lebanon.
“If these conditions are not met, there will be no agreement and Israel will be forced to act on its own to ensure that the residents of the north return to their homes safely,” Katz said in January. I stated.
In a speech in late January, Hezbollah’s executive director-general Naim Qassem said that Hezbollah had stuck to the ceasefire agreement but did not specifically state whether his group had withdrawn from the south entirely.
Ecled recorded one attack made by Hezbollah since the start of the ceasefire.
“Hezbollah is largely absent from violence. With the exception of one attack on the site of Israel’s Luwayset Al-Alam on December 2, the Israeli Luwayset, a occupying territory coded as Syria, is a rave review of Israel’s Luwayset Al-Alam. There was no direct attack on Israeli soils on the Al-Alam site,” Ameneh Mehvar told Al Jazeera.
Qassem said the group remains patient despite repeated attacks on the attack.
![Israeli soldiers are sitting on a tank on January 18, 2025, near the Israeli-Lebanon border in northern Israel.](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-01-18T091609Z_610248918_RC28CCA0KVJO_RTRMADP_3_ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-LEBANON-1737722625.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513)
What was the international response?
Lebanon has filed a complaint with the United Nations against Israel for breach of the ceasefire.
French President Emmanuel Macron urged Israel to deal with the initial ceasefire deadline to withdraw its troops, as it has little effect. France and the United States were the original brokers of the agreement.
![Naim Qassem has chosen a new Hezbollah leader](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2024-10-08T095441Z_1919977477_RC2GS8ARVFJT_RTRMADP_3_ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-HEZBOLLAH-QASSEM-1730190726.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C528)
Are there any means of violating it?
The United States – a strong Israeli ally – has ensured that the deal will be adhered to, according to diplomatic sources.
However, if the ceasefire was breached, there were no other requests.
Israel is not responsible for repeated ceasefire violations or for extending the ceasefire period until February 18th.
What happens if Israel refuses to leave Lebanon?
That’s unknown.
Hezbollah’s Qassem said in a January speech that his group’s patience could run out of Israeli violations. However, in his recent speech, he appeared to have built a responsibility to oppose the Lebanese state of Israel.
“The Lebanese state is entirely responsible for following up, pressure and trying to prevent any responsibility that can be done through sponsors and international pressures, through this violation and this Israeli attack,” he said. Qassem said in a speech aired last week.
The Lebanese army is to move to southern Lebanon as part of the ceasefire agreement.
Hezbollah’s response is limited by the weakened locations it finds. The collapse of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime cut off the Hezbollah land route to receive arms from his main supporter, Iran.
Its military capabilities were also violently assaulted during two months of escalation from September to November, during which Israel invaded Lebanon. And it lost most of its upper military leaders.
For these reasons, Hezbollah appears reluctant to take action that gives Israel reason to intensify its attack.
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