Israel accuses Hezbollah of violating ceasefire amid strikes on Lebanon

The Israeli army claimed on Saturday that its attacks on Lebanon over the past two days, which killed dozens of people, were carried out in response to “flagrant violations” by Hezbollah, while the Lebanese group said it remains committed to the ceasefire despite Israeli violations. In a statement, the Israeli army claimed that Hezbollah fired more than 50 shells overnight at Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon, describing the attack as a “repeated violation” of the ceasefire agreement. It said its forces launched airstrikes targeting “dozens of Hezbollah infrastructure sites and operatives” in southern Lebanon, including rocket-launching positions, weapons depots and command centers, according to the statement. The Israeli army also claimed that it “will not accept any targeting of Israeli civilians or its forces,” and said it would continue operations to “remove any threat” in line with directives from the political leadership. For its part, Hezbollah said on Saturday that it has adhered to the ceasefire since Friday evening, despite Israeli violations that began “from the first moments” the US-Iran agreement entered into force, which it said also applies to Lebanon. In a statement, Hezbollah said it remained committed to the ceasefire “even after the enemy violated it from the first moments.” It added: “Alongside commitment to the ceasefire, we will not tolerate any attempt by the enemy to seize land and expand its occupation. Our fighters remain vigilant and fully prepared.” The death toll from Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon since early Saturday has risen to at least 28, despite a ceasefire and the US-Iran agreement, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported. The Israeli army escalated its attacks on Lebanon on Friday and Saturday, killing over 80 people, according to official Lebanese figures. Israel’s military offensive in Lebanon has killed at least 4,057 people, injured over 12,000 others and displaced over 1 million residents since March 2, according to Lebanese authorities. The latest attacks came after Israel’s Channel 12 on Friday quoted an unnamed official confirming that a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah had begun at 4 pm local time (1300GMT). A senior US official also confirmed the ceasefire in a statement to Anadolu. *Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul.