Clashes continue in Lebanon despite Israel and Hezbollah accepting US partial ceasefire plan
Clashes have continued in southern Lebanon despite Israel and Hezbollah accepting a US plan for a partial ceasefire.
President Donald Trump said on Monday that he had spoken to both sides and “they agreed that all shooting will stop”, after Iran warned Israeli military actions in Lebanon were a threat to the US-Iran ceasefire.
Lebanon said Hezbollah had accepted the plan for it to halt attacks on Israel and for Israel not to attack the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the agreement. But he said strikes on Beirut would go ahead “if Hezbollah does not stop attacking our cities and civilians”, and that Israeli forces would still operate in south Lebanon.
While the ceasefire appears to be largely holding, there was further violence overnight.
Hezbollah said its fighters had targeted Israeli tanks in the southern Lebanese towns of Haddatha and Bayada with missiles and shells.
The Israeli military said it had intercepted two projectiles that had been fired from Lebanon in the early hours of Tuesday. No injuries have been reported.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Israeli strikes on several southern areas and said a “very violent” explosion from a large-scale demolition rocked the town of Debbine.
On Monday morning, the Israeli prime minister said he had ordered strikes on “terror targets” in Beirut’s southern suburbs in response to rocket and drone attacks by the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Read more: BBC News