Israel and Hezbollah continued fighting into Saturday, despite both agreeing to a renewed ceasefire, once again putting the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding in jeopardy.
Intense fighting broke out on Friday morning after a relative lull in fighting following the announcement of the MOU. Iran lodged complaints and threatened to withdraw from negotiations completely, prompting a blitz of negotiations by U.S. and Qatari mediators that made both sides agree to a renewed ceasefire. This new ceasefire was broken once again on Saturday, with both sides accusing the other of instigating the violence.
The Israel Defense Forces said on Saturday that Hezbollah had launched over 50 projectiles targeting IDF soldiers operating in southern Lebanon, necessitating a response.
“In order to remove threats & in response to Hezbollah’s blatant violations, the IDF struck dozens of Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure sites & terrorists in southern Lebanon throughout the night,” it said.
Hezbollah claimed it abided by the ceasefire but was forced to respond when IDF troops advanced on a strategic hilltop near the city of Nabatieh, the hotspot where fighting has flared up.
“However, it remains vigilant, prepared to respond, given the enemy’s history of treachery and betrayal,” the group said in a statement.
“The Islamic Resistance declares that, while adhering to the ceasefire, it will not hesitate to confront any attempt by the enemy to seize land and expand its occupation,” Hezbollah added.
The group said that the firefight, which began the renewed exchange of strikes, was an Israeli commando raid targeting the Ali al-Taher hill area, Reuters reported, a hill that Israel has attempted to take multiple times. The ridge was included in an IDF occupation map released on Thursday, which expanded the force’s zone of operations north toward the Ali al-Taher hill area.
A senior Hezbollah official told the outlet that the group will not allow Israel “freedom of movement” in southern Lebanon, an implicit justification of its continued drone and missile strikes against IDF positions.
The Lebanese Army condemned Israel’s strikes on Saturday, saying, “The continuation of Israel’s brutal attacks aims to obstruct any solution that would allow the restoration of stability in Lebanon.”
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It said a “military figure in the army” was killed in an Israeli strike near Nabatieh.
Iran has insisted that negotiations won’t take place, as conditioned under the MOU, until the clause about Lebanon, necessitating a full ceasefire, is respected. Iranian negotiators cancelled their trip to Switzerland for planned talks over the matter, leaving the U.S. delegation alone.
