Illustrative Image
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched more strikes against targets of Hezbollah in Lebanon following what it described as a “violation” of the ceasefire with Lebanon.
The so-called violation, which took place on January 30, saw the launch of a drone by Hezbollah. The IDF said that the “surveillance drone” was shot down right after being launched from Lebanon by the group. No sirens sounded amid the incident, “according to protocol,” the military said in a statement.
In response, the IDF announced on January 31 that Israeli fighter jets had carried out a series of airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in the Beqaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.
The targets, which “posed a threat to the Israeli home front and troops,” included a military facility with an underground weapons manufacturing site and infrastructure at border crossings between Syria and Lebanon which the group used to smuggle weapons, according to the military.
According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, two people were killed and at least ten others were wounded in the Israeli strikes which targeted the town of Janta in the Beqaa Valley.
Israel escalated its strikes against Hezbollah earlier in the month after announcing that the IDF will remain in southern Lebanon until February 18. Israeli troops were supposed to withdraw by January 26, but Israel alleged that the Lebanese military was not fully deployed in the region.
Under the ceasefire agreement, which was brokered by the United States and entered into effect on November 28, Hezbollah must pull back north of the Litani River while Israel is supposed to withdraw from the region.
The agreement does allow the IDF to o strike threats it considers imminent, and forward less imminent threats to a monitoring committee comprising representatives of Lebanon, Israel, France, the United States and United Nations forces.
Israel has been justifying its decision to remain in southern Lebanon and its recent strikes against Hezbollah by alleging that the ceasefire was being violated.
On January 31, the Wall Street Journal reported citing an American defense official that Israel had complained to the U.S.-led committee overseeing the Lebanon ceasefire that Iran is sending suitcases stuffed with U.S. dollars to Hezbollah via Beirut’s international airport.
The official is quoted as saying that Israel also claims Turkish citizens are being used to smuggle cash from Istanbul to Beirut.
According to the WSJ report, Israel’s complaints have been passed on to the Lebanese government.
Though smuggling large amounts of cash through the airport would be difficult, valuable items like gemstones and diamonds could pass undetected, a Lebanese official told the newspaper.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah broke out as a result of the war in the Gaza Strip. By the time the ceasefire came into effect, some 4,000 people had been killed in Lebanon in addition to at least 130 others on the Israeli side.
yeah man a very large friend of mine recently left for birut with a stomach full of diamonds and a large gold ingot up hiss aass
when i was a boy i was told 2 million jews were murdered in the holocaust. then when i got older i was told 4 million jews were murdered in the holocaust. the stroy now is 6 million.
i read that the “diary of anne frank” was exposed as fake because the real author used a ball point pen. ( not invented yet )
candice owens said : “it is good vs evil” maybe she is right. search term = sicarri
between 400,000 and 600,00 and typhus was the main cause of casualties. zyklon b was used to fumigate for lice, carriers of typhus. bolshevik jews within the red army contributed to the falsification plus eisenhower’s (jew) crowd as well. the 6 million lie that keeps on giving.
someone needs to down the occupiers (the jews) occupying palestine, a dresden kind of firestorm obliterating say tel aviv and the. rest of the jews. that indeed would spell a historical fairness with the jews out of the way for ever and ever!