Hezbollah confirms ceasefire terms implemented South of the Litani River
Shafaq News- Beirut
Hezbollah announced on Thursday that it has implemented the obligations of the ceasefire agreement in the area south of the Litani River, accusing Israel of continuing to issue threats of assassinations, shelling, and destruction.
In a statement, the Lebanese party said, “Lebanon has fulfilled what is required,” and rejected what it described as “threats of war and attempts to impose conditions and agreements by force.”
Earlier today, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) announced it had completed the first phase of its plan to assert control over areas south of the Litani River and had begun moving toward broader enforcement of disarmament.
In separate statements, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri expressed full support for the Lebanese army’s efforts. Later, the Council of Ministers said it had reviewed a report from the army command confirming the completion of the first phase of restricting weapons to state authority south of the Litani River, praising the military’s efforts to contain arms in areas north of the Litani as well.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office responded to the Lebanese army’s statement by describing the Lebanese government’s measures as encouraging but insufficient. It said Hezbollah continues to arm itself and stressed that “the US-brokered agreement with Lebanon calls for the group’s complete disarmament.”
In recent months, US-mediated talks have witnessed several developments, most notably Lebanon’s appointment of a civilian negotiator, Simon Karam, to represent the country in meetings of the committee tasked with overseeing the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
Despite the US-brokered ceasefire, Israeli forces have continued regular strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as Dahiye. Israel also maintains troops at five positions south of the Litani River, areas from which Lebanon has demanded a full withdrawal. UNIFIL has documented more than 10,000 Israeli ceasefire violations, while Lebanon’s Health Ministry reports at least 340 people killed and more than 970 wounded, including women and children, since the agreement.
