ALBAWABA - Citing a breach of the recently enforced ceasefire deal in the delivery of weaponry to Hezbollah, the Israeli military said it carried out an airstrike early Saturday near the Lebanon-Syria border.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that the strike was directed at "military infrastructure" close to border crossings that Hezbollah is allegedly using to transfer weapons into Lebanon from Syria. According to the IDF, these activities broke the conditions of the truce and directly threatened Israel's security.
The IDF said, "Hezbollah uses civilian infrastructure to support terrorist activities and transport weapons meant for use against Israel with the help of the Syrian regime."
The U.S. and France mediated a truce between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect Wednesday morning, ending more than 14 months of the fiercest fighting between the two groups since the 2006 war in Lebanon. The agreement's main components include the Lebanese army and security forces being sent to police border areas and crossing points, as well as the Israeli military leaving south of the Blue Line within 60 days.
According to accounts, the Israeli military has broken the truce 35 times since it was put into effect as of Friday night.
Israel has launched many attacks in recent weeks against border crossings between Syria and Lebanon, especially in the Homs region, claiming that Hezbollah is using these locations to smuggle weapons.
Israel reaffirmed its concerns about the continued threat presented by Hezbollah's operations, while the group has not yet responded to the most recent charges and strikes.
This development calls into doubt whether the ceasefire will last and whether tensions in the area will resurface.
