Israel: A Hezbollah Missile Warehouse Destroyed; First Attack After Ceasefire

On Thursday, December 8, the Israeli army announced that its air force targeted facilities used by Hezbollah to store medium-range missiles in southern Lebanon. This attack occurred just one day after a ceasefire began between Israel and Hezbollah, ending a conflict that lasted over a year. Earlier, Avichai Adraee, the Arabic-speaking media spokesperson for the Israeli army, warned residents of several areas in southern Lebanon via a post on the social media platform 'X' (formerly Twitter) not to return to their homes. Adraee mentioned the Lebanese cities of 'Shebaa', 'Habariyeh', 'Marjayoun', 'Arnoun', 'Yahmur', 'Qantara', 'Shaqra', 'Barashit', 'Yitr', and 'Al-Mansouri'. He wrote that the Israeli army 'does not intend to attack you', but warned that at this stage, residents of these areas cannot return home. IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi previously stated that the country would be very determined in implementing the ceasefire. He added, 'Hezbollah forces that approach our forces, the border area, or villages within the area we have marked will be targeted. We are preparing for the possibility that the ceasefire approach may not succeed.' U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday, December 6, the ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel, emphasizing that Israel has the right to defend itself if Hezbollah or anyone else violates the agreement. The Lebanese army, which is responsible for ensuring the ceasefire's durability, stated that it has begun deploying more forces in southern Litani, an area heavily bombed by Israel, located about 30 kilometers north of the Israeli border. Israel has also attacked cities, eastern settlements, and Hezbollah bases in southern Beirut during its conflict with Hezbollah. After months of escalating tensions, this agreement is considered a rare diplomatic success that ends the deadliest clashes between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in recent years, although Israel continues to fight another Iran-backed Palestinian militia, Hamas, in Gaza. Hezbollah Lebanon unilaterally began its rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel one day after Hamas's terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. In response, Israel conducted severe attacks against this group's positions in Lebanon and Syria, killing hundreds of members of this major proxy arm of the Iranian government in the region, as well as many of its senior leaders and military commanders, including Hassan Nasrallah, Foad Shukr, Ibrahim Aqil, and Hashem Safi al-Din. Concurrently with heavy airstrikes on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, Israel has sent ground forces to parts of southern Lebanon to secure its northern borders and facilitate the return of displaced civilians to their homes. Several countries, including the U.S., Israel, Germany, Serbia, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and Australia, have designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Hamas welcomed the agreement in Lebanon and expressed readiness for a ceasefire in Gaza. The return of war refugees to the city of Tyre occurred despite warnings from the Lebanese and Israeli armies. Reactions in the U.S. to the Lebanon ceasefire: a step towards reducing tensions in the Middle East. Josep Borrell stated that the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon is an important step for peace in the Middle East. A joint statement from the presidents of the U.S. and France regarding the ceasefire in Lebanon.