Posted on 12/01/24
| News Source: i24
France has warned Israel about the risk of a ceasefire collapse in Lebanon on Sunday.
French diplomats have reported 52 Israeli violations in the last 24 hours, which were not reported via the planned surveillance mechanism, and have resulted in the death of three Lebanese civilians, allegedly. Paris has also noted the resumption of Israeli drone flights at low altitude over Beirut.
A high-ranking French official expressed Paris's concern about a possible collapse of the ceasefire. "The Lebanese are fully committed to maintaining the ceasefire and to prevent Hezbollah from returning to the south, but they need time to prove themselves," he said.
Minor violations reported on day two of Lebanon truce
Israel responded to these criticisms by indicating that the implementation mechanism of the agreement "will start to pick up pace" on Monday and Tuesday. An Israeli diplomatic source affirmed that "any violation will be punished with a significant response, that's what is happening on the ground."
The IDF carried out several strikes in Lebanon on Saturday following identified violations of the ceasefire agreement. One of the strikes, carried out deep in Lebanese territory, targeted a military vehicle operating near a Hezbollah missile production facility. The Israeli military also targeted armed men loading RPGs and ammunition into a vehicle in southern Lebanon.
According to US guarantees accompanying the ceasefire, Israel retains the right to act against any violation of commitments in southern Lebanon, and against emerging threats elsewhere on Lebanese territory if the country cannot or does not want to counter them itself.