Israel and Hezbollah trade accusations of ceasefire violations, attacks in Lebanon
The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has already interrupted one round of planned negotiations in Switzerland between the U.S. and Iran.
Both Israel and Hezbollah are trading accusations of ceasefire violations as the two sides continue to launch attacks against one another in Lebanon on Saturday.
Since the ceasefire, Israel has accused Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy group and U.S.-designated terrorist group, of launching more than 50 projectiles at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.
"These attacks constitute repeated and ongoing violations of the ceasefire agreement by the Hezbollah terrorist organization," the Israeli Army said Saturday. "The IDF will not tolerate attacks against Israeli civilians or IDF soldiers and will respond with determination to any act of aggression directed against them."
Hezbollah, however, said that it considers the ongoing Israeli occupation of swathes of southern Lebanon to be a violation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. and Iran.
"The Islamic Resistance declares that, while remaining committed to the ceasefire, it will not hesitate to confront any attempt by the enemy to seize territory and expand its occupation," Hezbollah said in a statement.
The agreement between the United States and Iran to pause the war included a provision which called for a ceasefire on all fronts, which includes the Israeli conflict against Hezbollah. However, Israeli officials have asserted that they are not bound by the terms of the U.S.-Iran MOU, which the country did not sign.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed shortly after the United States announced the agreement that his country would not withdraw from Lebanon as a buffer against Hezbollah, regardless of what terms the U.S. agreed upon with Tehran, Just the News previously reported.
The Israel-Hezbollah conflict has already proven a sticking point in the ongoing negotiations to end the U.S.-Iran war. On Friday, Iran abruptly called off talks with the U.S. in Switzerland after alleged ceasefire violations in Lebanon, prompting the U.S. to rush to secure another ceasefire there.